Can you imagine being nine years old and watching your parents drive away forever?

In 1953, Reverend James Crowe had a vision for a place where “wayward” young people could find a “reorientation of self.” His vision was a working ranch where young men (we expanded to include girls in the ’70s) would get the guidance and support they needed to find a path to a promising future. That’s when Idaho Youth Ranch was born.

People often ask how, exactly, horses can make such a big impact on people who have experienced trauma. Many people think it is about simply riding horses and are surprised to learn that Idaho Youth Ranch Equine Therapy is ground-based.

There’s a new face at Hays House, and he’s not like anyone who’s been admitted or hired before. At three years old, he’s much younger than a typical Hays resident or staff member. Instead of preparing him to go back out into the world on his own, we intend to keep him for life. That’s because, having once been at-risk himself, he has now found his own promising future in a new career of helping others find their promising futures with the Idaho Youth Ranch.