LOCKPORT, IL — Established in 2017, The Legacy Ranch in Lockport continues to provide equine-assisted services to kids and adults, and this year, has started offering even more programs to serve veterans and adults with special needs.
The 20-acre farm, at 2705 S. Farrell Road, provides therapeutic riding, occupational therapy, physical therapy, mental health therapy, veteran programming and an adult life skills program, Executive Director Kate Rasmussen told Patch.
The nonprofit also hosts birthday parties, scout troop badges, family days and corporate team building. The ranch is open year-round, and its facility is ADA compliant and temperature-controlled.
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“Every program that The Legacy Ranch has is customized to each individual based on their needs,” Rasmussen said.
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The Legacy Ranch has also grown its programming this year, offering a new Adult Life Skills program, and a program for veterans, called “Taking the Reins.”
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Rasmussen said the adult life skills program takes place mostly in a house on the property, which offers a fully-equipped kitchen.
“We also have a garden where participants will grow, harvest and sell their product to the community at the farm stand,” she said. High schools offer transitional programs for adults with special needs, but those services are stopped at age 22, and caregivers may have a difficult time finding opportunities for their loved ones.
“The Legacy Ranch Adult Life Skills program does not have an age cap. We start at age 18 and will accept any age above that,” Rasmussen said.
In the program, participants learn how to become more independent in their home setting, by doing cooking, cleaning and laundry; they also participate in community events, running their farm stand and selling fruits and vegetables to patrons.
“Taking the Reins” is a program for those who have served in the military, and are looking for “a calming and pressure off environment that doesn’t feel like therapy,” Rasmussen said.
The program pairs a horse with a participant, and participants learn skills like grooming, building obstacles and riding the horse.
“Participants work together to accomplish their goals with their horses,” Rasmussen said. “Time is spent processing what the horses are doing, and why they may be doing something, and often times their behavior is related back to situations our participants [are] working through without the therapist needing to open conversation. In this program, the horse is truly the therapist.”
Rasmussen said the nonprofit relies on donations to support its participants, horses and programs.
“It is very important to us that we are able to support families who need financial aid, so we are always looking to grow our scholarship fund.”
The Legacy Ranch is also always looking for volunteers to help in the arena or in the barn, she added.
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