When Gary Priour gave away family land in 1976 to start a children’s home, a 7-year-old boy stood at his side. As they looked out into the valley that was to become the Youth Ranch, his dad told Michael what he wanted to do. Until then, Michael and Gary had lived a fairly simple life, just the two of them. All that was about to change.

"I was only 7 years old when it started," he recalls, "but I remember things happening. I remember Dad and some volunteers building Forbus Cabin – the Ranch’s first house – and Dad being the first houseparent. I remember the day that Gladys came to live with us. She was my sister, I thought. I now know that Gladys was the first resident of the Youth Ranch. Then, I had another sister, then a brother. Before I knew it, I had a lot of brothers and sisters. We were all family. It actually took me quite a while to understand that we weren’t all really related."

Michael says that he always knew his father would do what he’d planned and talked about – build a home for children in need. But he never dreamed there would be so many children, or that the dream would grow into two campuses, with over 1000 "brothers and sisters" living out in the world.

At the end of the Ranch’s first decade, in 1987, Michael graduated from high school and left to attend college and begin his own life. In 1992, Michael approached his father about joining the Ranch team by adding his love of athletics, recreation and horses to the childcare program. In the next two years, Michael gained professional certifications in horseback riding, ropes course instruction, lifeguarding, and acquired his State Child Care Administrator’s License. Soon he had developed a full array of recreational programs for children.

His favorite program was working with horses. Michael had loved animals, especially horses, all his life. He had become expert in showing and riding, and had nurtured his own dream of bringing this program to the Ranch. Having grown up at the Ranch, where four-legged critters were part of the family, Michael had realized the healing effect animals had on the children.

Says Michael, "A child is naturally drawn to an animal, and usually doesn’t feel threatened. Even with the inherent dangers of horses, a child learns that a horse usually just needs reassuring. Working with a horse can be the best therapy a child can get."

Michael told others in the community about the horse program at HCYR, and they began to donate animals they weren’t riding any more, knowing they would be taken care of and used to help children. In this way, Michael built a herd, ranging from old camp horses, safe around the smallest child, to high spirited show horses, good challenges for the advanced student.

By the end of the Ranch’s second decade, in 1997, HCYR was given the Big Springs Ranch near Leakey on which to build a new village for children. With 7,000 acres and a long history as a sheep, goat and cattle ranch, the new location offered expanded opportunities for teaching children about the care of animals. Michael jumped at the chance to move to the new project and oversee development of the horse and ranch program.

Another decade later, at 37 years old, Michael directs a wide-ranging program of cattle ranching, animal care and horseback riding for the children living at Big Springs Ranch.

The recently completed barn, stables, and arena have become the most visible symbols of the new Ranch, turning visitors’ eyes as they approach the entrance off Highway 83. The roof on the riding arena is larger and higher than any nearby, and has become a landmark for giving directions to the Ranch.

Says Michael, "Many friends have made this program possible, but a very special person contributed this amazing state-of-the-art barn and riding arena, and we just wouldn’t have the program if not for her. We honor her wish to remain anonymous but wish her to know that we are forever grateful for what she has done here – for animals and for children."

Some have called the new facilities the "finest in a five-county area" and the "best show barn and arena I’ve ever seen". The complex of stalls, show areas and pens has become a center for Ranch activities, as well as home to a menagerie of our four-legged friends. There are Bonnie and Clyde, two Spanish goats; Tony and Rusty, two of the Ranch’s four pet llamas; Dawson, the barn cat; Truffles, a hound dog; a miniature donkey and a yet-to-be-named raccoon who likes to reach his paw into the soda vending machine and help himself to a refreshing afternoon beverage.

Also, in the adjacent stalls, there are 16 well-cared-for horses. The horses range in age from 5 months (the newest) to a 34-year-old horse (95 in human years). Somewhere nearby, either training a horse, teaching children about them, or tending to the barn, is the man who oversees this remarkable complex.

Read about Michael's work with a wild Mustang

Michael gets a sparkle in his eye when telling about the animals and the many unique programs that derive from having them. This is his haven. In his office in a corner of the barn, looking out the window overlooking the river and nearby arena, Michael reflects, "Sometimes I can’t believe I get to do what I do. I love animals, especially horses. I remember I was riding a horse before I learned how to ride a bicycle. There is something so special about a horse and the experience of bonding with one – it is like no other feeling."

Michael enjoys sharing his knowledge with the children. You can always tell when school is out for the day by the children rushing over to ride or brush a horse, or to pet one of the animals and spend a few minutes playing with a friend.

The children help with the chores of grooming, feeding and cleaning. Michael says he wouldn’t be able to keep up without the children’s help. "Working here," he says, "helps them bond with the animals, and take interest in other creatures. There is something special about the bond a child makes with an animal – and trust usually develops more quickly than with humans.

"Horses are great teachers. A child learns that a horse will treat you the same way you treat it. If you are mean to a horse – shoving or yelling – it won’t be so nice to you. But, if you are kind to a horse, that horse will treat you with respect. It is an unspoken lesson that I see the children learning every day."

When he’s not at the barn, Michael is likely somewhere out in the hills, riding to check on the Ranch’s 50 head of Angus cattle, looking at the fenceline, or fixing a windmill. Sometimes, out on such a ride, he has found his way to a peak so remote that he wonders if anyone has ever seen the view before him. Such a ride is about the only getaway he ever takes, and it is the one he values most.

Most days, Michael is giving riding lessons to the children. His calm mannerisms and certain knowledge about the animals and their behaviors are inspiring.