By Morgan Mizell

GLOSTER — Mane Stream Ministries will host a benefit trail ride and auction Saturday, March 26 at the Brushy Creek Ranch in Gloster, Mississippi in efforts to raise money needed to fund their equine therapy mission for special needs children and veterans.

Those interested in the trail ride will need to bring their horses and equipment to ride as the ranch will not do any horse rentals during the event. The ride starts at 9 a.m. and will end at 1 p.m. The auction will begin shortly after with a dinner as well. Live entertainment will be provided by the Johnston Brothers Bluegrass Band later that evening.

“When we bought the ranch, this was a goal we had,” Ashli Kimball said. “My husband Chris and I knew we wanted to work to be able to provide this service to people who may need it but cannot afford it.”

Equine therapy, also called horse therapy, is an experimental therapy that involves interactions with a patient and a horse. While it is called experimental, those who have participated in such therapy have seen results. Some patients involved with therapy have developed skills and attributes such as accountability, responsibility, self-confidence and self-control.

“We have worked with a few children here before, for example one child with Cerebral Palsy,” Kimball said. “This child has been told all his life he cannot do what other kids do and he has been held back because of his physical limitation which affects his confidence. When he is on a horse, he is as good as or better than his peers.”

Other facilities offer the same service for a fee, but Mane Stream hopes to raise enough funds to be able to offer their services at no cost.

“It takes a lot of money to care for the horses and buy all of the equipment needed to ride them,” Kimball said. “There is also a new law which states children under a certain age have to wear helmets to ride and that is also another expense for which we have to allot.”

The fee for riding the trail during the fundraiser will be $30 for adults and $10 for children twelve and under. For three or more, there is a family rate of $65. These totals include the ride, dinner and the band. For those not interested in riding, they offer a different rate of $10 for adults and $5 for children.

There is also an Easter Sunday service the next day.

 

“We will have a Cowboy Church service Sunday with a trail ride to follow,” Kimball said. “If people are interested in staying overnight they can make reservations for one of the cabins or just camp out on the grounds.”

Aside from working with special needs, the ministry seeks to help with the bonding of families.

“We have had father and son camps as well as mother and daughter camps,” Kimball said. “The idea is that by being out here in nature, with no electronic interference, you have the opportunity to connect with the people who are physically with you.”

Kimball said they are currently accepting donations for the ministry and for the event.

“We are always looking for volunteers and we need some the day of to cook pastalaya,” Kimball said. “Anyone who has something of value they would like to donate for the auction or any old horse saddles or bridles or reigns can get in touch with us as we would love to have it.”

The needs of the children the ministry hopes to reach vary and there will also be a need to make sure the facility and grounds are compliant to all disability codes and regulations.

The Kimball’s hope is to be able to help as many children with disabilities and veterans as possible.

“This is our first big push to try and make the public aware of what we are trying to do,” Kimball said. “We hope to have people interested in supporting our work as we know first-hand what it can mean to someone who lives with a disability.”

Those who are interested in getting more information about volunteering with the organization or donating to the event can contact Ashli or Chris at 601-225-7777. Cabins and campsite information can be obtained on the website www.brushycreekranch.net. The event will be held at the ranch at 5939 East Homochitto Road in Gloster, Mississippi.