Coffee Clutch with Dutch Henry: Feature Friday – B & B Saddle Up Farm

Friday, January 3, 2014

Feature Friday – B & B Saddle Up Farm - Debbie Ball

Howdy Folks,

Little did Debbie Ball know that inviting youngsters to her farm to be with, and ride her horses, that one day there would sprout a healing, loving equine assisted therapy world, and more, and they would call it, B & B Saddle Up Farm. It was as if the horses, and other outside events would chart the course.

As a college professor she would from time to time notice that some of her students needed a little something more. She would invite them to join her at her farm, and the changes she witnessed, the changes the horses brought about, inspired her to do more.

Then while riding one day a stranger stopped their car and asked if they could bring their children and grandchildren to ride with them on Thanksgiving. Of course Debbie said yes. And on Thanksgiving Day, in rolled three vans of eager folks! They saddled eight horses and enjoyed what has become a family tradition! That happy Thanksgiving Day ride helped to shape even deeper thoughts and plans in Debbie's mind of how horses build smiles.

She knew her horses had long proved they had the love, and the spirit to help. Now to channel it. That experience caused Debbie to look into equine assisted therapy.

This December, out of a desire to help children dealing with cancer B & B hosted a fund raising ride and auction and raised $2,000 for a young lady who needs to travel to Philadelphia for her chemo. The therapeutic riding center this young lady was attending is closing, but B & B will pick up some of the activities and plans their first summer camp this summer!

Their local county riding club closed two years ago. Debbie, with the help of, Karley, one of her students, contacted the county officials, offering to take over and reopen the club. The county was thrilled and approved! – This summer, B & B Saddle Up farm will reopen Pine Creek Saddle Club and offer a wide variety of equine assisted therapy, games and fun!

Karley and Debbie

"We plan to redo the fence and grounds, remodel the bathrooms and bleachers and be open for events by spring 2014. This is one of the very few options children have in DeKalb County other than drugs." Debbie explained. " Our intent is to include 4-H and FFA, and even High School Rodeo so that we can get the MOST use out of the facility and offer kids a good place to do wholesome activities!"

To learn more visit their website – (HERE) And their Facebook page (HERE)

Thank you, Debbie, for listening to your horses!

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

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Welcome to the Coffee Clutch

Welcome to the Coffee Clutch, a happy place to visit. I write uplifting stories about a wide variety of subjects from horses to birds and nature, to love and family and friends. Sometimes I'll post excerpts from stories I've written for Equine Publications. Sometimes I'll post about writing itself. Coffee Clutch got its name because I often write while enjoying my morning coffee in the barn with my mare Kessy, and all our critters. Join us here for fun conversation and stories I promise will make you feel good.

It's For The Horses

This is not a book about riding, or training horses. It is a book on my thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how folks might find the joy in doing things for the horse, with the horses’ point of view as the leading guide. My hope is to help as many people as possible learn to hear the horse, feel their spirit, and in that way help horses everywhere. Over the years I’ve met and worked with remarkable people and horses who taught me about their feelings, their joys, their sadness, and their spirit. As a horse advocate everything I do is from the horse’s perspective, including this little book. Every story, idea, suggestion and thought on these pages will be to suggest and share thoughts and ideas on how to maximize a relationship between horse and human—from the horse’s point of view.

Tom Named by Horse

The only man ever to offer Tom respect is Red Cloud. The only woman to give him love is Red Cloud’s granddaughter. Struggling with his own personal demons, Tom finds himself wedged between honoring that friendship and staying true to the depths of his conscience. Amid a backdrop of tumultuous social upheaval, he finds nothing prepared him, the woman he loves or Chief Red Cloud, for the changes about to thunder into their lives, sweeping them helplessly into the tides of human conflict and historical drama. Available on Amazon.

From The Banks OF Little Bear Creek

The Tom Named by Horse Saga continues. Three years after the death of Tall Dog, Tom Named By Horse and Soft Cloud have turned the little soddy, the lands granted them by Red Cloud, and the lean-to barn into a thriving horse ranch, fulfilling Tom’s dream. The Plains Indians Wars, or Red Cloud’s war, is mostly behind them, and the lands have had their transformation as Red Cloud’s vision had warned years earlier. Trailing horses from the ranch to Denver city has become an annual event for Tom, Buck and the rest, and this is the story of that trail. In the spirit of a good old John Wayne movie, vengeance, cattle and horse thieves, a dirty sheriff and corrupt mayor, and a wedding make this year’s drive a ride you’ll want to tag along on.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Feature Friday – B & B Saddle Up Farm - Debbie Ball

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