GaitWay, a new nonprofit organization that helps girls build confidence and learn skills while interacting with horses, is holding an open house Saturday, Aug 3, at the Grit and Grace Ranch, 5327 Liberty School Road, in the Hillsboro area.
The open house will run from 1-4 p.m., giving the community a chance to meet the GaitWay team and see how the group’s DreamMaker Program helps young girls. The open house will include ranch tours, pony rides, games, face painting, balloon animals, live music, raffles, vendors, and food and drinks.
Sarah Buehner, chief marketing officer and outreach coordinator for GaitWay Inc., which was founded about a year ago, said the DreamMaker Program is for girls ages 13-17 and teaches them essential life skills and values, such as a strong work ethic, discipline, dedication, grit, responsibility, communication, resilience, teamwork, good time management, initiative, leadership, service, kindness, empathy, care, honesty, patience, positivity and respect.
Buehner said GaitWay teaches the skills and values through mentorship, equine programs and employment training.
She said GaitWay started when the founder, Jackie Greer, and GaitWay’s executive director, Heather Compton, brought a few struggling teenage girls to a casual work study on the ranch.
Greer and Compton saw so much improvement in the girls’ confidence and mental health the two decided to start GaitWay Inc. to help more girls in the community, Buehner said.
She said the DreamMaker Program is designed to help young girls become empowered and confident young women. The program also teaches the girls to value their community, build healthy relationships and become leaders.
Buehner said the program has had a ripple effect in the community.
“We know that when girls are succeeding, confident and resilient, they become better community members and have positive impacts everywhere they show up.”
Buehner said the DreamMaker Program starts off with teaching the girls how to do all the non-horse-related chores at the ranch, such as rolling up hoses, mucking out stalls, watering an arena or cleaning bathroom baseboards.
The girls then learn groundwork, which is training and handling a horse while on the ground rather than riding. Those exercises are designed to build trust, respect and communication between the horse and handler.
Buehner said groundwork is particularly beneficial to girls who have anxiety, high stress and low self-confidence.
“If the girl is struggling with boundaries or being assertive, then our instructors actually create tailored plans for instruction to set boundaries with the horses and to be assertive with the horses. There’s a combination of individualized goal setting along with our big picture goals,” Buehner said.
After learning groundwork, the girls graduate to horseback riding. They may train with their mentor in an arena or pen or use the numerous trails and pastures available on Grit and Grace’s 113-acre ranch.
After mastering horseback riding, the girls graduate to showing horses. The horse shows allow the girls to demonstrate their growth, as well as build interpersonal skills and gain confidence from performing in front of others.
Buehner said the girls work shifts at the barn, learning to take care of the animals and the facilities, and at the community center where they keep the kitchen and bathroom clean.
“We’re looking at that holistic wellness approach of helping the girls not only work with the horses but practice taking care of their space,” Buehner said.
She said the girls may use their employment experience at the ranch on applications for other jobs and can use GaitWay as a work reference.
Buehner said within just a few months of starting the DreamMaker program many of the girls see improvements in their communication, physical health and mental health.
“When we watch these girls just transform and become confident young women, it’s so rewarding,” Buehner said.
About 40 Jefferson County girls have gone through the program since it began, Buehner said, adding that the program is tailored to the needs of each girl and takes about six months to a year to complete.
After completing the program, the girls may decide to stay on and work their way up to becoming team leads and eventually instructors.
Buehner said those interested in taking part in the DreamMaker program should apply on GaitWay’s website. New applications become available in the fall.
She said space is limited by the number of mentors and horses available, so only a certain number of girls may be accepted.
The DreamMaker program is the first GaitWay has launched, but Buehner said others may be offered in the future.
“We want to be able to offer programs from ages 6 or 7 all the way into young adulthood. We’re still building up the resources for that,” Buehner said.
She said GaitWay is 100 percent funded by grants and donations, so contributions help the organization continue their mission to help as many girls as possible.
Buehner said the girls also learn about entrepreneurship and interpersonal skills through “micro business” fundraising efforts, such as selling T-shirts and holding bake sales, the profits of which go back to GaitWay to help keep it tuition free.
Currently, donors may “purchase” one of the 71 fence posts recently installed at the ranch. Each person who contributes to the fence post program will get his or her name displayed on a customized plaque as a founding member. The plaques will be visible to riders and visitors to the ranch.
Those interested in donating to GaitWay Inc. may do so at linktr.ee/gaitwayinc.
For more information about GaitWay, visit its website at Gaitwayinc.org or call 636-489-8108.