Things at The Red Barn have been going so smoothly lately.  We have been full of lesson's every day that I have been there and it has been so great! Also, we have begun planning for the Christmas Fundraiser, which hopefully will be held at Good People Brewing Company, or if that doesn't work out we will have it at Avondale Brewing Company.  Also, at the event we will be selling some of the kid's individual artwork and accepting donations.  We are trying to appeal, not only to those who consistently support The Red Barn, but also to the young people of Birmingham who may just want to come to our event for a fun night on the town!  I am really excited about this fundraiser, I think that it will be really fun and hopefully raise a lot of money for our cause!

The Open House!!

Our Open House was Saturday October 12th, and I just wanted to post some of the photo's I took from that day!

We had "Sweet Tea" the clown come play with us! 

Learning to Lasso was a blast! 

Our live pianist! He was awesome!! 

A picture from one of the horse demonstrations!

Another picture from one of the horse demonstrations!

We even had some real scottish dancer's...

... and plenty of other games for the kids!! 

Also, a Folk artist came to do art with the kids

Take the Reigns

So... Joy, Joe, and I finally all got to talk about possibly getting Three Hots and a Cot to come out to The Red Barn and participate in the Take the Reigns program (See my second blog post for more on that)!  Joy was very excited to hear that there was a group of people who wanted to participate in the program.  So far, the plan is to have a "pilot" encounter, with about three men from Three Hots and a Cot and some of our horses.  After that we will talk to the men who participated and see what they would like to change about the program and what they liked. After that we are hoping that it may potentially become a regular thing!

Some other things that have happened at the barn is that we have gotten 3 new horses! One is a Saddlebred and quarter horse mix, another is a pony, and the last one is a miniature pony (I'm not sure their exact breed).  This picture is from tonight when we were bringing all of the horses in.  Topper (left) and JJ (right) are the pony and miniature pony.  They are great with the kids and Topper is perfect under saddle! It is so cute to see a little kid riding him, they are the perfect size!

Well, I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on the the status of the Veterans project!

Last night at The Red Barn was amazing.  It was the first time I got to see measurable improvement in a student.  I have heard awesome stories, and seen many students at the beginning of their time at The Red Barn, but last night I got to experience it for myself.  One child, I have really gotten to know and be with consistently, made vast improvements last night.  Its always one thing to know something works, and believe in a program, but its another when you get to see change and be a part of it.   Seeing positive change in a child that has been through so much is something that makes me sure that I am in the right field of work.  I've always known  what I loved to do, and what I was passionate about, but I had no idea how to get a "big girl job" doing it.  I mean, I could not be a camp counselor forever, but nursing has given me that same ability to make a difference and be a positive influence on children when there are so many negative influences out there.  Here is a video of some of the ways The Red Barn utilizes horses for therapy in kids!

On another note, this weekend is the Open House at The Red Barn from 2-4.  I'll be out there all day Saturday and can't wait to meet more of the students and people who are interested in working with The Red Barn! At the Open House we are having treats and snacks, hot chocolate and coffee, live music, a horse skills demonstration, a dance demonstration, a clown visit, and a folk artist to do an art project with the kids.  So far it sounds like it is going to be a great day,  and I can't wait to tell you all how it went!