Pictured above is Liz giving Warrior his favorite drink, sprite.

Liz is an artist and sells her work to benefit Horse Gate. Pictured above is a drawing she did of Warrior.

Testimony-
Horses have always been something of interest to me, I’ve just never really had the opportunity to be in contact with them, until the summer of 2005 when I just so happened to see a card for Horse Gate on a friends countertop. Through truly God graced events I ended up at Horse Gate that summer to attend a girl’s bible study.

At that point in my life, God wasn’t really what I was interested in, but the horses, that is what I was interested in. My life beforehand wasn’t the greatest experience a child should have, leaving me scarred and depressed. I found ways of escaping that depression through worldly music and acts, pulling father away from God and closer to the world. Coming to Horse Gate seemed to be God’s way of waking me up. I slowly found my place at Horse Gate, Glenna introducing me to a pale buckskin named Warrior. I seemed to open up completely to this horse, surprised at how after years of not trusting anyone, I was yearning to share things with both Warrior and this organization. Warrior became my best friend and companion. He showed me that life is worth living and God never really left me, he was just waiting for me to take the blindfold off and stop fumbling around in the dark.

Through the years Horse Gate became less of an organization and more of a family. I love all of the people associated with Horse Gate and thank all of them for giving me my life back and bringing me closer to God. Through Horse Gate I learned to take my past and share it with foster children that are still going through those hardships. I am able to tell them that there is still hope and God will always be a whisper away, to show them the love that their parents couldn’t. My hope is that they can find there own Warrior, a creature that will help them through hardships just by lending a listening ear and caring heart. I can’t express in words how grateful I am for this program, and how grateful I am that they are bringing joy to other children through the magic of horses and God.

I can’t imagine my life without Horse Gate, and it is a thought I truly shy away from. After my experience at Horse Gate I can see that other children need this kind of love and attention, it being so absent in their lives. Many wish to be involved with horses but simply can’t afford that experience. That is why Horse Gate is a free non-profit organization that gives kids this experience without the expense. While this is beneficial to the children we work with, it makes it difficult to keep such an organization on its feet with it being supported solely by donations. That is why we need your help to keep Horse Gate running in this time of need so that it can continue to help kids for years to come. -Liz Sluder, Volunteer (19 y/o)