Freedom is what 13-year-old Molly Flores found on the back of a horse. As an escape from the fear and worries she sometimes endures as the child of two veterans, Flores has found solace on horseback.The daughter of an active-duty veteran mother and a disabled veteran father, Flores has endured responsibilities that other teenagers likely have not had to face.In an essay titled, ìHow I Live as a Military Child,î Flores wrote, ìWhen I am on a horse I feel free … I don’t worry if I am going to see my parents when I wake up the next day. I don’t worry about trying to help raise my brothers if something happens to one of my parents. I’m free. There is nothing holding me down.îShe found a way to merge her love of horseback riding and supporting military service members and their families when she participated in last year’s inaugural Ranch Horse Round Up for Warrior Vets.Founded to benefit military members and their families in numerous ways, the Round Up will run for the second year on the last weekend in July, said Dave Currin, a lifetime member of the National Versatility Ranch Association and the organization’s representative for the event.Flores wrote, “When I rode in the … event … last year, I had many emotions. I was proud that I could partake in such an event that supported the women and men that served … . At the end of the day, I was overjoyed. I had helped raise money for my country’s wounded.”Hosted by the Kit Carson Riding Club, this year’s Ranch Horse Round Up for Warrior Vets will donate 100 percent of its proceeds to benefit three nonprofit organizations dedicated to healing veterans and their families physically, emotionally and psychologically through equine-based activities: the Warrior Wellness Program, the Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center and the YMCA Camp Corral. Dan Yopp, Kit Carson club president, said, “All three were selected because they are local organizations, which understand the difficulties our warriors and their families face, not just upon the return home, but often, long after.”Over a two-day period, up to 50 riders will partake in two days of low-cost clinics and schooling competitions, Yopp said.The Round Up “introduces the local equestrian community to the traditions of the ranch horse,î he said. ìTop notch clinicians teach all age and skill-set levels ranch riding, ranch trail, reining, working the cow and cutting.î”A horse is a therapeutic thing to a vet. Studies have been done that show the calming effect horses have on a person,î Currin said. ìThere’s an unspoken connection there. We don’t understand why that is yet; we only know that it works.îBlake Cobb, another young volunteer, helped bring last year’s inaugural event to life. Cobb and his family hand made leather tags, tools and other items they sold at the event. They donated the proceeds to support veterans.As the son of a military service member who has been deployed oversees three times, Cobb said, “It was exciting to know how I was helping soldiers who had come back with injuries. It not only taught me a lot, but also made me feel really good because my own father was deployed during that time.””Being a military child is not easy,î Flores wrote. ìBut it is an honor.”Also a veteran, Currin said, “I am a lucky veteran. I have been in wars, and I have all of my limbs and all my wits about me. I had two or three very, very close calls. I could have easily been killed. I thought, if that had happened to me, what would have happened to my wife and kids? I wanted to give back to these servicemen and women and their children.”The second annual Ranch Horse Round Up for Warrior Vets is a family friendly event for all levels of riders. All are welcome to attend, and there is no cost to watch the event.The event takes place Saturday, July 30, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, July 31, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kit Carson Riding Club, 6775 Cowpoke Road in Colorado Springs.
