SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Community organizations teamed up Saturday to provide Sacramento inner city kids with activities and experiences to keep them out of trouble and away from violence.
Some of them got the ride of a lifetime, on horseback, with the help of Sacramento County nonprofit the Wiltown Riders.
"When your anxiety is hitting, but then they get closer and start to calm down and pet a horse. They become a different child, they really do," said owner Vicki Jackson.
The life participating kids experienced on the farm is far removed from their urban upbringing.
"Violence, gunshots, sirens all the time. This gives them a sense of well being and calmness," Jackson said, adding that many kids come to them with anxiety and ADHD.
The farm welcomed a group from the "Hooked on Fish, Not on Violence" program Saturday.
"Some of our youth come out of juvenile hall. Some of them are at risk by their grades, their behavior," said program founder Timothy Poole. "We are trying to change their mindset by bringing them out, letting them think of different ways that they can enjoy life."
With a fishing pond stocked with bass and catfish and some nine-week-old Nigerian pygmy goats on the property, there was no shortage of new experiences for the city kids.
"Usually these types of kids never get to see anything other than the city streets. To expose them to something peaceful and calming, and something way different than they've ever seen before brings them a different experience than just the concrete," Jackson said.
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