Refuge Ranch

Refuge Ranch is a beautiful horse ranch where our prayer is that hurting people will find hope, safety, and healing through the unconditional love of Jesus. Refuge was founded in 2008 by Stephen and Chris Daniels for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with at-risk youth. Having served for several years on the south side of inner-city Chicago, Chris and Steve had seen the power that human/animal interaction had to break down walls with kids who had a difficult time trusting and connecting. They returned to Central Illinois and purchased a small horse farm with the goal of pairing at-risk youth with the Ranch’s rescued horses. It began as a small grassroots movement with a couple of volunteers, 2 horses, and a few children who needed a safe place to find connection and community. Over the last several years, Refuge has grown into a vibrant organization serving over 50 children each season in our Bridges of Hope mentoring program and a dozen or so more through our Freedom Reins special needs riding program. Additionally the Ranch serves many like-hearted community organizations such as Grounds of Grace - Overcoming Human Trafficking, Big Brother/Big Sister of central Illinois, Compass for Kids, local foster care agencies and many more. We have moved from our original property, a small 4 acre farm in Pawnee, IL, to a beautiful 17 acre campus just outside of Lake Sangchris State Park in Rochester, IL. The new property offers a 2 acre pond for fishing and canoeing, a large indoor riding arena, and ample space for our horses, chickens and gardens. We engage our youth, but we also serve to rescue and rehabilitate animals in need.

Bridges, participants (ages 5-18) are paired in one-on-one mentoring relationships with an adult leader. Each participant will work with a mentor 2-­4 sessions per month. Individual sessions last 90 minutes and can include a variety of activities including riding, ranch chores, vetting and caring, and rehabilitation work with the Ranch’s rescued horses, gardening, games, and crafts, to name a few. The goal of this program is relationship, building social and emotional skills, and spiritual investment in each participant. Freedom Reins is our Adaptive Riding Program which serves children (ages 5-21) with a variety of special needs such as Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, ADHD, and other physical or neurological disabilities. A typical Freedom Reins session provides time for connecting with the horse and opportunities to groom and ride. Mounted time at each session focuses on balance, strength building, and following instructions through riding and fun activities done on horseback. Each of our participants rides with 1-2 side-walkers to insure his or her safety.