About Freedom Reigns Ranch
Caroline Elizabeth Photography
The Mission
Igniting Hope with the Help of a Horse!
At Freedom Reigns Ranch, we provide equine-assisted mentor sessions to children and young adults who have experienced trauma and other life challenges. All sessions are completely free of charge.
The Ranch also serves as a foster home for horses recovering from abuse and neglect in Middle Tennessee. Participants and volunteers have the opportunity to assist in rehabilitating and caring for these horses.
The Heart of the Ranch
We are a non-denominational, Christian program. We believe that God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to the world to be our Savior; that when we accept Jesus as the Lord of our lives, we are forgiven for our sins and adopted into the family of God; and that our salvation is eternally secured by His mercy.
Freedom Reigns is a safe, loving environment where children and young adults can experience a retreat from everyday life and where Christ’s love restores their hope. We seek to serve those in need out of gratitude for what God has done for us. We don’t “preach”—instead, we let Christ’s love flow through our actions.
What We Do
We offer mentorship sessions with the purpose of inspiring hope and growth in our participants. In our mentor sessions, we teach participants about horses, how to care for them, basics of riding and groundwork, and, ultimately, how to build a relationship based on trust with a horse. Freedom Reigns Ranch understands that every participant deals with their own set of unique challenges, and Session Leaders work hard to adapt programming to meet the individual needs of each child during their visit. We have a variety of non-horse-related activities that can be utilized if participants do not wish to work with the horses.
Working with horses has many physical and emotional benefits. Often when people have experienced trauma at the hands of another person, a horse can be used to rebuild that bridge of trust. Many of our Session horses have overcome a past of abuse and neglect prior to arriving at the ranch which allows participants to relate to the horses’ struggles and see how they have overcome their past in a powerful way. Once the bond with a horse is built it can transfer to healing and learning to trust other people. Other natural results of horsemanship in addition to building trust include learning to place and maintain personal boundaries, growing in patience, learning responsibility, and developing confidence in their abilities.
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All sessions are completely free of charge, thanks to our wonderful volunteers and donors. No horse experience is necessary; the only requirement is that participants want to come!
Freedom Reigns Ranch offers four types of mentorship:
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ï‚· Family Sessions
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While our programs are geared toward children and young adults who have been through trauma or challenging circumstances, they are open to everyone. Please note, the Ranch is not a residential facility, and Sessions are scheduled on a seasonal basis (Spring, Summer, and Fall).
While we do not wish to turn anyone away, there are a limited number of sessions available each Season. There is currently a waitlist, so we ask that you please pray with us as we navigate how to serve your family. While we cannot guarantee a session right away for everyone who wants one, Freedom Reigns does its best to accommodate as many participants as possible while maintaining the intentionality and quality we currently have with each participant.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We are not a professional counseling agency. We operate as volunteer mentors who believe true hope and healing are found in Jesus Christ. We believe that counseling and therapy are important aspects of healing from trauma, and we encourage participants to pursue professional counseling.
Volunteering
Freedom Reigns Ranch would not be possible without the amazing volunteers who give their time and energy to help keep the Ranch running smoothly. We have many volunteer opportunities, and we match volunteers with the right opportunity for them—whether that’s mentoring participants, working with the horses, or helping with other Ranch projects.
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We always need more volunteers, and we welcome people from all walks of life to lend us their talents and service. See the full list of volunteer roles.
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If you would like to volunteer as a family or you have younger children who want to volunteer, please check out upcoming Community Work Days.
