CHUNKY – If there’s one person who understands the value of volunteers, it’s Kim Blanton.

By day, Blanton is a personal trainer, but when she’s not working, she’s the owner of Coyote Hills Youth Ranch and the director of Coyote Hills Equine Rescue and Therapeutic Riding, Inc.

The ranch, located at 542 Chunky-Duffee Road in Chunky, serves as a haven for rescued horses.

After being rehabilitated, the animals go to work, carrying young riders and serving as therapy horses for people with physical, emotional or mental health needs.

‘There’s always work to be done’

On a typical day at Coyote Hills, there’s a lot of work to be done, whether it’s cleaning stalls or feeding the animals, all 21 of them.

It’s work Blanton can’t do alone.

“Your volunteers are your backbone,” she says. “An organization cannot survive without great volunteers.”

Blanton’s helpers – more than 10 at last count – do everything from typical farm work to answering the call when a horse is in distress.

“They’ve been out here in emergency situations, when one is down,” Blanton says.

The volunteers find out about Coyote Hills through word-of-mouth or social media. Many are Blanton’s personal training clients she roped into helping.

Amanda Hudnell is one of those helpers.

She brought her son to ride at Coyote Hills last year, and ended up staying to help, even though she was “terrified” of the animals.

“There’s always work to be done,” said Hudnell, who was busy feeding the horses and cleaning their stalls on a recent Saturday morning. “It’s never ending – but, yet, it’s so peaceful, even though you’re constantly working.”

“I don’t ride at all,” Hudnell says. “I’ve never ridden – I just like the caregiving part of it.”

Blanton, for her part, seems amazed at Hudnell’s generosity.

“Every time I go out of town, she’s in charge,” Blanton said. “She has really stepped up to the plate.”

‘Seeing the smiles’

Debra Dean came to Coyote Hills seven years ago with her daughter, Whitney, who has autism, which affects how she interacts with people.

“We’ve always had horses at home,” Debra Dean recalls. “It was just something we felt like we wanted to do – to help out here.”

Dean, who serves on the Coyote Hills board, says the joy she witnesses is its own reward.

“Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces,” she says, describing the transformation she once saw: “One child wasn’t talking at all (when she got here) then by the end of the day, she’s talking.”

“I think horses have a bond with people – they don’t judge; they’re kind,” she says. “And the movement of riding them helps children relax…it’s worked wonders with my daughter,”

Whitney Dean, 22, agrees wholeheartedly. For her, it’s all about her equine friends.

“The main thing is the horses, and the way they make me feel,” she says. “They make me feel special and happy, and help get rid of my depression.”

One rider who appeared happy during a recent ride was 4-year-old Bryson Cash.

Bryson can’t walk or talk, but as he sat in Debra Dean’s lap, atop a quarter horse named Dakota, he was all giggles, smiling at his mother and grandmother as they walked beside him.

The slow trot around the pasture worked wonders for Bryson, according to his grandmother, Helen Gilmore.

“When you’re riding on a horse, it moves muscles that aren’t used in other forms of therapy,” she said. “The way the hip moves – you can’t get that in physical therapy.”

Gilmore was so inspired by Bryson’s first trip to Coyote Hills, she’s offering her time to help the organization.

“It’s more than just therapy out there – those people are like family,” she said. “They want to help in any way they can.”

“I’m limited to what I can do – I work full time, so I may not be able to come out there and help with the horses,” she said. “But what I can do is make flyers, repost stuff, and get the word out. Whatever I can do, I want to do it.”

Peace and freedom

Another helping hand, Mary Ann Edwards, brought her daughter, Sadie, to Coyote Hills last year. The 9-year-old girl, who suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was little, was shy, but that soon changed.

Now, Sadie not only rides the horses, but helps tend to them.

“She would never speak to anybody outside of our family,” Edwards recalls. “Then we came out here, and it was a like a miracle. She’s not the same kid she was a year ago…it’s just amazing…she’s blossomed into the little girl she deserves to be.”

Sherri Savoie, one of Blanton’s fitness clients, is another valuable volunteer.

“I love it for the peace and the freedom,” Savoie says of the ranch. “The horses are just….magical. I can’t explain it.”

Another helper, Charleen Gaddie, pitches in by tending to Daisey Mae, a mule she “adopted” after it was rescued from a kill pen.

Gaddie, who works as a office manager in Meridian, says her time at Coyote Hills helps her relieve stress.

“I love it out here,” she says. “It’s very therapeutic – after a hard day of work, I can come out here and play with her, and it’s great.”

“I love the horses, I love the feeling out here, and I like to feel like I’m doing something good…I’m doing something to help somebody.”

Daisey Mae and Dakota are scheduled to appear in the upcoming Merry Meridian Christmas Parade, which rolls through town on Dec. 2. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/horserescuems/ or https://www.facebook.com/Coyote-Hills-Youth-Ranch-216342825190207/

Nominate a volunteer

To nominate a volunteer for consideration for The Meridian Star’s Our Volunteers series, send an email to editor@themeridianstar.com and use the word “volunteers” in the subject line.