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Our Story
At Cardinal Ranch Connections, we are passionate about creating a space for individuals to find community and grow spiritually. Our ranch offers a unique experience through Cowboy Church, Teen Development Camp, and Cowgirls@Heart discipleship. We believe in using the relationship between horse and human to inspire conversations about our relationship with God. Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming environment where individuals can explore their faith and connect with others.
Cowboy Church
Practical Conversations
Cardinal Ranch Cowboy Church is outreach and it does take some explaining if you have never been. In some places "Cowboy Church" is actually a Christian church denomination. This is not the case for us. Cowboy church is a place to start conversations and actually has very few trappings of a formal church service. It provides the broadest "on ramp" possible to talking about deep topics such as fear, love, forgiveness and relationships. Often, horsemanship demonstrations are provided or we might just gather around a campfire with a guitar and share from the heart. A topic is introduced, a question is circulated, and there is always food and good conversation to follow. The most common response of those with a "church aversion" is that they are pleasantly surprised. Although unlikely to attend church, they are positive about finding a place to unpack some of their own struggles and consider how God is pursuing them with His love.
Teen Development Camp
Adventures to build faith and friendships
Leadership Development is ongoing relational engagement wi th the aim of developing strong identity, resilience, and emotional fitness. It's mostly known for the Teen Program during the summer when young women live on Cardinal Ranch with their horses in an "immersion" type experience. There's nothing like turning over your cell phone for a few weeks to make room for working on heart issues! Beyond this it is building a community on the ranch in which there are daily opportunities to grow into the people we were created to be. There is something powerful about the physical ranch work combined with learning how to connect with horses in a relational way that helps one unpack their inner life. We've learned to anticipate this and support the opportunities it presents. Daily devotions are key and include journaling, reading, reflecting, sharing and supporting each other. There can also be opportunities for weekly individual sessions with a trained clinical counsellor. Some are going deeper in their relationship with God, but this is not a requirement. Everyone is invited to open their hearts and be met where they are at.
Cowgirls@Heart
Deep dive and ongoing support
Cowgirls@heart is ongoing support. This provides fun, learning and camaraderie with ongoing support for young women. It can be in person "learn to rope" nights followed by campfire but we hope to grow this farther. We think there is a need to build online content in the form of a Cowgirls@Heart devotional app, and other social media content. These are community building tools that provide opportunities to stay connected with others when they leave the ranch and make connections with those that we do not meet in person. Through our encounters we have learned that young women often share the common experiences of isolation, incongruency, and weak identity. Whether it is expressed as anxiety, depression, or addictions, they feel that they are struggling alone. They often believe their inner life must stay hidden and they put forward a version of themselves that has adapted to the world around them. They often engage in an unhealthy degree of comparing themselves to others. The goal of Cowgirls@Heart is to find creative and relevant ways to combat these things with expressions of God's grace and love and shared experiences of joy.
Testimonials
"One of my favourite things about Cowboy church was the opportunity to share or not share. It was a safe place to contemplate your thoughts on the topic of the day, and that mixed with the opportunity to share with the group made it a very special experience "
Heather B
"Everyone on the ranch is so welcoming and very supportive. This program was overall such a positive and fun experience."
Anik L
"There's something incredibly powerful in sharing your story or others sharing their stories with you. The real and authentic stuff, not just topical conversations. The ranch has given me a place to practice vulnerability and courage, and grow emotionally and spiritually."