From Fear to Freedom with One Magical Client, but not with Humans

We’ve all faced fear in our career whether it was challenges early in our career, an overbearing boss or just facing uncertainty. It’s happened to all of us. What I’m talking about is a fear relating to a client.

As a kid and even as I entered adulthood, my life was sprinkled with bad experiences around horses. As a youngster on vacation with my family in Kentucky, my sister begged my parents to let us go horseback riding, so we stopped and my mom, my sister and I saddled up. My dad, in his wisdom, said he would wait for us.

We were well into our guided horse adventure when everything went south. (I actually had no idea what direction I was going, which was part of the problem!) The horses became disturbed, apparently by a hat in the bushes and all hell broke loose. My horse ran down a different path from the others. I was at its mercy as I knew nothing about controlling a horse. I found myself ducking to avoid low branches as a did my best to hold on.

After what felt like hours, but I’m sure was maybe 10 minutes, my horse entered a clearing where I was greeted by the leader who was with my mom and sister. It was a terrifying experience for a young kid who had never been on a horse before.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my only bad experience, but I won’t bore you with each story. Needless to say, those experiences included a summer camp and a guide who didn't seem to like kids and a horse lunging at me so hard that it broke through a wooden gate to name a few.

My philosophy regarding horses going into my adulthood was that I respect them and I think they are beautiful creatures, but they are large and have a mind of their own and I don’t trust them! I still say that's a reasonable assessment.

Let’s fast forward to just a few years ago when a dear friend said she had a potential client for me. It was a horse ranch that was in need of some video work! A horse ranch!? Why can’t I ever catch a break!?

I spoke on the phone with Mike, who along with his wife Sandi, own the Legacy Ranch in Lockport, Illinois. I learned about their needs for interviews and a video for an annual fundraiser that was coming up soon.

Knowing that I had never shot interviews on a ranch before and that my comfort level around horses was around 1 on a scale of zero to ten, I asked Mike if I could do a site visit to find good locations to shoot and ensure I’d have access to power. I also had an ulterior motive- to see how close I might have to be to the horses.

During my tour, Mike was very friendly as he walked me around. I saw beautiful horses in their stalls, something I have no issue with, but then things took a turn, and that lost little kid in me became wide-eyed! Mike slid open a door to one of their indoor arenas because he wanted to show me something on the other side. He was surprised to see a horse standing on the other side of the door as if it were expecting us. Mike wasn’t as surprised as I was.

Mike thoughtfully asked if I was okay with walking to the other side of the arena. Internally I told my younger self to get over it and I told Mike that would be fine. We walked across the arena which felt like walking from endzone to endzone of Soldier Field. As we did so, the horse calmly walked right along side me. Mike showed me something out the window. In that moment and to this day I couldn’t tell you what it was. Then we walked back. Again, the horse walked right along side me. Something was different about our walk back. I felt calmer even though the horse was still there. As we got back, I felt a smile appear on my face and I even took a moment to look over at the horse wondering if it realized what this moment meant to me.

After our tour we sat down to talk through the shoot and I couldn’t take it anymore and I told Mike and others in the room my story. I almost felt giddy. They all smiled as if they knew something I didn’t, because they did.

They went on to explain the basics of equine assisted therapy to me and how horses can sense your level of anxiety and how they want to regulate it… they want you to feel comfortable. Needless to say, I was amazed.

I was back the following week to shoot interviews and capture supporting footage and I’ve been back several times since. Rather than feeling dread when I go, I find myself wanting to visit my four-legged friends, to spend some time and take a few selfies with them. What I once feared, I now desire.

If I can go from one extreme to another from just visiting to shoot video, you can imagine the magic that happens with their special needs clients. Each time I’m there, I’m amazed at the stories I hear and at my own reaction to the amazing staff, both two legged and four. I don’t throw around phrases like this often, but the Legacy Ranch in Lockport, Illinois is a magical place. If you know of someone who might benefit from their services, do yourself a favor and reach out to their staff to learn more. That person you know can become their next miracle.

https://www.thelegacyranch.org/

Sandi Dryer Moleski

Mike Moleski

Kim B. Holmes

The Legacy Ranch