Benson, NC – Ron
and Sharon Lunn, owners of the Lazy L Ranch, said their ranch
has undergone many changes in its first 10 years. "We remember
when we first started the ranch, our families and a lot of people
didn't think we were going to make it." Well, the Lunns proved
them wrong.
When the Lunns started their Benson mini-horse ranch in 2000,
there wasn’t much of anything but the main home. The weeds
had grown up, trees cover the property, and none of our buildings
were here. Ron and Sharon began clearing the land, running off
snakes, building fences and barns and made it what it is today.
And they keep building or replacing worn out or broken corral
fences and continue to battle keeping their pastures filled with
enough grasses to sustain their animals. Both Ron and Sharon now
consider this a safe home for their retired lesson horse, Mustang,
Palomino, mini-donkeys and mini-horse.
"Today the ranch buildings are all painted red, more of an
aide to those that are looking for us, kind of a visual landmark.
We have come a long way and now we feel that we can offer our
assistance to others learn about horses and farm life". The
Lunns believe that the most important building project to come
is not a new barn or fence, but to build children.
Through the years, the ranch has provided a source for a lot of
adults and children to ride a horse for the first time or some
that come to learn basic horsemanship. Now, being that the Lunns
are people that want to help others appreciate horses, they have
opened their hearts and ranch to underprivileged children from
Raleigh by providing a free ½ -day camp, where they learn
about horses, farm life, and the respect for themselves and others.
The Lazy L Ranch has many staff volunteers who come out on the
weekends to assist with teaching the underprivileged children
something knew, a new experience for their growing lives. Each
of the staff is in charge of 10 to 15 children, and works to build
a relationship with them.
The children can spend time playing sports, participate in a nature
walk, create a craft, play a game, or just work with the horses
under the supervision of the Lazy L Ranch staff. :We all realize
that many of these children have never been in the country before,
so the children are constantly given messages of encouragement
and told they are cared about and can do whatever they set their
minds too in life. We all believe that we can change lives and
teach the children to respect themselves and others. Many of the
children have already said that they would like to have a horse
of their own some day. Our hopes are that with the experience
of being on our ranch, their parents or guardians will see changes
in the children after their time with the horses and being on
the ranch," say the owners.
“The whole experience is really good," said one of
the volunteers. “It makes us all feel so good that we get
to spend time with them and maybe can help turn their lives around.”
Ron Lunn said his biggest challenge would be getting the word
out that they are willing to help other children. "We can
provide some needy children with some summertime activities they
can enjoy and learn something new each time they come to the ranch.
"
"I believe that the future holds a lot of things for our
children and us," says Ron. "Even though we only have
these children for a short time they leave with long time memories.
We have been blessed with a lot of good people who volunteer and
work to help our children."
The Lazy L Ranch does not charge a fee for the children and runs
their operation solely through donations by local merchants, non-profit
organizations, and caring parents.
