If you have been following us long, you know that we love horses, and we thrive on seeing our horses excel and fit right in with their new owners.
Each giveaway we do is special to us, because we have been blessed with the absolute BEST people, down to earth, great people, winning our horses. Many have made long journey’s to pick up their foal, and we are truly grateful.
The story of our giveaway to Sophie, is one of our favorite moments in the history of Third River Ranch.
We first met Sophie in the summer of 2024 when she and her family, who are friends with our granddaughter, came to the ranch for a visit. This was just a typical visit, to fellowship and get to know one another. It soon became evident to us that this family, and Sophie, were very special.
As we had lunch together, Sophie began to share about her passion for horses, and her dreams of having a ranch and breeding horses for her career. Tex was immediately touched, as was the entire family, to be able to talk to someone so young who shares with us something so dear to our hearts.
We made the trip to the pasture with the family to see the foals and their mommas. Sophie stuck to Tex and was absorbing everything she could. And then it happened, the moment, that amazing moment, when God spoke to our hearts and said… “Give this special girl, one of the very best fillies from your foal crop, because she has been asking Me for one, and you are the ones to give it to her. This filly is one that she can start her dreams with, be the first mare that she ever gets to breed, with a fantastic pedigree, mind and confirmation.”
Well, we had not planned on having two foal giveaways so we quietly got together as a family in that pasture and discussed what we thought we were feeling one by one, first Tex, and then the rest of us. Then once we had decided that this is something that we were sure we wanted to do, then we cleared it with Sophie’s parents who also knew that Sophie had been using her faith for a horse so they agreed to let us offer Sophie the horse.
As we asked Sophie, that SMILE and excitement she had is something we will never forget. Along with that, was the deep gratitude we have to God, for allowing us to be the ones that get to help answer a prayer.
Our vision at Third River Ranch far exceeds raising horses. Raising horses is simply our vehicle for fulfilling God’s call on our lives. Many people, even many Christians, struggle with the idea of giving something so valuable away….. but that is just what Jesus did for us except for on a much grander scale. He gave His life in exchange for ours, he became a sacrifice for us. There is nothing better in life, than knowing you are doing what God has told you to do, because God always is a rewarder of those who follow him.
