Ouray Magazine's County Lines Locals Series
Welcome to the County Lines Local Series podcast. Join us as we dive into the heart and soul of our communities, uncovering the stories that shape our lives we'll explore the human experiences that connect us all.
Each episode will feature interviews with local residents, experts, and community leaders. We'll discuss everything from local history and culture to current events and challenges. Our goal is to shed light on the unique perspectives and stories that make Ouray County so special.
So, tune in and join us on this journey of discovery. Let's explore the County Lines together.
Ouray Magazine's County Lines Locals Series
From Horses to Healing: The Transformative Journey of Grace Reins Equine Therapy
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Erin Cain, founder of Grace Reins Equine Therapy, brings us an inspiring tale of passion turned purpose. Horses have been at the heart of Erin's life since childhood, and her discovery of equine therapy in her twenties set her on a mission of healing and transformation. Throughout this episode, Erin shares how this journey has evolved into a unique therapeutic environment where individuals connect with mustangs, creating a safe space for healing and growth. Her story is about therapy and redemption for both the people and the horses involved.
We'll explore the remarkable process of rescuing and rehabilitating wild mustangs, creatures often misunderstood and burdened by their past. With their deep-seated instincts for connection, these majestic animals help people from all walks of life build trust and confidence. Erin shares heartwarming stories of children, veterans, and others who have experienced profound healing through interactions with these horses. The mustangs find new purpose in their roles, illustrating the symbiotic nature of these therapeutic relationships.
Beyond the therapy sessions, Erin and her team offer a range of programs and retreats designed to foster heart-to-heart connections without the need for riding. Activities like journaling, yoga, and sound bowl healing complement equine therapy, providing a holistic approach to healing that resonates deeply with participants. With plans for expansion and a commitment to accessibility, Grace Rains Equine Therapy is poised to significantly impact the community, ensuring that financial constraints don't hinder anyone from experiencing the transformative power of Mustang therapy.
Equine Therapy
Speaker 1Welcome to the County Lines Local Series podcast with your host , marcus Van Meter , where we explore the heart of our community , sharing stories , insights and the voices that make our county unique . Sit back , listen in and let's dive into what makes life here so extraordinary .
Speaker 2Welcome everyone to the Uray County Lines Local Series podcast . We are with Aaron Kane today , founder of Grace Rains Equine Therapy in Placerville , colorado . Erin , welcome to the show .
Speaker 3Thank you so much for having me . It's wonderful to be connected .
Speaker 2You're welcome To give the viewers or listeners a little bit of background . Erin and I have been communicating . She is a follower of Euray Magazine and when I started to look into what she does I thought holy cow , this is a great match for the Lifestyle and Culture publication and I knew from that moment that we had to get Erin's story on record . So here we are Erin , tell us a little bit about your journey in equine therapy , and this seems to be like a lifelong thing for you . Is that correct ? Is that ?
Speaker 3correct Pretty much . Yes , my love of horses is a lifelong thing , as a child and into my young adult life . And then finding an equine therapy program sometime in my 20s was my first really awareness that that even existed . I stumbled upon a program in Connecticut . I grew up in New York and moved around a bit , but stumbled upon this program and they were hosting the Special Olympics and I thought , oh my gosh , this is amazing . You know my heart for for challenge , people with different challenges and disabilities and my love of animals . It was just this incredible collusion and that was it for me .
Speaker 2That's awesome and what a great place to do it up where you're located , high above the valley there , overlooking Telluride and LaSalle Mountains and everything that you've got to look at up there . It's really beautiful .
Speaker 3Yes , yes , we are so , so blessed to be here . I've been out in Telluride for about 12 years now , and then we found this property . During COVID , I had been moving around just doing my work remotely poaching different properties and different horses , horses and and then got into the rescue mission of the Mustangs and started working with them as our , our healers , and then found this property . So it all sort of is spelled together incredibly . So we are .
Speaker 2Fantastic and I know you touched on a little bit . Can you , can you kind of share the story behind Grace Rain's equine therapy and what inspired you to start this journey in a nutshell ? I mean kind of sum it up for everybody what you do up there ?
Speaker 3Yes , yes . Well , I have been an equine specialist in mental health and learning and a therapeutic riding instructor for over 20 years , instructor for over 20 years . And then , as I said , moving out here and sort of recreating my life . Wild mustangs became a part of that endeavor and the adoption and rescue of the wild mustangs and then pairing that with my longtime work in equine therapy was just a whole other level of beauty . And then finding the property here , developing Grace Rains , and it was just immediate the need . It was like we sort of planted the seed and people just started coming and it's been incredible to work with many , many different populations and that is just continuing to grow and so we hope to be able to grow along with it and reach as many people as we possibly can , and it's a privilege .
Speaker 2Yeah , I can about imagine . It sounds like you're connecting the dots for a lot of people . And how does the concept of equine assisted therapy different from traditional therapeutic ?
Speaker 3methods ? That's a great question , I would say right out of the gate . It sort of disarms people to be in a space where they're not required to sort of tell their stories right up front , to have to sit across and and and speak verbally to a person . Um , just putting that context into place for people and allowing them to really be in a space to take their time with , uh , what they want to unveil , what they want to heal , and then obviously being with a horse , a totally nonjudgmental space where they can just receive love and receive warmth and receive acceptance again without the judgment , just gives a really beautiful starting point for people to begin to heal .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's pretty cool . Having both of us worked in the horse business in the past , we know them fairly well and I know you can probably gauge your reaction from your clients that come and visit you . But what kind of reaction do you see from the horses ? I know you're talking about Mustangs coming in and and I know some of our listeners will have a history of what Mustangs go through in the west . How do they react to all this ? Is there a way that you kind of gauge that to say , hey , this is working for the ponies as well .
Speaker 3Yes , yes , oh my gosh all of that we are are so lucky to witness . But I think a really powerful piece of information that I love to share with people is that the horse is not looking for anything from them . People have this old sort of adage of oh , a horse is going to know that I'm afraid of them , or a horse is going to know that I , and that that's a bad thing . And that is not a bad thing . What the horse is looking for , what the horse wants , is your authenticity . So if you're showing up and you are fearful , you are depressed , you are full of angst or whatever it is that you bring here is completely fine with the horse .
Speaker 3It's just when people try to pretend that there's something else , they try to override their authentic selves with some bravado or some part of our egos , which is what we're used to showing up with with each other .
Speaker 3But with the horse that's , it becomes very apparent that it's okay to be in whatever state you're in , because you see them respond to you , whereas if you're coming in with a , with an agenda or something inauthentic , you'll you'll see the horse sort of move away from you . They just don't want to be in that space . Very much like you and I , uh , like human beings . We have that same spidey sense where we show up somewhere and we go . I'm not really comfortable here . I don't there's something off about this person , but we as humans , in our interactions , we have a lot of systems to override our instincts . We have a lot of manners that we have to present and things that we have to move through our lives with , where we can't always show up and say , well , I don't want to be here , I don't like this feeling , but the horses don't have that agenda .
Speaker 2Yeah , it sounds like they're responding to pressure . Even though it may not be physical pressure there , they can feel it .
Speaker 3Yes , exactly that . Energetic . That's such an interesting point because we've just been discussing that . Like , what is pressure ? You know it's not some . There's a lot of trainings and theories in the horse world where that very term is used , you know , responding to pressure , but it's really , it's more of that . It's sort of that co , coherence , right . It's when things don't feel right , it is a pressure , we feel the same thing , but when there's that coherence and that alignment , that pressure is non-existent .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah . How long do you find it usually takes for your patients or your clients to come out for that kind of melt away , to kind of release and get into that groove with the pony and make that connection ?
Speaker 3another great question . You know , I often tell the stories of people that come out here . They will come down the driveway and get out of their car and oftentimes people get emotional because for a myriad of reasons , some of which which are obvious , but I think it's it's poignant to think about we don't often allow ourselves these breaks of in our lives . We don't allow ourselves to go into a space where we know we're going to heal and be um , sort of decompress for a minute , and just that idea will often soften people . And so we see that and experience that a lot .
Speaker 3You know , someone gets out of their car with their water bottle and they're just sign their waivers and then , and they're just full of emotion and sort of gratitude , they're enveloped in this idea of , oh my gosh , I'm gonna , I'm going to be able to relax now , I'm going to be kind of disarmed for a little while , and then there's a whole process of how people experience their time here , and sometimes it's . You know , I had a new client a few months ago that came out for a day and she sent me later on that night . She sent me her aura aura ring . You know the , the aura rings that track your heart rate , and her heart rate reading when she was here was the same as when she was sleeping holy cow pretty incredible .
Speaker 3I had never had that data , nor had I thought to capture that data , but it was such a gift that she shared that , because it's what I can articulate to people that we like to hope that that's the physiological response from people , but to have that actual data was very cool .
Speaker 2Yeah , I can about imagine that's fantastic . So that kind of leads into the next question who do you find benefits the most ? What kind of client benefits the most from what you guys have to offer out there ?
Speaker 3You know , I would honestly say that anyone can benefit from being out here . You just reminded me to sort of compare the idea of having a therapy dog at a hospital or a therapy dog at a school or a therapy dog on site of a tragedy . People can often relate to that idea , like how everyone is sort of drawn to that . Let me just touch this animal because it helps me feel grounded and it helps me feel like human , like that softness of us , and so everyone can have that experience here . But I will say that there's very profound experiences with people with trauma .
Speaker 3Identifying the veteran population is a sort of easy thing for people to understand that this will give them that nervous system break potentially and hopefully a reset for that population . But yeah , we hope that a lot , think we , we , we hope that you know a lot of our kids that come out here . They , they kind of reset their nervous systems . They have a chance to kind of set a new baseline for their , their often frenetic or troubled lives outside of here . I , I , I like to remind people when they leave here that these experiences that they have , that they are just full of joy and happiness here , that they actually take that with them , that that is something that lives in us on a cellular level , just like our trauma , unfortunately , does also live with us . Yeah , but we think about that idea that that happiness and that joy and that feeling can be tapped back into when you are back out in your life and having a hard time . You can sort of put yourself back in that state and have access to that .
Speaker 2Yeah , and that probably could be the same thing for the horses as well .
Speaker 3right , I mean because they're
Healing Power of Mustang Therapy
Speaker 3coming from some challenging places . If you're rescuing Mustangs , is that correct ? Yes , yes , which is again a beautiful story for people to relate to . You know that story of redemption and that you know , no one is ever beyond that . You know , no one is ever beyond reparation and ever beyond being loved and being cared for .
Speaker 3And these mustangs , I mean , we marvel at them . I don't even understand really how or why they would ever trust a human being again after the trauma that they have endured . And yet they do have endured and um , and yet they do . You know , and that just speaks to the sentient part of their beings that they do long to connect and that it is part of their survival . You know , that's , that's part of the genetic um makeup of a wild animal , as as was ours at one time . But , um , you know , so being in coherence and being in a herd is part of their survival and they include us in that , as in some ways , some that we'll never really quite understand , but you can tell , you know , you know the difference in a horse that's going to let you be in their space and , and that's a real gift for people , it makes people feel worthy again , because there is no exchange other than that right it's . It's a completely different playing field from yeah we interact with each other .
Speaker 3When someone is accepted and loved and and in communion with a horse , it's a very pure experience .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , they want to trust you but you've got to earn it and if it feels comfortable around you , as you feel around them , it's kind of like a connection and I don't think a lot of people really understand that .
Speaker 3Yes , and that's the gift of it , cause it's very powerful and sometimes it's beyond words and description , is something that people just experience and feel in their hearts , and's that's the gift of of them being here how many horses do you guys typically work with in a year and do you hold on to those ponies for more than a year ?
Speaker 2do you cycle them through to try to get as many mustangs like people into this program , or what's that look like on the horse prep end ?
Speaker 3We , we don't we we adopt and keep the ones that we have Some of . Right now we have nine in our herd and we will keep them forever , however long you know where we're here for and they're here for , and they're all at varying degrees of being gentled . Some of them have been with us since they were babies . We adopted two of them when they were six months old and they're about eight years old now . So they are very , very gentled , but they're always a whore . You know , there's always that fight flight instinct that they have . So , as gentle as they can be and as docile um in the in the context of their time with people , they still have that wildness which is again like just a very compelling part of the energy that you experience . Some of our mustangs are um more recent , have been adopted in the last year and a half and are not yet in the program because they are at a very heightened state of still being gentled and they all need to be able to be haltered and to be trailered because we have to have that in the event of an emergency or that emergency or God forbid an evacuation , evacuation . So we have them all to that degree of being gentle that they're not dangerous to us and to themselves .
Speaker 3Um , and that's a process , you know , and honestly , the last one we adopted , michael , he , he might not be ever in the program because he , he might not want to be . You know , that's also a part of what , um , what we do here , that we we don't make them go into the program or work with people if there's , if they're too shy or too skittish or just you know . So I would say about a half of our horses are regularly with clients and then some of our we we have had clients now for the last four years since we've been here , and so some of those , some of whom are young kids , work with the less gentled Mustangs , the more timid and the more , you know , just heightened Mustangs , and that's really empowering for young people also yeah , yeah , and I can about imagine the impression .
Speaker 2It's an indelible mark that leaves on their lives . I can only imagine when they spend time like that , and especially if they've never done it before and exactly .
Speaker 3Yes , I mean , that's a very special thing for a young , young child to be able to go back into their little worlds here at school or wherever they're struggling , you know , whether it be their home life or their school life or sports or whatever and they are probably the only one who are working with wild mustangs or gentling and helping to train wild mustangs , are gentling and helping to train wild mustangs . So , you know , we like to think that that's a big part of what will build their self-worth and their self-confidence and their value to themselves that they know that they have this piece of their lives .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , that's really special . Now , do you usually work with women for clients , or do you get a mix of everything ? I know you've talked a little bit about the young kids and what you typically see .
Speaker 3It's really kind of across the board . Right now . I do have a women's group I spoke with you about that . I work with weekly , just through the winter , a small group of women , and then I do have my regular rotation of children throughout the week . We also work with the veteran population and I do have , you know , a handful of adults that I work with , also for a myriad of reasons . You know some just going through transitions , changes in their lives . You know that kind of population that maybe they're leaving the workforce or their kids have gone off to college and they're . You know , people come for reasons that we would think they would , or , yes , yeah , you find most of them regional to the southwest Colorado area .
Speaker 2Do you get folks as far as Denver or even beyond ?
Speaker 3Well we are .
Therapeutic Horse Programs and Retreats
Speaker 3This summer we're doing a intensive program . I'm collaborating with a physical therapist so we're doing a week long immersive intensive with physical therapy and equine therapy . So we have a small group of children that are coming from all over the country . So this is the first time I've done that really outreach . I have had some visitors to speak to your platform as we had gotten some write-up in the tourism magazines , and so URA in particular was a um , was a draw last summer . People that were just coming out to visit maybe they're camping , maybe they're here with their families , so we had a bit of that population come through last summer . And also we work with the make-a-wish foundation so we have had families from all over the country with that platform also .
Speaker 2So yeah , yeah , Do they , and I guess it may not even be an obvious question . But do your clients ride or is it strictly just interacting with the ponies ? And that Okay , so no riding .
Speaker 3No riding , we just do groundwork here . Um , we we personally have saddle trained a few of the Mustangs that we do ride , but uh , with the program it's really all about that sort of being on the ground , being eye to eye and heart to heart with the horses . That's , that's the experience that we're're offering here . Yeah , it's totally different from riding . I mean , riding is awesome , but it's just a different experience to be up back of a horse and being on the ground with a horse .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , having ridden a few mustangs myself , I can tell you that can be a handful , if , if you don't know what you're doing or you know yeah , I know you don't know what you're doing .
Speaker 3Yes , right , yeah , I , they know . You don't know what you're doing .
Speaker 2Yes , Right , yeah , I mean , they're very intuitive animals , that's for sure . Definitely , now you offer programs all year round , is that correct ? Winter and summer we ?
Speaker 3do , and do those programs differ in between the seasons or is it pretty much the same thing ?
Speaker 3I mean , they differ in very small ways because when it's summertime and the pond is full and there's other activities and things that we do with the horses .
Speaker 3So , just really from a practical perspective , there are and there have been winters and there are sometimes weeks where we cannot operate program because there's so much snow we can't get down the barn road , so we are subject to Mother Nature , but but for the most part , as we know , the sun shines here . You know , fortunately , this winter sessions that I've been having have just been on bluebird sunny days , um , have just been on bluebird sunny days and a few things we've had to , just , you know , cut and snuggle into the barn and have some hot chocolate and we can bring the horses into the barn and into the stalls and I have a whole recreation area in the barn where we do , um , journaling and yoga , sound bowl healing . You know all different different processes that we incorporate sometimes for the different retreats . We worked with the Telluride Yoga Festival last year so we hosted a big group and did that up in the barn outside . Yeah , yeah , I love that .
Speaker 2I bet that was a heat shit .
Speaker 3It's really cool too . We had a woman come out last week , um , who I should connect you with . She's a breath work , uh specialist in ridgeway and she did some breath work with my women's group . We did it outside with the horses , just along the fence line , and they were all reacting and responding to what we were doing and falling into the energy that was so beautifully created . It was very cool to see that .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's really cool . And you know I don't think a lot of people realize that may not live here just how epic some of our winners can be , and we won't tell anybody . We're going to keep that , yeah , keep that on the DL Right , but we do get a lot of bluebird skies out here . Yeah , yes it doesn't look that bad . Yeah , you know , I mean that can be t-shirt weather in some instances .
Speaker 3For sure , yeah , I got . Well , I was warm yesterday . I went out all bundled up and then by the time we bring the horses in and everybody got here and we were out doing our things . You know , you're shedding layers and the sun is very powerful at this elevation .
Speaker 2Yeah , it certainly is , which makes us want to wear big hats to cover our face and all that kind of stuff , because you can really fry from that . Now , do you have a particular success story that kind of rings out , that stands out above the rest ? I know you probably see a lot of people all year and get a lot of feedback too . Do you have one that sticks out in your mind ? It's like this is what we intended this to be .
Speaker 3Oh , you know , anytime anyone has , it makes me want to cry because , uh , it's just exactly what you said .
Speaker 3This is what we intend this to be .
Speaker 3And , um , there is there we do work with , with one young , uh , child who I was talking about before , has been with us for four years now and we see just the joy and the impact that this place has had on him and his life , and that's amazing .
Speaker 3You know , sometimes we don't always see the results of things or the . You know , it's like when we all look back on our childhoods and remember certain adults or experiences or places that were just so , so critical to our lives and that hold a very special place in our hearts because they , they shaped us and changed us and gave us a building block to be where we are , and and that that's , you know , one thing we can hope for . But honestly , I mean just having , like , I got a card from a veteran a few months ago and she said this was the only time since she has gotten the big me cry sorry out of the service that she had felt relief . She had a moment of relief , she had a moment that took her , that transcended her , out of her mental place that she suffers in , and so that was just amazing to hear that , yeah that's really sweet .
Speaker 2Just amazing to hear that . Yeah , that's really what . What kind of target number in a group do you in a session ? Do you guys like number wise ? That's comfortable for you ? How many people are involved in that ?
Speaker 3When I'm facilitating on my own , I I would say six is my sweet spot , because you just really want to be able to connect with each person . When I have collaborators which I do often , you know , we can go to 12 to 15 people . That's a that's a good spot too . And we want to start curating retreat work , where we're doing overnights as well . Ok , that's also a really special experience . Nights as well Okay , that's also a really special experience .
Speaker 3Like oftentimes , if you have this profound experience , you sort of want to sleep on it and wake up with everybody and just and sort of process it together , which is another part of I mentioned that we do journaling and some writing and downloading things like that . We did finish building a labyrinth this fall , downloading things like that . We did finish building a labyrinth this fall , which was also really just such a beautiful thing that I had wanted to do since we moved up to the property . I thought , oh my gosh , this will be another beautiful space for a labyrinth for time of reflection . Sometimes it anchors someone's experience . They might start out doing a walk through the labyrinth and setting their intentions and then they can conclude their experience here by taking another walk through the labyrinth and sort of anchoring that emotional experience
Rural Equine Therapy Program Expansion
Speaker 3.
Speaker 2Yeah , and for the listeners that may not know , placerville , just to give a little geographic here that's right in between Telluride and Ridgeway . Yes , so folks coming in town that may need some lodging but have some options where they could stay and relatively an easy drive to get to you , correct ?
Speaker 3Absolutely . Yeah , there are , and we help people figure that stuff out . Like I said , we're having that immersive this summer and so that's involving some big families and so we're able to direct them to different places . There's the , the hostel property down in placerville . There's obviously bigger hotels in telluride , but ridgeway has some wonderful options , um and and the west end as well , you know norwood and nicaraguan . There's lots of we hope to be able to have . Eventually I'd like to have a yurt or some thing here where we can overnight people in a sort of camp type environment , but we're working towards all of that stuff .
Speaker 2So yeah , yeah , and it's a process , you know , and it's a slow process , to make sure that you grow the correct way and what you're doing , being so close to those communities , do you ever do any work like go into the schools and teach or engage the students ? You have programs like that that get them involved . I know we talked a little bit about the kiddos coming out , but what does that look like ?
Speaker 3Yes , well , we do , yes , we do . We are very involved in the one-to-one mentor program in Telluride which , you know , matches a mentor and a mentee , and that's a beautiful program . We hosted a huge event for them this fall . I think we had about 75 people out here . So so yeah , as a nonprofit , we are definitely in that network of the San Miguel Resource Center and there's a lot of wonderful organizations to help people in our area . And so , yeah , and we do the Telluride Education Foundation , you know , always connecting and trying to build on that population of needs , and have recently gotten just this , our first year being supported by the Telluride Foundation for our first grant with them , which is really , really helpful .
Speaker 2Congratulations .
Speaker 3Yeah , thank you so much . Yeah , we have Johnson Family Foundation support just for kids , foundation support and in that way , I mean that is a business model that I sort of put into to set that precedent that no one would be turned away . But we also knew that we needed a sustainable model , because we don't , you know , we just we don't have endless funds ourselves . So it's been really beautiful that that has actually occurred .
Speaker 2We now have support of the community do you find any insurance help like with people's individual insurance for something like this , or is it pretty much you got to fly on your own ?
Speaker 3Not yet , when I have . I'm actually building out a program with some mental health professionals in the area and that will then be a part of that process , that that will be a health insurance place where people can come under that guise . So it's something that we're building out .
Speaker 2Yes , yeah , that's awesome . Now , looking ahead , where do you see your organization in a couple of years ? Like what is I know you , probably you , you , I know you . You've just probably got this figured out , cause that just seems like who you are . Where do you see ? Where do you see yourself and where do you see your program in three to five years ?
Speaker 3Yeah , thank you . I do hope to be able to have other facilitators working here . I have also a portion of my work that I do remotely , that I go elsewhere to host different groups , and I will continue to do that and hopefully build on that as well , because it's a model that I know there is a need for . There's , you know , recovery centers and different facilities that I have been creating partnerships with that . I want to expand on that . And to the point of , you know , educating people at the school or different organizations , I want to expand on that . And to the point of , you know , educating people at the school or different organizations , I want to expand on that also , just to get out there and let people know that this exists and how I can help facilitate it coming and being in their area and things like that .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , I've lived in the area for going on 13 years now in yourmanship and that is my mothership , my certification , and that is a global , worldwide organization .
Speaker 3And so in this area , I know there's a program in Montrose , I know that that there are programs that I know of in the area are few , but they're different in that they're mostly riding programs , so , which is great . You know , that's mostly like another physical therapy thing and , um , but the I mean the Mustang and the equine therapy model . I don't think I'm the only one , but I think in this particular area that's big too .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , and you do have a lot of media assets out there . You have your website , and what is the address of that for the listeners ?
Speaker 3That is gracereignsorg , yeah , r-a-c-e-r-a-n-e-s .
Speaker 2And we connected on Instagram , so I know you've got an Instagram account and all that can be found on your website a plus about what you do and how it works correct .
Speaker 3Yes , exactly yes . I'm very fortunate . I had someone come in last year , this incredible young girl , and she revamped my whole world . She rebranded and created all that content and just really changed the whole operation for us . So that's been amazing .
Speaker 2Yeah , well , it's beautiful . You must have made a hell of an impact on her , because she did a great job and it's well done so . For the listeners out there that are listening to this , on the splash page for this podcast , we will have all of Erin's contacts and some photos and all that good stuff , so that you can get ahold of her and make a decision and take a look at what she does , because it truly is special . Well , erin , that's , that's pretty fantastic . Now on a personal question and I know I live on the other side of the Dallas Divide that seems to be what the big line is in there between really the two rivers , the Uncompahgre and the San Miguel .
Speaker 2I have done some shooting out on Mesa at the ranch , the Wilson Mesa ranch .
Speaker 3Okay .
Speaker 2And I noticed that equine is a common use of a word for horses on that side of the divide and I know that depending on which side you're from telluride or urate you call it imogene or imogene , and I know those are different things , right , and we call them horses and ponies over here , and we're a little , and ponies over here , we're a little less sophisticated as a community than Telluride , oh gosh .
Speaker 3Well then I live there , because that's for sure .
Speaker 2Yeah , you know this whole area has a lot of ranching in it and it's been a huge part . I know people think of mining and that is definitely for the city of your ray and the town right and even Silverton . But outside of that you get into a lot of the rural and and ranching areas and we're really blessed to have all that out there and all
Understanding Mustang Therapy Program
Speaker 2these sources . So it's always unique to me when I hear the different lingo and you don't have to go that far to hear it you know ?
Speaker 3No , you're right , absolutely yes , that's . I think that Mustangs is our sort of that's . The language that we use is the Mustangs , and yeah .
Speaker 2Yeah , and real quick . For the listeners out there that may not know what is a Mustang , I mean , I know people have heard it . It's a car , it's all these different things and shining a spotlight on the overpopulation of them in the West and how to manage them , can you give the listeners a little bit about what a Mustang is and why you choose them ?
Speaker 3Well , I will just say that it's really the overpopulation of people that has made the Mustang a problem . I like that .
Speaker 3Yeah , cause it's . The Mustangs have been here for , you know , a million years and , uh , they're really just a breed of horse . They've probably derived from the Spanish horses . There's there's different theories on where their bloodlines are , um , but they're , they're their own unique breed , um , um , they're just super hardy .
Speaker 3Obviously they've they've lived in the wild and they've never been , they've never had a farrier or had their , you know , horse shoes on or been fed grain or apples or carrots or anything like that . They're just a very . Their constitution is incredibly powerful and strong and impressive and they're very stocky and sturdy and , um , and extremely intuitive . You know , I think horses in general , animals in general , are , but I would say that , um , having had domestic horses and now having mustangs , I would say that they have a a really unique level of of intuition and and they're just really beautiful animals . And , yes , unfortunately the the land is diminishing on which they lived , so , for cattle industry , fracking , whatever we went we will not talk politics in this beautiful conversation , but that's , you know , rendered the Mustangs to near extinctions . To be honest with you , there's there's some herds that are practically dwindled to to . They won't be around much longer .
Speaker 2So and there's such an iconic symbol of where we live and the spirit of the West really . And you know , I think a lot of people will drive by and see wild horses out there and not really know that they may be Mustangs and probably are .
Speaker 3Yes .
Speaker 2They make great animals and , um , I would have put them from having worked as a cowboy before uh .
Speaker 2I had a . I rescued um , a six-year-old thoroughbred . The only thing he knew how to do was run fast and make left-hand turns . I had to recruit a cowboy to help me train him , and one of the rules at the ranch was if you have a horse , it has to work . And so in six weeks I took him from that to being able to gather cows at the end of the season in the fall , and it was like riding a stick of dynamite . I mean I got it , but we have always found from the cowboy world that the Mustangs and the thoroughbreds make incredible ranch horses .
Speaker 3Yes , wow , that's really cool story For the same reasons that you have mentioned .
Speaker 2You know they're really intuitive and smart and they are sturdy . Which ranching out here is the vertical world . You're either going up or you're going down and cows will hide from you , and these animals are just so intuitive for that . They're just beautiful for that . So I mean kudos to you and what you're doing out there , and I guess for our last question , and then we'll let you do some parting thoughts this has to be a family affair , right ? I mean , with your husband and the kiddos and everybody rallying behind what you're doing here , and maybe even a couple of friends .
Speaker 3Oh , yeah , I mean , we also use that opportunity to say we can always use help . You know we do . Of course . We have , you know , friends to help . It is primarily Joe and I and I'll have to say it's mostly Joe . He does the lion's share of all the the you know the really , really hard work , because I'm the the one who does the work with the clients mostly and , but yeah , we do have definitely some help . We work with the clients mostly and , um , but yeah , we , we do have definitely some help . We work with the court system . So we , we do have that community service program in place , which is amazingly helpful , and have been able to have some relationships with people going through the community service and then they've come back to continue on to help us . So , um , but we're always looking for anyone that wants to spend some time up here and help out . We could always use an extra hand , for sure .
Speaker 2Okay , Well , you can call on this photographer anytime you need any images and come up and help tell your story , and I'd love to do some follow-up conversations with you in the future you know when the seasons change and kind of make this ongoing story that our listeners and readers can get involved in and how they can help .
Speaker 3Thank you so much . Thank you , yes , as we create different offerings and programs . If you would help us get that out there , we'd be so grateful . Thank you .
Speaker 2Yeah , you never have to twist my arm to be around a pony or a cow , that's for sure .
Speaker 3And your wife is going to come out I hope soon as well . She is .
Speaker 2Yeah , we and we'll talk about that a little bit offline , but yeah , she's gearing up for that and really excited . And I think I've shown your website and have told some people here in your ray about what you're doing and they're just fascinated , intrigued by it . You know , I think it's just a matter of getting the word out and I know you do a great job of it , but you know every little bit helps and reaching new audiences and letting people know that you're there in Placerville , what a beautiful area .
Speaker 3Yes , Thank you , and we do encourage people to come and visit . You know we do have that open gate policy . You know someone just wants to come up and see what is this . You know , to help better understand and to get a purview on what we do , we always allow people to come out and visit .
Speaker 2We love that . That's fantastic . Do you have any parting thoughts or anything you want to share , with final words , with the audience out there ? And you know this will be the same thing that goes into the written article as well . So here's your chance to kind of maybe wrap it up or share something you're excited about or whatever .
Speaker 3That's great , as you're talking and offering to help get the word out there . I just my thought was that this could be someone's like kind of last stop , you know , like people that have had an exhausted other therapeutic modalities , as you spoke of , and they just don't know where to turn to or what to do to get out of the space that they're in . I want them to know that we're here and we want to help people and you know , and we don't judge , and the horses will love them , no matter what . They can leave their shame at the door and they're safe here . So thank you for leading me up to that , because that's something I really want to convey and you helped me .
Speaker 2Yeah , you know , we really don't live in the real world out here and that's amazing . That you kind of want to share that , because it is special to be here and it takes a lot of work for all of us to be here and then to offer something to share with everybody else too is even is even more , and so really commend you for that , aaron . It's remarkable what you're doing with this and we're looking forward to helping , supporting and telling your story .
Speaker 3You're the best . I'm so grateful that you guys are here doing what you're doing . We need you .
Speaker 2It takes people like yourself , aaron . Well , this has been an amazing podcast with Aaron Kane of Grace Rains Equine Therapy in Placerville , colorado , and if you don't know where Placerville is , do a little homework , google it . It's a beautiful little area and it's in between Ridgeway and Telluride , colorado , probably the most epic places you could be in the state of Colorado , without a doubt . So , aaron , thank you and for the listeners out there , we appreciate you listening . This has been Marcus Van Meter with the URA County Lines Local Series podcast , and we'll see you next time .
Speaker 1Thanks for tuning in to the County Lines Locals podcast series , with your host , Marcus Van Meter , reminding you to stay connected , support your community and keep celebrating the stories that make our county special . Until next time , take care and stay local .