Horseman rides to Sisters for a cause

The lone rider jogging his mustang into Sisters late Saturday afternoon, March 4, wasn’t a misplaced buckaroo looking to fit in with Sisters’ Western theme. Chris Buller, a pastor and youth worker from Madras, was a man on a mission. He’d just completed a 70-mile sponsored ride from Warm Springs, done to raise funds for a trip that he and the youth he works with are planning for March.

The ride, made in relay fashion on six horses, raised some travel money so kids involved in two nonprofits, Sanctuary and Faith Trails, can travel to California. They will take part in the largest non-motorized parade in the U.S., the annual “Return of the Swallows” Parade in San Juan Capistrano on March 25.

The parade is part of a festival of the same name that celebrates the return of a colony of swallows to Mission San Juan Capistrano from their winter home in Goya, Argentina.

The link to the parade began with Buller’s in-laws, who live in San Juan Capistrano, and Buller found the parade organizers supportive of his group’s involvement.

Buller, through the nonprofits, works with youth on the Warm Springs Reservation and with others living in Madras. The crux of the work is training the youths to work with horses, mainly mustangs, either caught on the reservation or from other locations. Buller credits Luis Sosa, one of the Sanctuary board members and a skilled horseman, with teaching the young people the skills they need to succeed with the horses. Buller says Sosa is tireless in his efforts with kids who have rarely found success in other areas of their lives.

No slouch at horsemanship himself, Buller also trains the horses and kids, as well as facilitating after-school tutoring sessions. The main goal of Buller’s work is to build a safe place for kids to find themselves, and then to find faith.

“It’s a diverse program,” said Buller.

For once the native kids are in the majority, he said, though Hispanic and Caucasians are also involved.

Buller’s son, Harrison, and Larry Snellings, Jr., who both participate in the program, were on hand to assist with the ride. Jerry Klatt of Culver hauled horses between change-overs.

Two raffles are underway as part of the fund-raising project. One is for a started four-year-old mustang from the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge; the other for a 14-inch barrel racing saddle. For more information visit http://www.faithtrails.org