Miracle Ranch

[schwung]

I received this email in response to one of our dreamhorse ads. I am *NOT* proposing we consider this for any of our horses. However, I am interested because, ironically, my first ride on a horse was when I was 6 on a Crista Camp horse. I attended Miracle Ranch when I was 11. I am curious if anyone has any knowledge of their horse program and what they do with their horses when they can no longer be used in their program. I remember my first ride on a horse was on a little POA pony named Partner.

December 1, 2005 Dear Fellow Equine Enthusiast: I am the horsemanship director at a Christian youth organization called Miracle Ranch. I am contacting you to get our name out in the equine world letting people know we are in need of some good horses. (I am not asking for this specific horse.) We have run our program on donated horses for 40 years and have provided a loving purposeful home to hundreds of horses over the years. If you have any horses, or know of anyone with horses that would be interested in donating them to our program please let me know. I would also be interested in trading horses, contact me for info on the horses for trade. We are a not for profit organization so any one donating would get a tax receipt for the full market value of their donation. We also take donations of all kinds of livestock and equine products, equipment and tack. If you are not interested in donating please keep us in mind for someone you know. Our mission is to introduce youth and adults to Jesus Christ, help them grow in their relationship with Him, affirm the authority of the Bible as their standard for living, while creating an interpersonal relationship, in a natural, recreational and educational environment. If you would like to know more about our program or more specific needs please call or e-mail me and check us out @ www.cristacamps.com Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Clifton Peterson Horsemanship Director Miracle Ranch 15999 Sidney RD SW Port Orchard WA 98367 Phone [phone] Cell [phone] [e-mail]

[lildunhorse]

This was the subject of a short discussion earlier this year and since then I have attempted contact with Christa Ministries.
A few folks reported mistreatment of the horses and even worse, that some of the horses are disposed of at the auctions.
I know there is a new director, but until I get some sort of response from Christa, I can't support their program.
Would you mind if I opened up some dialogue with this man?

[qhbuddy]

Miracle Ranch is a nice idea: kids, exposure for SAFE horses, etc.
However, I have no idea about their horse keeping practices, but the place is extremely muddy and unthrifty.

I would not ever wish one of my horses there.

Camps always seem in upheaval, with turnover of staff - and their priorities a fact of life.

For horses that have had such a rough start at life, a secure retirement seems more appropriate.

[jazzysmom]

I have had experience w/ christa camps and how they handle their horses.
The equine director, Phil something used to have his head wrangler call me before they took the horses to the sale..he thought I would know of people who would give them better prices than the auctions.
When I lasy had contact with them they were getting OTTB's just off the track and trying to make them kids horses b/c they were "cheap".
We did buy a little arab gelding that was being leased to them by his owner. She had no idea that the camp had gotten so bad and was appalled by her horses condition. We leased him from the camp over the winter, put about 300lbs on him. when we re-leased him that next fall, he had lost all of it.
At the time there were 20+ horses in one dirt lot with two hay rack type feeders. If you were low on the pecking order you ate what was left trampled into the dirt or blowing around.

I got in their bad graces after I called the aspca one winter when the entire group of horses left..maybe 25 horses were getting 1.5 bales of hay a day. The mud was up past their knees and they had no shelter. Others called in on the condition and that was when they moved the horses to the woods away from the camp entrance.
I went there as a kid and later was appalled that we had paid the money for me to go.
OH...I am getting mad just thinking about the horses I knew there and how they were treated..I could write pages on the mistreatment.
The last straw was during a "horsemanship" weekend when they were teaching how to trim a horses hoof, the guy (the head wrangler) trimmed the poor horses hoof and then proceded to gouge a huge chunk out of his sole, it was bleeding profusely and the horse was quite upset..he did that to show us "what happens if you cut too deep" I'd like to take a hoof knife (or emasculators) to him.

[horsekrazi]

I have heard bad things too, a friend of the family's horse went over there and it became a whole legal mess, I'll have to ask them for the whole story but I would definatly NOT recommend it. Oh and I have seen their horses for sale on dreamhorse.com, when the horses get to old they sell them.