Being involved in 4-H and the horse project helped Oklahoman Reagan Stephens get through a rough year of bullying at her middle school. She felt ostracized and bullied on a regular basis.
After a hard day at school, Reagan would come home to her horses to escape from the rejection she felt at school. Connecting with her 4-H mentors and friends and riding her horses gave her the strength and encouragement she needed to face the next day.
Reagan’s 4-H community and horses helped her persevere through that hard season, and she recognized that having something positive to do with her time had made a huge difference for her.
“While painful, that middle school experience made me more aware of the importance of having an activity that fulfills you,” Reagan said. She initially launched her “Ride with Reagan” program to give children a fulfilling activity to look forward to afterschool. The program grew into an opportunity for them to bolster their confidence and develop their own sense of purpose. Now, she coordinates “Eclectic Equine Art & Riding Lessons” to teach students to catch, groom and saddle their own horse, complete weekly “horse homework” from a curriculum she researched and put together herself, and to learn to give speeches. Through her program, Reagan’s students have each presented to more than 2,500 people on ag-related topics like animal nutrition, animal safety, animal body language, and more. She also created a summer camp for children in her area to have more hands-on experience with horses alongside others.
In addition to her riding lessons and camps, Reagan also organized the 4-H Horse Club’s workshop for the State Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Conference and created a mobile petting zoo at her county fair. Through her workshop, she gave teachers new ideas for incorporating nutrition and hands-on crafting into their workshops. At the fair, she interacted with more than 1500 students, teachers and parents, many of whom interacted with animals for the first time at the fair. Committed to exposing people to animals no matter their age, Reagan also arranged to take the petting zoo to the Veteran’s Center in her local area.
Though COVID-19 significantly impacted Reagan’s plans for the year, she adapted to the pandemic by starting a Young Horse Rider’s Challenge, where she posts a weekly challenge on her horse club’s page that children can do at home. Today, youth who have been impacted by her work are taking the reins to lead and mentor others, a sure sign of Reagan’s positive impact on their lives.
Reagan studies biology at Oklahoma Christian and was accepted as a college freshman for the early acceptance program at Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
