The story of Rebekah is told by her adoptive mother in a recent article that won the grand prize in a contest sponsored by Arenus. Abused since infancy, Rebekah finally found a safe, permanent home with a Kinship Center family. She also found Ali, a horse with a tragic past who has become a special friend. Ali came to Rebekah through the Equine Alliance Youth Foundation, a nonprofit organization that rescues abused horses and provides emotional and physical healing to children through equine-based therapies. Kinship Center programs in San Luis Obispo County partner with the Equine Alliance on behalf of client children and families. Rebekah’s story is a testament to the magic that can happen between two friends with past hardships [hide]

The meeting includes an educational hands-on seminar which will provide attendees instruction on determining body condition score using the Henneke Scale and the opportunity to practice with live horses. Body Condition Scoring will be taught by Lori Harmon, Equine Alliance Executive Director. Harmon regularly instructs horse owners, animal control officers, and peace officers in the use of the Henneke Scale to determine body condition score.

“Knowing how to accurately determine equine body condition score is important for all horse owners, but especially for rescue facilities as it is an objective means of determining if a feeding or rehabilitation program is improving the horse’s condition,” noted Harmon.

Following the training, a meeting of rescues in attendance will be held to discuss current trends and issues and develop strategies for managing the expected increase in needy horses this winter.

All equine rescue organizations are invited to attend the 3 hour meeting which will be held at theEquine Alliance Youth Foundation, 4610 Ross Drive, Paso Robles, CA. For more information or to reserve a seat at the meeting, contact the Equine Alliance Youth Foundation at 805-835-5104 or email educate@equinealliance.org.
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This axiom is about taking the time to fix the inside of the horse, addressing emotional issues, before expecting the outside of the horse to act accordingly. Our most popular clinic for students is when outside clients sign up for our "Communicating with Horses clinic" designed for horses and their owners or those who are thinking of adopting or purchasing a horse. Students and staff listen to the owner, observe, diagnose, and teach the horse and handler techniques to build a relationship based on cooperation and respect. [hide]

For the human, confidence means having the knowledge that you know what to do in most all circumstances that will help the horse to trust and be confident it is safe. Developing this confidence is something that really does take place over time. There is no magic pill you can take that will give you the knowledge and confidence that experience over time will. [hide]

So, one Sunday a month, they come to the local medical center for a date with a laser. It's not free. They do 16 hours of community service for just one treatment, but they say they'd do anything to erase their mistakes.

One of those teen-agers is Lionel. He has the name of his grandmother Leticia tattooed, but there are others that send the wrong kind of message, like the big one across his back. No one said, "No pain." "It's like getting burned or snapped with a rubber band. Or like hot grease splashing on your skin," Lionel explains. And having a gang tattoo can hurt in other ways. "People won't tell you they're not giving you a job because you have a tattoo. But if you reach out to shake someone's hand and you have a tattoo on your wrist, you're not going be first on their interview list," says Anita Broughton, another teen.

But the program itself has come under fire because it's partially supported with federal tax money. So what does Dr. Herten say to people who ask why should taxpayers pay for some gang member to get his tattoo removed?

"If we keep one of these kids out of prison for a year, we have saved the taxpayers between 30 and 50 thousand dollars. That's one. We're keeping 30, 40, 100 kids out of prison," he says. And for Dr. Herten and the others who help out at the center, the value of the program far outweighs the cost.

"I work hard, you know, and giving up Sunday's a big deal. But I never go back to work Monday tired. There's a bounce in my step and it's because I've just done what I think is a wonderful thing," he says. [hide]