Thomas McCall is a horse guy.
McCall, executive vice president at the Irvine office of Kansas City-based insurance brokerage Lockton Inc., grew up riding horses. He owns a few and believes horses can help restore the well-being of abused kids.
About 12 years ago, he started San Juan Capistrano-based Mustard Seed Ranch, a nonprofit that puts horses and abused kids together at ranches in San Juan Capistrano, Chino and Warner Springs in eastern San Diego County.
“When they first come here, they care for the horse,” McCall said. “They clean the stalls and brush the horse.”
The kids build up to riding and other activities.
Many of the people who started with McCall still serve on the board.
“It’s a small board,” he said.
There are nine members, most of which own or head up companies.
Board members take a hands-on role.
“It’s a real working board,” McCall said.
McCall’s brother, Kenneth McCall, is chief executive of the nonprofit. He also works full-time with the kids and the horses and is one of Mustard Seed Ranch’s two full-time staffers.
Board member John Townsend, a psychologist, business consultant and author, helped develop the program and advises on an ongoing basis.
Another board member, Wing Lam, co-owner of Santa Ana-based Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, uses his connections and expertise in the restaurant world to help organize Mustard Seed Ranch’s yearly golf tournament that raises more than half of its annual budget of $150,000.
Other board members: Robert Allison, chief executive of Irvine-based Innovate Partners Inc.; John-Paul Beeghly, chief executive of Santa Ana-based Inertia Interactive Media Inc.; Roger Rodas, senior vice president for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management; Lenny Fodemski, chief operations officer at Lockton Insurance Brokers LLC; and Noah McMahon, chief executive of Irvine-based Anonymous LLC.
Mustard Seed Ranch works with kids from other nonprofits such as Olive Crest Treatment Centers Inc. and Orangewood Children’s Foundation, both in Santa Ana.
Olive Crest picks 12 kids a year to take part in the program.
“We feel like it works really well for those who need a boost of self confidence,” said Nina Coull, director of special education for Olive Crest Academies.
Olive Crest’s academies teach kids with a variety of emotional or mental issues, largely from abuse.
Facilities, Cost
Mustard Seed Ranch leases its facilities, which costs about $150,000 a year.
In the case of Double R Ranch in Warner Springs, Mustard Seed Ranch donated the land to Tustin-based Orange County Rescue Mission Inc. a few years back and now helps the Rescue Mission put on its horse-assisted program for kids.
Mustard Seed Ranch is one of several local groups that use horses to help people. Others include San Juan Capistrano-based J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center and Helping Hooves Equine Therapy in Anaheim.
People ask Tom McCall all the time: Why horses?
Horses have an ability to help abused kids learn to trust and make emotional connections, he said.
They are intuitive animals and reflect a person’s emotions, according to Tom McCall.
“We can watch the horses to see what the kid is feeling,” he said.
Horses aren’t like dogs, which love you no matter what, Tom McCall said.
“The difference with a horse is you first have to show them respect before you get love,” he said.
McCall tells stories about how kids take to the program. One boy who was particularly aggressive came to Mustard Seed Ranch reluctant to join in, he said.
The boy was paired with a horse. Once he started grooming him, he didn’t stop, McCall said. He groomed the horse for three hours.
“These kids are precious,” he said. “They really have a great heart that’s been violated, and they just need someone to tell them that they’re not damaged goods.”
Psychologist Townsend put together the counseling part of the program.
“My task has been to develop the program itself,” he said. “I don’t have formal training in horse things.”
Mustard Seed Ranch’s workers are required to have backgrounds in psychology and horses.
Hoping to Expand
The group hopes to expand the program.
“We want to take this across the country,” Tom McCall said.
Mustard Seed Ranch is developing a model to train stable owners and others to run programs themselves. “We have board people that can help out on the business end,” he said.
The group relies solely on private funding and has started applying for private foundation grants. Board members help raise money, though there is no “give or get” requirement.
The annual golf tournament is the main fundraiser. Last year it was held at The Resort at Pelican Hill’s golf course. It raises about $100,000 yearly.
The idea is to get people to come to the tournament and donate their money, according to Wahoo’s Lam.
To do that, the tournament has to be fun, he said.
“If you add a level of fun, people want to be engaged,” Lam said. “We’ll have a hole where you have to hit a marshmallow.”
Lam brings the food and cocktails, not just from Wahoo’s but from others as well.
He also works his connections to round up swag, such as iPods, T-shirts, hats, sunglasses and such.
“I have a pretty good circle of people that can make things happen a lot faster,” Lam said.
