Jillian (Butela) Hanson grew up in Connellsville Pennsylvania, just south of Pittsburgh. She's been in love with horses for as long as she can remember, but finances never allowed her to have her own horse. She was in 5th grade when a family moved their horses into her uncle's old cow barn behind her home. God is so good! Cindy Gallo and her mom Dolly did so much to foster Jillian's love of horses. Cindy taught "Jilly" how to ride in return for "working" in the barn cleaning stalls, helping feed, and other miscellaneous barn chores. They were always patient, always encouraging, and always eager to help her understand whatever they were covering. Everything has its season though, and a change of jobs coupled with Jillian getting into high school created a conflict of scheduling. Time at the barn grew less and less. God had another door in mind though, and Jillian found a horse camp to attend one week out of the summer. She had no idea that God was setting her down a path that would lead to so many changes! She was 16 when God was more tangible to her than she had ever experienced. She was at camp that summer when the amount of love and the way that He provided it through the various people and horses that summer was mind boggling. It helped guide her life away from a road that would have been long and painful. He let her know that someday, she would be part of providing a place for people to come and enjoy God, horses, the outdoors and to learn that they are o.k. just the way that they are. She then worked for Dorothy Dearborn, the creator of the Progressive Horsemanship Program that operates at the camp she attended, when she was old enough. Dorothy taught so much more than how to safely teach kids to ride. Her passion for people spilled over and helped form the program that Brian and Jillian now teach.

Brian Hanson grew up in Westfield New York near Lake Erie. He also worked for Dorothy. There was a point in his life when the path he was headed down was no longer fulfilling. The things he was filling his life with still left him empty and searching for something more. The grace of God landed him at summer camp interviewing for a horse staff position even though the horses he owned growing up taught him to be scared more than anything and God was not really someone he'd claim to have a relationship with! The Big Guy knew the big picture though and Brian ended up at camp for the summer. There, he saw something in the kids' eyes that he wanted to be part of. Christ was a real, breathing, living element in their lives....and Brian was forever changed. Dorothy taught him about horses, but more importantly, she helped him to believe in himself. So he set out to trust her, himself, and God to create a place where other people could find the same unconditional love that he saw at camp. In 1995 he & his 120 lb. sheep dog, Rags, headed south where horses could be ridden all year long. They lived in a camper, he worked 3rd shift so he could also work at a farm during the day to learn more, and he scoured the country side searching for whatever it was that God was calling him to. He lived in a tack room (yes, a tack room, complete with mice) so that he could afford to go back to camp the following year; the passion in his heart would not take no for an answer! A series of ups & downs over the next few years brought him closer to God and to a position where His timing finally lined up with Brian's timing!

Brian & Jillian bought this farm and got married in 1999. It was more than a fixer upper! It took over a year to get things fixed up enough to have their first student. It can now be seen that all that blood, sweat, & tears have had more to do with building a relationship with The Big Guy that brought them to this farm than with the farm itself! God is so good...all of the time (even when it doesn't always feel good!)

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