Performers in Lincoln gearing up for razzle-dazzle holiday spectacular on horseback

By SAKURA GRAY

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    LINCOLN (KOVR) — Wild Heart Ranch is giving folks in Lincoln a taste of the wild, wild west.

With a whinny and a “giddy-up”, Wild Heart Ranch is gearing up for their holiday spectacular, dubbed “A Drafty Christmas.”

Acrobats will be doing flips and tricks on their galloping horses. Think ‘Cirque du Soleil goes equestrian.

“Different choreographed dance moves and gymnastics moves to different music,” said Alicia Stearman, owner of Wild Heart Ranch. “We’re going to do a drill team performance with lights, we’re going to light up the horses and there will be food provided as well.”

Before the razzle-dazzle, Wild Heart Ranch began with a woman and her love of horses. Stearman initially brought miniature therapy horses to nursing homes and schools. She saw people’s energy change with these animals around. Students who were terrified to read in front of their peers gained confidence when standing next to these horses.

“I just saw the impact these horses made on these kids and I thought ‘I just need to do this at a higher level,'” Stearman said.

Stearman says she knows the healing power of horses firsthand. As a survivor of sexual assault, her relationship with animals helped her persevere even in the darkest hours. She created a place to pass on that companionship to the next generation.

“It’s a really calm place to be and it’s really fun to hang out with them. And the horses are just really good animals,” said Kayla Blackwood, a Wild Heart Ranch student. “It’s really fun to hang out with them.”

For 11-year-old Blackwood, the back of her horse is where she feels free…no bad days, no stresses of the outside world…just the wind in her hair and the unconditional love of an animal.

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