Come and be a "fly on the wall" in a session....

JULY 2026 E-Newsletter

We're doing something a little different for this month's email... we'd like to invite you into a session. We have put the usual announcements of upcoming things at the bottom so you can add them to your calendar, but we wanted to show you a glimpse into what goes at Freedom Reigns Ranch. So grab a glass of cold lemonade or iced coffee before heading off to the fireworks and enjoy a few moments in the air conditioning while you get to be a 'fly on the wall' in our barn...

It was a start to a group session like any other: a beautiful spring day, the warmth of the sun piercing the cool air with vibrant colors of green as the trees and grass were waking up from winter’s rest.

This particular morning we had a group of young adults who are survivors of human trafficking. Several times each year, they come to the Ranch to experience the joy and hope that God so often brings through a horse during a season when life can feel overwhelming and disorienting.  Before they arrived, I gathered our Volunteer team to share the day’s plan: I felt like the Holy Spirit highlighted to have each young woman pick their own horse to do a groundwork activity focused on overcoming fear. It's an activity we do fairly often, but what happened this day was remarkable.

The ladies arrived and after the typical greeting, we walked around and I briefly introduced each of our beloved session horses, I charged them with picking one that they connected with one young woman, we will call her “Emily”, let us know she was opting to sit out because she was allergic to horse hair.

“I hate to hear that.” I responded empathetically,

“Yeah, its not horses, just their hair”

Then I remembered, Nehemiah. Our newest rescue horse had recently arrived after suffering severe neglect. As his body fought simply to survive, he had lost nearly every hair on his body except below his knees.

“You know!” I said with a smile “I just remembered that our newest rescue horse is basically hairless!”

“What?” She responded.

“He’s kind of like a hairless cat right now” I said with a laugh “but he’s a horse.”

She looked perplexed as she contemplated the idea of a hairless horse.

“Would you like to work with him?” I asked.

She nodded.

Each of the young ladies dispersed with a session leader as I went with Emily and got Nehemiah from the rehabilitation pen. He was still about 100lbs underweight and covered head to hoof fly gear to help protect his vulnerable skin.

As I removed the armor, she exclaimed “wow! He really is hairless!”I grinned at the thought of God’s timing and this young woman’s need.

“It would seem that God wanted to make sure you had a horse to work with today” I said.

The activity for the day was simple: each participant would calmly guide her horse through a series of obstacles and unfamiliar objects that might seem intimidating, all-the-while allowing room for God do what He so often does… use the horses as the teachers.

After learning a few basic principles about helping a horse build confidence and work through fear by providing calm, consistent leadership, along with important safety guidelines and healthy boundaries, each young woman partnered with her horse and began navigating the course together. They calmly and patiently worked each horse through the obstacle with compassion and grace.“You can do it.”“I know it’s scary but I’m here with you”,“I’ve got you”. Exclamations of affirming affection filled the arena in whispers to their horse. Every young woman successfully navigated the obstacles leading to a sense of accomplishment and a reinforcing comforting pat to their horse: “great job!’ “You did it!” “I knew you could!”.

As I watched them pour compassion and encouragement into their four-legged partners I felt like the Holy Spirit clearly highlight what He wanted to show them for the day: freedom from the shame we can carry over how we responded to trauma.

See, without realizing it, each young woman had chosen a horse whose natural response to fear mirrors a human's:

Pumpkin, our spirited little red pony, survived severe neglect after being rescued as part of Tennessee's largest equine seizure. When she feels threatened, she makes herself look tough. Pinned ears, determined eyes, and a posture that says, "Don't come any closer."

Freedom, our gentle 20-year-old palomino gelding, was abandoned in a dog pen and likely experienced abuse from his drug-addicted owners before coming to the Ranch. His instinct is simple: if something feels unsafe, run.

Joseph, our affectionate 37-year-old Saddlebred, was rescued from an auction while emaciated and bound for slaughter. He desperately wants connection and can become anxious when separated from those he trusts, reflecting what many recognize as the "appease" or "fawn" response.And Nehemiah, whose freeze response in attempt to pretend the fear isn’t there is so pronounced that it is reflected in his glazed over expression and inability to blink until he settles back into being present.

Making these observations about each horse’s story out loud to the group and relating each to the way our body and nervous system responds in the face of a traumatic experience- “fight”, “flight”, “freeze”, or “appease/fawn” seemed to really connect with them.  And then, remarkably, each young woman shared that the horse she was with was the response she had to the trauma she faced.

For survivors of trauma, especially sexual trauma, Satan often uses shame to whisper painful lies that feel more like condemning blows.

If only I had fought harder.

If only I had run.

Why didn't I do something different?

Why did my body respond that way?

But the truth is this: our bodies were created by God with a nervous system designed to protect us. Those responses were not moral failures. They were survival responses.

The enemy of our souls can taunt us and wants to keep us bound in shame thinking that if we had done something different we could have stopped the evil that was perpetrated on us. It keeps us from true freedom.

That morning, as each young woman patiently led her horse through fear instead of condemning her horse for being afraid, she began extending that same grace to herself. You could almost see the heavy chains of shame being obliterated and hitting the arena sand along with all the weight that they carried. You see, knowledge can certainly help us understand, but sometimes it takes experiencing truth for it to open the door to freedom.

After a few moments of reflection one of the young women who had opted not to participate but observed from a nearby picnic table shared that she also struggled with her response of “freeze” and asked to work with Nehemiah. She joined her housemate in the arena and together they worked on a new obstacle. The young women began trading horses, helping each new partner work through fear with patience instead of frustration. They celebrated every small victory.

The atmosphere in the arena changed.There was laughter.There was lightness. There was NO shame! Only patience, grace… and even JOY! And to experience joy in the midst of unearthing something that once brought shame… that’s FREEDOM! "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." - Galatians 5:1 That morning, four young women left shame in the dust of the arena where it belonged and took huge strides forward in freedom. All because God chose to use His creation to help teach His kids. Long before any of us arrived that morning, God knew exactly which horses would be there, exactly which young women would come, and exactly what each heart needed to hear.

My prayer is that in sharing this experience with you that you would breathe in the truth in it for your own life. Every day I get to witness things like this happen for so many and find myself receiving just the same as I see God’s grace poured out in remarkable ways.May you walk in freedom today and every day!

 For Jesus, His Kids, and His Horses,

         Carissa Ramsdell

         Founder and Executive Director               

 Names of participants were changed to protect confidentiality.