Horse hair filled the curry comb she used to get all the loose hair out before brushing. Jennifer Sowers walked up and showed her how to get the hair out of the comb by tapping it on the bottom of her shoe. Arce then switched to the brush.
“You remember how to use that one? You start at the neck,” said Sowers. While Arce, 20, brushed Pebbles, Vanessa Herrera, 21, groomed Honey, another miniature horse.
The young adults are a part of WorkAbility, a career training program for Lodi Unified School District high school special education students. Twice a week, the students visit Sugar Plum Ranch near Lockeford to work with the horses and do other jobs around the farm.
Sowers is a job coach through Needham West, where she and Tami Revay are aides in the classroom for special needs students ages 18 to 22. The WorkAbility program provides the students with job-shadowing opportunities and industry tours as well as vocational assessment tools, service learning projects and college connections.
Last year, Sowers and Revay took students to Goodwill, Chili’s, Wags to Riches, Marshall’s and Rite Aid. Shortly after, Sowers realized her business could provide an opportunity for the students as well as provide extra help for her.
“I said wait a minute, I need pooper scoopers and I’m a business. So I get help two days a week,” she said.
The young adults come out to the ranch each Monday and Wednesday for two-hour shifts. They do jobs such as sweep the cement, clean out horse manure in the pasture, rake leaves, water the trees and make sure the animals have water. Twice a month, they get to groom the miniature horses.
“They enjoy this the most. They get to play with what they’ve been working for,” said Sowers.
The program only allows four students at a time, so a fifth one rotates in each week. While out on the farm, the young adults get to learn what it’s like to care for animals and how to build teamwork. They have to learn to coordinate their tasks such as who should dump the wheelbarrow and who should wheel it.
“It’s therapeutic and they’re around animals. That’s just relaxing,” said Revay.
Fulfilling a dream
Sowers has worked with horses her whole life. She often spent summers at her grandparents’ ranch in the town of Columbia in the foothills. Her ultimate life goal was to own a ranch, where she could raise horses. She purchased the property on Jack Tone Road two years ago and named it Sugar Plum Ranch, after the ranch her grandparents once owned. At the ranch, she breeds horses to use for therapy. She currently owns nine miniature horses and four normal-sized ones.
“It helps because the kids come and work out here. It gives them and the horses the hands-on experience,” she said.
Recently, her cousin found her grandparents’ old ranch sign, Sugar Plum Lane, and gave it to Sowers. So she took it, put her own address number on it and placed it at the front gate of her ranch. She said she has finally reached her dream.
“People always ask me, where do you see yourself in five years? This is it. I already have it,” she said.
While helping out at the ranch, the students also learn about life and death. When the mini horse Half Pint was born, the students were able to come out and hold her since she was so tiny. Two times in the last year, they witnessed a couple of deaths. Last October, Sowers had to put one of her bigger horses to sleep.
“They were concerned for me because I was so upset,” she said.
More recently, they lost one of the baby ponies that was born pre-mature. It was pretty hard on everyone, Sowers said.
A day on the farm
After Arce and Herrera finished grooming Pebbles and Honey, Sowers walked with them to put both horses out to pasture. Arce eagerly waited as Sowers put the halter on Half Pint to bring her out for grooming. Half Pint shied away since she wasn’t quite used to the procedure.
“Baby doesn’t like it much,” said Arce as she led her away.
Sowers has noticed improvement in the students’ self-confidence since she has been working with them. A little timid at first, Arce now knows how to put the halter on and lead the horses. She is also an animal lover, said Sowers.
“I get to work with horses. I like leading them,” said Arce as she tied Half Pint up to prepare her for grooming.
The other students have also found their niche on the farm. Zepeda, 19, likes working with the wheelbarrow and Herrera enjoys sweeping.
“Mostly what I like is to help clean and doing the sweeping because I help my parents do everything in the house,” she said.
After the students put in their weekly hours, they turn in their timecards and are paid. Eventually, they will be able to use this experience on their resumes.
“There are things these guys can do that people don’t think they can,” said Sowers.
After age 22, the students will move on to pursue their own goals. Arce wants to be an animal control officer. Herrera has big dreams of becoming a singer like Selena. Zepeda wants to be a cop and Gabriel Miranda, 21, hopes to be a chef. But until then, the students will continue to help out at Sugar Plum Ranch, making sure the horse stalls are clean and helping to keep the ranch in top shape.
“There are so many blessings working with these guys. (It’s great) to watch them open up and blossom out here,” said Sowers.
(Lodi News-Sentinel - April 17, 2015)
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