Located on a curve of the Little Sac River sits a stable. It’s a peaceful scene: horses grazing and birds singing. At first glance, Sac River Stables outside of Springfield, Mo., in Greene County appears to be the ideal place to ride. And it is, with beautiful trails and two riding arenas. But it’s more than that – it’s also an ideal place to worship.
Sac River Stables (SRS), owned and operated by Dawn O’Connor, went into business in the fall of 1996. It was first a horse boarding stables and then Dawn began to offer riding programs in June of 2000. Today, SRS offers riding lessons for people of all ages, horse boarding and training, a 4-H club (the Sac River Stablemates), horse themed birthday parties and day camps. Day camps for school aged children have become especially popular. The day camps at SRS have a unique feature: not only do participants learn safety, equine care and horsemanship; they also attend non-denominational devotional and worship sessions, known around the barn as Wrangler Worship.
Dawn started the Wrangler Worship program as a way to, “share my love of Christ with my love of horses.” She started planning the program and training the staff in March of this year. The horse and worship-based camps have been extremely well attended – every spot has been filled, along with a waiting list. People are drawn to the uniqueness of the program. “The horses set us apart from other Bible camps,” said Dawn. “We use the horses as a witness tool.” Eighty-seven campers were witnessed to over the summer. “With God’s help everything went well,” Dawn noted, “the biggest challenge was the heat.” The next camp is scheduled for winter 2011. Over the next few years, Dawn plans to continue to grow the Wrangler Worship program and share the Gospel with as many young campers as possible. “Before this, I was just putting kids on and off of horses,” she said. “Now I feel like it has a purpose.”
The horses at SRS seem to feel this sense of purpose as well – each of the stables’ 10 horses play their own part in the program. “Each horse has their own specialties, “explained Dawn. Smaller children are paired with Lucy and Sweet Pea, the stables’ two resident ponies. Horses like Speckles, an Appaloosa, and Queenie, an American Paint Horse, can’t be beat for trail riding. Toby and Keith, two ‘gentle giant’ Percheron Draft Horses, are used to teach vaulting and trick riding. The two-legged staff at SRS also contribute greatly to the Wrangler Worship program’s success. The head instructor, Emma McKinnon, knows how to pair the right horse with the right student. She teaches students both Western and English riding styles. Some of Emma’s other responsibilities include the care and schooling of the training horses. There are also job opportunities for local high school students during the summer; Dawn hires teens to clean stalls, assist with day camps, groom and exercise the lesson horses.
The experiences at Sac River Stables are ones you won’t find anywhere else. It’s truly an ideal place to both ride and worship. Nestled by the river, the staff and horses of SRS will continue to preach the message “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalms 20:7
