No One Trick Pony
Baxter, Turning Point’s mini therapy horse, went back to school in a Big Way in March. He took books to EVERY First Grader at Sangre, Westwood, Richmond and Skyline. That’s 14 classroom and 4 libraries!
The First Book distribution is a partnership between Turning Point Ranch and Pi Beta Phi sorority at OSU who wrote a grant together to buy hundreds of books. Then they raised a little extra to give a book to every child plus a bundle to each school Library.
Baxter also gave each class a copy of his favorite book: Little Black, A Pony. He had a little trouble turning loose of that book in Mrs. Billman’s class at Richmond.
Baxter is BB at the OSU football games when he’s not working at schools, the Life Center, Wings of Hope or other sites in his job as a therapy horse. So he also gave each class his 2022 Calendar with his picture on every month,
And there was a surprise at Sangre when he was so “hungry” for knowledge that he ate a worksheet right off the wall. Really!! A horse ate my homework?
And how does a mini black horse and hundreds of books get to school?
In a mini van, of course! He usually rides in the back seat of a black pickup truck with “BB’s Ride” vanity plates. But prefers either to riding in a horse trailer.
And in case you think he’s just along for the ride, Baxter is FULLY engaged in just where he’s going next when he’s on a mission to deliver books to First Graders!
Baxter and his pal Sparky also delivered “Little Black, A Pony” to every First Grader at Highland Park and Will Rogers. Those Title One students will practice reading then come to the Ranch in late April to read to the horses and do 15 other horse related activities from roping to stick horse racing to learning about different kinds of saddles to building aa feed bag both horses AND people can eat.
Turning Point has offered HorseTales Literacy at Highland Park Elementary for the past ten years- delivering almost 2500 free books to first graders there. It’s all a part of Turning Point’s mission to “Build Futures” through the magic of horses. Annual donations from literacy supporters Gary and DeeAnn Beeby have helped purchase two books for each child each year.
And in 2022, support from Pi Beta Phi Sorority is providing the manpower to add Will Rogers Elementary to the program. The field day when students come to Turning Point to read to horses requires 30 to 40 trained volunteers to handle horses and staff the different activity stations so that students are both safe and challenged to explore and learn.
turningpointriding.org 