Dear Horses in the Hood,

Hello my name is Latonya Diason, and I am a counselor with LA's BEST program at Weigand Elementary. I had the pleasure in attending horse camp along with 16 of my most deserving students. When I was first told of the opportunity you were offering the students at Weigand Elementary, I was in disbelief. I could not believe a program such as Horses in the Hood existed in the Watts community. When I was told of all the wonderful activities Horses in the Hood made available to students in low income communities, I had a smile on my face from ear to ear, and I couldn't wait to get to horse camp.

Enclosed are letters written by all of my students who attended horse camp. I have also included a photo of our group. That's me in the back row with the big smile plastered on my face! As you can tell by the picture, we all had a great time.

When we first arrived at horse camp, the students were a little intimidated by the horses. And I have to admit; I was just as scared as they were! I had never been around a horse in my life and can't even begin to imagine how my students felt the first time they stared upward at this huge yet gentle animal, which towered above them. Shortly there after, your staff made everyone feel confident around these beautiful creatures and soon enough we were riding! I remember explaining to my students on the way home after the first day at camp, how horses weren't allowed to ride on school buses. We came up with several interesting ideas on how a horse might be able to sit on a bench and possibly, possibly ride a school bus home with us. Needless to say, the subject of taking their horse's home with them was a daily topic. They missed their horses and did not want to leave them at camp.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

Hey, thank you guys for having us on the farm. I had so much fun with you and the horses too. From WLCAC we thank you guys so much and we miss you all and the horses. Thank you guys for everything.

• Your friend,
• Angelica Sandoval

14 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,,

This letter is being written with sincere gratitude and a hopeful heart. Let me begin by saying that the one-week spent at Middle Ranch in December/January, touched the lives of twelve youth. It's amazing how you can take"very high-risk" kids with very serious academic and behavior problems, put them in an unknown environment, and then see a transformation. I'm talking about kids who constantly fight with each other turn into kids who become a team and work side by side with one other. Low self-esteem exploded into high self-esteem.

We're only talking 12 youth here. Imagine how you can touch hundreds, right in Watts. Few of these children have the opportunity to experience what our kids did. True, this is a part of Los Angeles that rumors gang wars and drive-by shootings. These incidents are isolated just as many other tragedies that take place across the world. Our town is not so bad. And, regardless of the negative associated with this area, the majority of children have parents. And, these parents want better for their kids than what they had.

Horses in the Hood need to be IN THE HOOD! I truly believe that you will be welcomed with open arms, highly respected because you bring opportunity to the youth, and loved because you care about the future of our children.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

I thank you for helping me learn how to ride the horses. I really had a good time. The trip up there was long, but I made it and I'm glad I did. I want to come back someday. You guys made learning to ride easy.

• Love,
• Brittany Brooks

12 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

Hi, it's me Edward, your best rider up there at the Ranch. I wanted to say thanks for the rides and the fun there. The best horse was Mark and Victoria was the best teacher. I had a great time there and it was fun getting away. It's hard to say goodbye to yesterday. I don't know how or what to say next, so I just want to say thanks and goodbye.

• Your friend,
• Edward Mitchell

13 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

Thank you for being nice to us and thank you for teaching us all about horses. Thank you for teaching us riding and lunging with the horses. I really liked being with you. It was so fun. I wish to be with you again.

• Love,
• Esther Elizarraras

12 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

Well, I want to say that it was so much fun in Horses in the Hood. It was fun learning a lot of things about horses. It was fun doing lunging and riding. Thank you for helping us learn everything. My family liked all of the horses too. Well, it's time to say goodbye.

• Love always,
• Jeannette

12 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

Well, I had a good day in the place and with Horses in the Hood. My favorite horses were Blackmail, Lyka, and Mark. We learned a lot of things about horses and I liked riding them. My favorite teacher was Heidi. Thank you all.

Joeanna Sandoval,

13 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

I thank you for the lovely time I had and I hope I can visit you guys again. Even though it's over, I miss Baxter, Jane, Victoria, Heidi and Stacey. You are great teachers and I hope to see you all again. The thing I enjoyed most was trotting and cantering. I didn't dislike anything because everything was great. I will always remember you.

• Love,
• Sonetta Bishop

11 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

Dear Kathy, On behalf of A Place Called Home and the members who attended Horses in the Hood 2004, we would like to thank you for providing a life changing experience for ten of our youth.

APCH provides at-risk youth with a secure, positive family environment where they can regain hope and belief, earn trust and self-respect, and learn skills to lead a productive lifestyle free of the gangs, drugs and poverty that surround them. Over the past eleven years, APCH has evolved into a model youth facility that has become an icon of this community.

The buzz around APCH is that Horses in the Hood (HHLA) is the bomb! The kids are overjoyed; the staff of HHLA and the horses (Max, JB, Bam Bam, and the rest) created a connection with our children that will follow them throughout their lives. For the past two years HHLA has made it possible for young people from the streets of South Central Los Angeles to connect with a positive, trusting, fun-loving environment that they will be able to embrace and tear down the walls of mistrust.

Our children learned to trust, respect and take care of horses. The miracle is, that education of horses they received also transcends to treating other animals with care and attention (including humans). One member Victoria Onate said, “The horses are very friendly and what we feel, they also feel. Horses are just like humans, they have differences like we do.” Every member’s most exciting moment was the trail ride and making the horses jump. When the children had the opportunity to go trotting with the horse, they said that it gave them a rush. Wow! What a positive rush rather than dodging bullets.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

Hello Kathy,

Shields for Families, services children and families within the Watts area. Our families for the majority are single women and their children who faced great economic hardships to say the very least. Our clients live within a community which is plagued with violence and great uncertainty. It is not uncommon that our clients are unable to play outdoors, due to the dangers that prevail within the neighborhood.

Horses in the Hood, allows our clients the opportunity to experience the outdoors and all its splendor without the worry of neighborhood violence. Our clients are introduced to many new stimuli such as the mountains, ocean, and horses. Horses in the Hood and the week long experience breeds confidence and empowerment to our clients. The majority of our clients begin the week experience nervous and shy, but by the middle of the first day our clients posses self-belief and an eagerness to learn.

Horses in the Hood provides our clients from Watts with a life alternating experience which most likely would never be offer to the children in Watts, California. These children are able to take away not only the skill of horsemanship, but also an increased self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. The last day of Horses in the Hood sums up the wonders of the week long experience when our clients family members cheer with delight as they watch their children showcase their skills. Horses in the Hood not only empowers our clients, but Horses in the Hood also brings our clients and families together and I believe there is no better outcome.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

I love what we did, riding the horse and brushing them. I love Baxter, Barney, and Magic. I loved the pizza party too.

• Thank you,
• LeRoi Bishop,

7 years old.

Dear Horses in the Hood,

I had lots of fun. All of you are cool and nice. Your horses are nice. I learned a lot of things.

Yorel Bishop,

P.S. THANKS AGAIN!

10 years old.