When Taylor was young and still not able to walk, recommendations poured in from many suggesting we enroll her in hippotherapy (horse therapy) which we did. For serval years she regularly rode at Equest, then Spirit Horse and then Mane Gait. Until the pandemic shut down all services, horse back riding and music therapy were the two must do therapies for her.
We discovered that Taylor responded well to various developmental activities while horseback riding, including fine motor control, speech, communication, posture, and exercise. However, when the pandemic hit and we had to stay home, Taylor’s services stopped, and we noticed a regression in her skills.
After the pandemic, I realized that living in the city wasn’t conducive to Taylor’s needs. It was challenging to find services and therapeutic activities for her. We decided to move to a more isolated location to change our setting to better meet her needs, so we bought a farm.
With over 30 years of career experience, I understand the importance of mission, vision, and strategy. So, the decision was made to leave Frisco. We initially started our search for any property along the Brazos River. After standing on a particular parcel located in the Fortune Bend segment of the river, we were convinced that leaving the city was the right thing to do. Here is the parcel we initially wanted:
When we left the city, we searched various areas for a new home. After facing rejections and exhausting searches, we eventually found a property that met our criteria.
The property had to have reliable water sources, no easements, no retained rights, and was not within a Ground Water District, making it ideal for our needs. When we found the farm, it resonated with both Taylor and me on our initial visit.
Despite our struggles, we helped others find land and even made an offer on a restaurant named Times Forgotten in Nocona. However, we later discovered Bowie County and found it to be a suitable location.
When we drove up to the property for the very first time we found this view and parked on the side of the country road and just looked and listened. I could not contain Taylor’s excitement as she immediately opened the car door to get out and look across the pasture. I immediately knew this was the place we needed to be. De Kalb, Texas in Bowie County. The farthest east, northeast county in Texas which is situated between the Red River to the north and the Sulphur River to the south. In the area commonly called the 4-States area where Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana meet, the farm is located about 30 miles southwest of Texarkana.
So what is the mission, vision and strategy:
- Mission: Use farming and ranching activities to provide a therapeutic agriculture center for adults with special needs, both physical and intellectual impairments.
- Vision: Build a working farm and ranch with infrastructure suitable to hosting and conducting therapy for individuals, care givers and therapists.
- Strategy: Understanding farm and ranch is not my strength; in fact I am just a beginner when it comes to agriculture, I am an expert as to what therapeutic activities work best for individuals with Autism, Epilepsy and serve developmental delay. So the strategy is to use my financial capacity, business acumen and network of friends, associates and therapeutic professionals to Build It so They Can Come.
The plan was to take about 3 years to build infrastructure, further develop the concept with professionals and building upon prior examples. I can say that our initial 3 year plan was accomplished in just 18 months and now, in June 2024, the foundational elements of Taylor’s Gift Farm, Therapeutic Agriculture are in place.
The following are photos of Taylor having fun. Being on the farm has made a difference in her well being and ability to express her joy. We want to share this experience with others and the care givers and therapists who dedicated themselves to serving and supporting individuals like Taylor.
These photos are both on and off the farm showing how adaptable Taylor has become to country life and events common outside of the city.
