06/Mar/2008
3M Acres Offers Horseback Riding To Physically, Mentally Challenged
It all started one day back in 2002 when Larry McCaleb was in Port Allen looking over some horses he was thinking about buying.
“There was this lady at the horse barn with this little girl with Down syndrome,” he said. “The horse had not been ridden in a while, so it was a little skittish. I asked the lady if she needed help and she said she would appreciate anything I could do.”
McCaleb adjusted the stirrups on the saddle, climbed on the horse and rode it around the ring several times. In a few minutes the animal calmed down and he readjusted the stirrups. “As soon as I lifted that child up on that horse and she smiled at me I was hooked,” he said. “To me that was just a thrilling experience.”
$15,000 Inheritance
A UPS employee with 36 years of experience as a driver and now a warehouse technician, McCaleb, who is 54, has five children of his own. He is not a wealthy man, but one day his aunt died and he inherited $15,000.
“I knew the Lord meant for me to use that money to do good for others,” he said. “So, we bought ten acres of land and built this big horse barn.” That was the start of 3M Acres Inc. which McCaleb says stands for “myself, my wife Lydia, and my son Derrick.”
Over the past five years McCaleb has become a member of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association and the association’s first African-American Certified Trainer/Instructor. At about the same time he formed the Christian Youth Riders of Zachary. There are now sixteen youngsters in the program and seven of them have special needs. The search for financial support for his rapidly expanding enterprise has been an ongoing effort almost from the first day.
Exxon-Mobile Foundation
“The Exxon-Mobile Foundation has been wonderful, and Wal-Mart came on board nearly five years ago along with State Farm Insurance Agent Anna M. Jones and the good folks at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church,” explained McCaleb. Last summer there were 19 students in his summer camp. This year he plans to hold two summer camps.
“We are at the barn every Saturday and Sunday,” explained McCaleb. “And it was that lady in Port Allen who started it all. After her daughter made a couple of rounds on that horse she asked me if I had ever thought of working with children and horses. I had the feeling the Lord was trying to tell me something.”
McCaleb said early on he traveled to Carencro just north of Lafayette where he and Lydia met Dixie Borden who runs a children’s riding academy. “They were working out of a trailer back then, just as we are today,” he said. “She started with nothing more than the support of her neighbors.”
Getting Started
McCaleb said Nan Odom of BREC helped him get his certifications and taught him the ins and outs of setting up a children’s training course. “She helped us get
started and she really was a blessing,” he said. Others from the Zachary area also helped with donations of fence wire, gates and stationary fence panels.
“We actually had several kids from Texas come last summer for our 3M Summer Camp” said McCaleb. “The Christian Youth Riders was started because we needed some young volunteer help.”
Last year the Christian Youth Riders rode in the Southern University Homecoming Parade. They camped that night near where the parade starts so they would be there bright and early and ready to go the next morning. They also rode in the Zachary Christmas Parade and the Baker Christmas Parade this year on the same day.
“It is important to get across the fact that this is not a black or a white program,” explained McCaleb. “This program is for all kids no matter where they come from. They’re all welcome, and we charge the lowest fees possible.”
Scary Things Don’t Happen
McCaleb said some parents are afraid to put their children on a horse because their kids could get hurt. “But we’re trained,” he said. “Those scary things just don’t happen because we know what we are doing and because we are very careful.”
The simple fact is that all kids cannot play basketball and baseball, said McCaleb. “That’s the wonderful thing about Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church. They provide a full program of all kinds of sports that takes bad kids and makes good boys and girls out of them. There is something for everyone. We teach them roping. At summer camp they wake up early and feed the horses and brush them. They are constantly asking ‘Can I bring a neighbor? Can I bring a friend?’ I took a week of vacation for the camp last summer.”
Right now McCaleb needs a building to use as secure storage for saddles and bridles. More funding is always needed, and more community volunteers would help too. “Winter is our worst time because of the cold rainy weather,” said McCaleb. “The children, especially those with Downs syndrome, can’t come and ride because they get sick so easily. Keeping the horses exercised, fed and brushed is really hard at this time of year.”
Tax Deductible Contributions
All contributions to 3M are fully tax deductible because it was formed as a 501 C-3 not-for-profit corporation. “We are not a baby sitting service. We need and want parental involvement whenever and wherever possible. We ask for contributions equal to about $20 per hour whenever that is possible. When it is not possible, we just ask that people pay whatever they can afford.”
Summer registration starts right now. There is a limit to the number of children who can be involved in the program.
“I mean, in Central there are the Central Youth Riders who perform all over the country. In south Baton Rouge BREC has the beautiful Farr Park facility, but in Zachary where the high school mascot is a Bronco, we have the only game in town for kids who want to ride horses,” he said. “And for children who are mentally and/or physically challenged we’re just about the only game in East Baton Rouge Parish. We are providing a summer program for children with disabilities, and nobody else does that that I know of.”
To register for the summer programs, to join Christian Youth Riders, to learn more about therapeutic horseback riding at 3M Acres, or to provide financial or other assistance call (225) 937-1993 or email 3macres@gmail.com.
It all started one day back in 2002 when Larry McCaleb was in Port Allen looking over some horses he was thinking about buying.
“There was this lady at the horse barn with this little girl with Down syndrome,” he said. “The horse had not been ridden in a while, so it was a little skittish. I asked the lady if she needed help and she said she would appreciate anything I could do.”
McCaleb adjusted the stirrups on the saddle, climbed on the horse and rode it around the ring several times. In a few minutes the animal calmed down and he readjusted the stirrups. “As soon as I lifted that child up on that horse and she smiled at me I was hooked,” he said. “To me that was just a thrilling experience.”
$15,000 Inheritance
A UPS employee with 36 years of experience as a driver and now a warehouse technician, McCaleb, who is 54, has five children of his own. He is not a wealthy man, but one day his aunt died and he inherited $15,000.
“I knew the Lord meant for me to use that money to do good for others,” he said. “So, we bought ten acres of land and built this big horse barn.” That was the start of 3M Acres Inc. which McCaleb says stands for “myself, my wife Lydia, and my son Derrick.”
Over the past five years McCaleb has become a member of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association and the association’s first African-American Certified Trainer/Instructor. At about the same time he formed the Christian Youth Riders of Zachary. There are now sixteen youngsters in the program and seven of them have special needs. The search for financial support for his rapidly expanding enterprise has been an ongoing effort almost from the first day.
Exxon-Mobile Foundation
“The Exxon-Mobile Foundation has been wonderful, and Wal-Mart came on board nearly five years ago along with State Farm Insurance Agent Anna M. Jones and the good folks at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church,” explained McCaleb. Last summer there were 19 students in his summer camp. This year he plans to hold two summer camps.
“We are at the barn every Saturday and Sunday,” explained McCaleb. “And it was that lady in Port Allen who started it all. After her daughter made a couple of rounds on that horse she asked me if I had ever thought of working with children and horses. I had the feeling the Lord was trying to tell me something.”
McCaleb said early on he traveled to Carencro just north of Lafayette where he and Lydia met Dixie Borden who runs a children’s riding academy. “They were working out of a trailer back then, just as we are today,” he said. “She started with nothing more than the support of her neighbors.”
Getting Started
McCaleb said Nan Odom of BREC helped him get his certifications and taught him the ins and outs of setting up a children’s training course. “She helped us get
started and she really was a blessing,” he said. Others from the Zachary area also helped with donations of fence wire, gates and stationary fence panels. “We actually had several kids from Texas come last summer for our 3M Summer Camp” said McCaleb. “The Christian Youth Riders was started because we needed some young volunteer help.”
Last year the Christian Youth Riders rode in the Southern University Homecoming Parade. They camped that night near where the parade starts so they would be there bright and early and ready to go the next morning. They also rode in the Zachary Christmas Parade and the Baker Christmas Parade this year on the same day.
“It is important to get across the fact that this is not a black or a white program,” explained McCaleb. “This program is for all kids no matter where they come from. They’re all welcome, and we charge the lowest fees possible.”
Scary Things Don’t HappenMcCaleb said some parents are afraid to put their children on a horse because their kids could get hurt. “But we’re trained,” he said. “Those scary things just don’t happen because we know what we are doing and because we are very careful.”
The simple fact is that all kids cannot play basketball and baseball, said McCaleb. “That’s the wonderful thing about Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church. They provide a full program of all kinds of sports that takes bad kids and makes good boys and girls out of them. There is something for everyone. We teach them roping. At summer camp they wake up early and feed the horses and brush them. They are constantly asking ‘Can I bring a neighbor? Can I bring a friend?’ I took a week of vacation for the camp last summer.”
Right now McCaleb needs a building to use as secure storage for saddles and bridles. More funding is always needed, and more community volunteers would help too. “Winter is our worst time because of the cold rainy weather,” said McCaleb. “The children, especially those with Downs syndrome, can’t come and ride because they get sick so easily. Keeping the horses exercised, fed and brushed is really hard at this time of year.”
Tax Deductible Contributions
All contributions to 3M are fully tax deductible because it was formed as a 501 C-3 not-for-profit corporation. “We are not a baby sitting service. We need and want parental involvement whenever and wherever possible. We ask for contributions equal to about $20 per hour whenever that is possible. When it is not possible, we just ask that people pay whatever they can afford.”
Summer registration starts right now. There is a limit to the number of children who can be involved in the program.
“I mean, in Central there are the Central Youth Riders who perform all over the country. In south Baton Rouge BREC has the beautiful Farr Park facility, but in Zachary where the high school mascot is a Bronco, we have the only game in town for kids who want to ride horses,” he said. “And for children who are mentally and/or physically challenged we’re just about the only game in East Baton Rouge Parish. We are providing a summer program for children with disabilities, and nobody else does that that I know of.”
To register for the summer programs, to join Christian Youth Riders, to learn more about therapeutic horseback riding at 3M Acres, or to provide financial or other assistance call (225) 937-1993 or email 3macres@gmail.com.
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