Local youths help rescue horses

Horses and kids work together at Crystal Peaks Ranch.

Visit Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, located on Innes Market Rd., and ask Kim Meeder to tell you a story. And make sure your tissues are handy.

"Everything at this ranch has a story," said Meeder, who owns and operates the ranch with her husband, Troy. "See those two little trees whose trunks wrap around each other? We planted them in memory of Mercy, our only rescued horse that didn't make it. She was too far gone for help, and died along with her unborn foal."

Crystal Peaks started out as the remains of an old cinder mine, but with years of hard work and prayer, the Meeders have transformed it into a place of wonder and hope.

Their beautifully landscaped nine acres are now home to about 25 horses (most of which have been rescued), several dogs and a cat.

Kids from all walks of life roam freely about the ranch, taking riding lessons in the ring or taking their turn at shoveling manure.

It's all part of Crystal Peak's program, which is geared to help children.

"We started out rescuing horses," said Meeder, "and the kids just kind of showed up to work with them. Now the kids themselves have become a part of the rescue process."

When Sarah Wheaton, a junior leader at the ranch, saw the debilitated state of a young filly recently rescued by the Meeders, she decided to use all her savings to help bring other horses to safety.

"Sarah had just gotten her first horse," explained Meeder, "and was saving her money to buy a saddle. But after she saw the filly we'd rescued, she decided to ride bareback for a while if her money could help another horse."

"The day I saw the horse Kim brought to the ranch," explained Sarah, "she was so thin and bony that my heart just went out to her. I couldn't stand the thought of my horse, all fat and sleek in the pasture, eating all he wanted, while other horses were starving to death."

Right after Sarah's decision had been made, Crystal Peaks held its annual Horse Fair fund-raiser in Tumalo. Several prizes were raffled off during the day, one being a free horse transport offered by Pete Michaelson.

Tickets sold like hot cakes throughout the day, and that evening the drawing was held and Troy announced the winner.

To everyone's delight, Sarah won the transport!

As word of Sarah's rescue spread around the ranch, several more students decided to pitch in their money toward the effort. After the kids scraped up $1,500, they called for Pete and his trailer and headed out with Kim to buy some horses.

After several rounds of intense negotiations, the triumphant group loaded up two starving mares with their foals.

"We took one of the mares and her baby back to my ranch," said Sarah. "I named the foal Shadrach, because we'd taken him out of a bad place (Shadrach was rescued from a fiery furnace in a Bible story).

"A friend of mine named the mare Jabez, because the name basically means 'pain,' and she has lived a very painful life," she continued.

"Both horses are doing really well now and are such a blessing to me."

The rescue emotionally affects everyone involved.

"After we unloaded the horses," said Meeder, "Pete waved good-bye to the girls and started to drive away. Looking in his rear-view mirror, he saw the girls running alongside his rig, waving and blowing kisses to him.

"Tears just began to roll down his cheeks and he thanked me for including him in this wonderful deed."

Wonderful deeds abound at Crystal Peaks, and they aren't just limited to children and horses.

When a neighbor's house recently burned to the ground after being hit by lightening, the kids from the ranch decided to do a fund-raiser to help them rebuild.

"It was so awesome," said Meeder. "This poor family lost everything -- the only thing they managed to save was the dog!

"When the kids here heard about it, they decided to do a bake sale/car wash to raise money for our neighbors. They've gotten word out in the community, and already several businesses have said they'll match whatever the kids earn."

The fund raiser will be held August 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wal-Mart parking lot in Bend..

For more information about Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, call Kim or Troy Meeder at 382-1727.