Saddle up.
Just a few generations past giving America the literal horsepower to settle the West, thousands of those equine descendants have been left to linger in the desert until someone like Justine Makoff comes to the rescue.
In its own way, Makoff’s vision for the “Free Rein Foundation” is every bit a modern, yet Old West story where simple values have led to astonishing new paths for healing.
On Saturday, Aug. 8, more than 200 people showed up at the Free Rein ranch to donate approximately $200,000 to a cause that in a single generation has become a double rescue project. Free Rein rescues the horses, the horses and the free-range environment seem to calm troubled kids.
Fourteen years ago, Makoff staged her first horse rescue, and since then, rescued more horses and created a charitable foundation that has affected the lives of more than 10,000 kids and young adults.
Let’s face it, they don’t call it horsepower for nothing, and it is clear to most associated with the Free Rein foundation, that many troubled youth have been touched by the power of a language only a horse can speak to a human.
“Fourteen years ago, we started Free Rein Foundation with the simple belief that rescued horses could help rescue something inside of people,” Makoff told the donors gathered for the “Unbridled Hope” fundraising event.
“Horses,” she told them, “do not respond to our words; they respond to our truth. And sometimes that is where the healing begins,” she said, “because healing doesn’t begin when we pretend that everything is okay. It begins when we feel safe enough to say, ‘this is where I am’ and that is what Free Rein does.”
Makoff faced a bright, setting sun as she spoke to more than 200 donors. It was the largest crowd ever that had come to pay homage to the healing happening on this nostalgic site inside the City of Huntington Beach.
Photo by Toni Hauger.
Over the past decade, Makoff, and her all-volunteer, nonprofit network, has teamed up with law enforcement agencies, the military, and the community to arrange second chances for troubled young souls who’ve lost their way.
“We give young people the opportunity to practice trust, communication, setting boundaries, resilience, and self-awareness, not by telling them what to do, but by giving them the experience that they can feel,” she said.
“And the horses teach them,” said Makoff.
“They teach them to listen. They teach them that what we say isn’t always what we feel. And sometimes they teach us the person we used to be honest with and the person we need to be honest with is ourselves,” said Makoff.
“So Free Rein is more than just about horses and young people we serve. It’s about preserving a place, a place where a child can touch a horse for the first time, a place where families can come together, a place where volunteers can find a purpose, a place where people can step away from the noise of everyday life and reconnect with an animal, with nature and sometimes with themselves,” she added.
Among other high-level community roles, Makoff now sits on the board of the Sunburst Youth Academy, located at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, and regularly brings the cadets out to Free Rein. Makoff and others say there have been some amazing stories of transformation.
Photo by Toni Hauger.
Makoff’s Free Rein Foundation is located within the 25-acre Huntington Beach Equestrian Central Park Equestrian Center, founded by Mary Behrens. The Free Rein Founation was founded by her twin sister, Dr. Carole Harris. Located on the next hill is an Urban Forest that began its planting in 2001 and now contains more than 7000 species. It’s a ranch and a forest inside the city.
Albert Campos, one of the young people who has benefited from his association with the Free Rein Foundation, spoke briefly as well.
“Miss Justine has been able to reach people from all over the world to fight their day-to-day demons and struggles. I am also very thankful for her adjustments to my life. She has been someone who has understood the potential and the impact this organization can have on everyone,” said Campos.
“I am so happy for her guidance and through her support (and the horses), because of her, I am closer to be the person I was destined to be,” he told the crowd.
Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra said it is clear to him what role the rescued horses play in the troubled lives of youth.
“Everybody wants to have a better future,” he said. “And how do we do that? We build our youth, we build our foundation, and this is what Free Rein does because horses don’t care whether you’re a great person; they don’t care if you have had some issues, he said.
“When you watch the therapy that occurs, and how these horses bond with these kids, some of whom have significant trauma, how they can get together with a non-judgmental animal capable of teaching them to be better humans, this is what we want,” he said.
Kyle Krone, the auctioneer with the conviction of an evangelist, said: “The only thing that ever really matters, if you think about it from a big picture standpoint, is that it’s not about cars or clout or money or status, it’s about how many lives you can positively impact.”
“Influence means nothing if you’re not helping someone grow or heal,” he said, “and the legacy you leave is not going to be measured by what you have, but how you helped.”
“When your action shifts someone’s mindset or changes their life for the better, you want to be remembered as someone who made people feel safe – they can still hurt – but make them feel loved, share what you have learned, and lift others,” he told the crowd.
The police chief, Council member Pat Burns, State Sen. Tony Strickland, and many others were on hand to show support for Makoff and Free Rein.
Donors like Tom McDaniel said he “absolutely” supports Free Rein’s mission and “looks forward” to coming each year.
Makoff presented an award to Dr. Stephanie Schmidt, the local vet whom she described as an “incredible individual. She is not just a veterinarian; she is a beacon of compassion.”
As in life, Free Rein respects “end of life” for horses, saying Dr. Schmidt sat with one horse at the end of its life. “She wrapped him in comfort, sang him a song and helped him cross over. Schmidt’s compassion, she said, has left “an indelible mark” on the organization.
Makoff also honored Kim Dablow as a person “who does far more than simply fill a role, she helps create the heart of this organization. She leads with gratitude.” Kim always comes up with quotes for her Basecamp communications, she said, citing this one in closing the event.
“Horses,” she quoted Dablow as saying, “have a unique way of finding people who need them and filling the emptiness we didn’t know we had.”
She thanked everyone for coming, sending them home with a message of gratitude and generosity. “We are not measuring success tonight by how many paddles go up,’ said Makoff, “we measuring it by how many hearts go home changed.”
Additional information is available at www.freereinfoundation.org.