BOLIVIA — In a quiet corner of Brunswick County, a 60-acre piece of property sits tucked away in the woods. This property is owned by Southport native Ruth Jenkins and her husband Phillip, who opened Horseplay Farms on the land in 2013.
According to Jenkins, the farm is built on a land historically owned by the Hewlett Family, one of the oldest in Brunswick County. Formerly a sprawling nursery, the land was ideal for accomplishing her dream of owning a horse farm.
Although Jenkins grew up poor, she always had horses around to keep her busy, an opportunity she feels many people never get the chance to have. After opening Horseplay Farms, Jenkins founded a non-profit run underneath the same roof, called “Our Heroes,” aimed at aiding anyone who’s ever had the urge to work with horses, and offering therapy to those in need.
“I grew up here, I was born in Southport, born at Dosher Memorial Hospital when it was much smaller than it is now. For my Senior Class I was the ‘Mayor of Whittler’s Bench,’” Jenkins said.
“We really grew up poor, I mean we weren’t economically disadvantaged, but we were poor. But, everybody else was poor so all was good,” she said. “But, that’s the intent of, ‘Our Heroes.’ It’s not meant to be some big fancy, high-priced, high-end training barn and stable, it’s to make this sport available to the citizens of Brunswick County.”
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Generally, horseback riding is a high-end sport, costing thousands of dollars a year in board, feed, gear, and medical expenses. Not to mention the initial price of purchasing a horse, which can sometimes cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“This isn’t a retirement investment”
Executive Director Rebecca Pacheco says that Horseplay offers boarding and stable care to area horse owners, which allows them to operate the non-profit in conjunction with the business side of the farm.
“This farm is run on heart. And even our boarders, we have the most amazing boarders,” Pacheco said. “They have donated so much, whether it’s sweat or finances, they just love it out here, and everything the program offers.”
For folks who cannot pay, for whatever reason, the business is designed to find a way. Ruth’s goal isn’t to have this farm be a retirement investment, it’s to have the farm pay for itself, so that she can continue to help the people, and horses of Brunswick County.
“Whether that’s ‘Wounded Warriors,’ families of veterans, those facing emotional, physical, or economic disabilities, whatever it may be, we provide sponsorship’s and scholarships through Our Heroes,” Pacheco said.
The farm offers several types of therapeutic programs, including therapeutic riding, which is commonly used to build strength and muscle memory for people who have suffered from degenerative disorders and physical ailments, such as multiple sclerosis or strokes.
Although that is one of the more well-known methods to equine therapy, it’s not the only one. Pacheco says that many times, the benefits of the horse human interaction can go much deeper than physical strength.
“Allie Sabbo is our trainer and equine specialist, and her and I both have a background in the emotional therapeutic services. So, we’ve had rape crisis coming out, which we’re really excited about, and we want to start working with the domestic violence shelters as well,” Pacheco added. “It’s definitely not just physical disabilities we deal with, it is a whole spectrum, emotional trauma can definitely be addressed through these equine programs.”
They even go a step further, helping people with developmental disabilities and cognitive disorders progress and grow by bonding with the horses.
“We have a few kids in the program who are autistic, and one child in particular who is terrified of animals. So, really, that therapeutic process is just getting him comfortable on a farm, he’s at a point now where he’ll pet the mini (horse), as long as the mini’s not looking at him,” she said. “That’s just huge progress in and of itself. It’s really interesting when you throw animals into that therapeutic process how diverse the services get.”
Rehabilitating horses
In addition to human services, Horseplay also offers programs for horses as well. The farm has adopted many elderly and abused horses, which they work with to rehabilitate and re-home.
“A lot of these horses are here for rehab, like Sadie and Cody, they’re just senior citizens. We deal with a lot of special needs equine partners,” Pacheco said. “Just because they can’t be ridden, doesn’t mean they can’t be used for that human horse interaction.”
Through its brand new “Angel Program,” and training from their specialized staff, these special needs animals are re-equipped for human interaction, allowing them to live out a normal life in comfort.
The farm takes in emotionally damaged horses, like Lucky, a horse who was saved from the slaughterhouse twice and was severely abused. She now has daily interaction with Angels and staff, and is working her way toward a new home in Brunswick County.
“People have really responded to that. I think that’s another thing that’s difficult with most boarding facilities and horse farms. People want to get horse experience, or they want to volunteer, but it’s a difficult thing to try to coordinate. Often times that kind of gets pushed aside,” Pacheco said. “So, here if anyone is willing to donate their time, we can absolutely use them.”
The Angel Program doesn’t just ask participants to muck stalls either, according to Pacheco, it’s a real hands on learning experience.
“They have a lot of opportunities here, they actually get to learn about these animals through free clinics. We get them set up as best we can, and they actually get to work hands on with the animals, and grow their experience and their knowledge,” she said.
Horseplay Farms also offers a variety of camps and other programs, including summer camps for kids, veteran’s events, and even a Junior Horsemanship Club that operates every other Saturday for $10 per month.
These programs are designed to introduce people of all ages to the equine community, and according to Pacheco, it keeps people coming back. Whether that’s for riding lessons, or just to help on the farm, it seems to instill a love in the people who participate.
“It’s definitely still a work and progress, we’ve got a long way to go, but we’re growing,” Pacheco said. “We’re starting to get our name out there, and we’ve been getting more in the way of sponsorships and scholarships to fund more participants.”
Horseplay Farms LLC and Our Heroes is located at 1757 Clemmons Road SE, Bolivia, NC 28422.
For more information on Horseplay Farms, Our Heroes, or to find out how you can get involved, visit horseplayfarms.net, and follow them on Facebook for the latest in whats going down on the farm.
Get in touch with Reporter Cory Mannion: follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or send an email at cory@localvoicemedia.com.
