Doing Something About It

Valley Springs Youth Camp

It's so refreshing when you come across everyday people that look at a problem and, rather than complain about it, or protest about it, or demand the government figure it out, they just do something about it.

Bonnie accepting her new horse, Coal

We were introduced to two of those people as part of a horse buying venture Bonnie concluded recently (after two years of searching). When she visited the Foxtrotter ranch to see the horse she had been pointed to by friends, it was not much more than what you'd expect from a horse breeding and training operation. Located in a National Forest in the Ozarks, the facility had large pastures, training grounds, various corrals, and a very large barn, home to more than 100 horses. We discovered what we didn't know after taking a wrong turn into the Valley Springs Youth Ranch with our horse trailer to pick up the horse. The long, winding road with relatively narrow bridges spanning dry river beds led to barracks with classroom and sport facilities in the middle of the woods. When we didn't see any horses or barns, we circled back to the road and another mile or two to the entrance of Valley Springs Foxtrotter Ranch.


The connection between those two entities is George and JoAnn Becker. George once owned a farm in Eagan, Minnesota where he started a similar Youth Ranch serving troubled young kids with horse riding at its core. When the local property taxes took on a suburban appetency, he could no longer afford to sustain the horse training and riding business and the youth ranch. His wife, JoAnn had family and property in Black, Missouri near St. Louis, so they moved there to start over in the 1980's. Since the beginning, the vision and purpose of their enterprise was clear. They wanted to sponsor a program  for some of the most troubled of youth, using their Missouri Foxtrotter breeding and training enterprise to initiate funding and provide a therapeutic environment. The stated purpose of their youth  program is "to 'Make a Difference' by providing both short and long term placement for youth in need of an intensive "strength-based" treatment approach, incorporating a balance of both nurture and structure into the treatment environment."

Along the way they built Brushy Creek Lodge and Resort along side the horse ranch. It provided us very nice camping facilities with showers and a lounge. A very popular vacation spot for trail riders, it hosts cabins and RV sites, a restaurant, along with stables for customer horses. The resort and ranch are physically separate from the youth ranch, as we found out, but all are part of 205 acres owned by the Beckers.

What they built with sweat equity and that strong vision was impressive to say the least. Their specialty breed of horses are sold to customers all over the world. More than a few were sold to some of Bonnie's horse friends who vouched for both the quality of the horses and the quality of their training. The Beckers run a tight ship using a proven formula. But most impressive is their dedication to making a difference by addressing some of societies most challenging ills.

Valley Springs Foxtrotter

Since 1993, the ranch has been treating some of the most troubled wards of the state of Missouri. During the course of that history, they partnered with the local school district to establish the onsite Lesterville Public School - Ranch Campus. Combined with resident therapists, the 75 + residents live, work and get educated right on the ranch. Quite a bold venture, and one that faces constant challenges in funding and in remaining in favor with the local community.

None of it was initiated by government, though government benefits greatly from the resources provided. Fortunately, the State of Missouri just voted to reinstate some of the state funding lost over the last ten years to help keep the camp going at its current scale.

The whole experience gave us a sense of the capacity for independent human compassion converted into action from just a couple of folks dedicated to making a difference. Very humbling.