Iron Horse Christian Youth Ranch is a nonprofit organization designed to make horseback riding lessons obtainable for riders of all ages. IHCYR offers free equine education classes every Thursday, Friday and Saturday; with low cost riding instruction given on Saturday.”Horses are expensive,” said Susan Kamlan, president and founder of IHCYR. “We are able to teach these kids to ride and ride well.”Parents often thank her, saying they never thought they could afford riding lessons for their children, she said.Kamlan said she has worked with horses for 39 years – providing care and grooming, training, attending horse shows as a participant and a judge and teaching riding lessons. She owns two boarding facilities, Iron Horse Ranch at Falcon Highway and Meridian Road and Prairie Springs at Templeton Gap Road and Black Forest Road.A woman of faith, Kamlan said she prayed to find the right path for the horse ranch and a chance to serve the community. She felt directed to reach out through horses and create the free and low cost classes that have become IHCRY.”(Riding) is something I would have loved to have done as a kid, but it was just not feasible,” she said.IHCRY has been in operation for more than five years, and Kamlan said she is pleased with how it has turned out. “Horses need kids and people. Kids and people need horses. It benefits everyone,” she said.The free equine education classes teach children horse safety, care and grooming and training techniques, Kamlan said. Riding instruction is available Saturday mornings for $20. Kamlan offers free instruction once a month for the regular participants of the equine education class – those who can’t afford the regular fee.Working with horses teaches life skills, she said. Her students learn confidence, responsibility and how to work hard. “It’s a lot of work, but you’ve got to get dirty and have fun,” Kamlan said.Laurie Wonders volunteers three to four times a week at IHCRY. She said the atmosphere in the barn is truly unique. “I’m used to barns where everyone is competing with each other,” she said. “Here, it’s all about helping the kids – everyone is welcome.”Wonders said she regularly sees the difference IHCRY makes in the students’ lives. “Riding teaches life-long skills, building layers of confidence and skill level,” she said. “The kids really respond to the positive learning environment. I’d rather be at the barn than in my own house.”Parents of IHCRY are ecstatic about the program. “My daughter, Aleesha, has loved horses since she was tiny,” said Sheryl Nelson of Colorado Springs. “Without this program, she would never have been able to learn so much about the care, feeding, nutrition and riding of horses.”The Nelsons are adopting a horse for their daughter, another aspect of IHCRY. Kamlan said she takes in horses whose owners can no longer care for them and trains them as riding school horses.”I have eight or nine horses that are the base of the riding school and another five that rotate through,” Kamlan said. Students who fall in love with a particular horse can adopt or lease the animals and board them at some of the lowest prices in the area at Kamlan’s facilities.Kamlan hopes to expand the IHCRY hours but needs more volunteers to help run the program. “I’m always looking for adults who know horses to volunteer and make a commitment,” she said. Kamlan said she also is exploring grants to fund scholarships for riding classes and expand equine therapy services for disabled children.For more information about pricing and classes offered at IRCHY, visit www.ihcyr.org, e-mail ihcyranch@yahoo.com or call 719-243-0843.
