Horses, ATVs and The Kohler Family – Building Self-Worth for Tehama County Youth

Preparing for an extended camping trip can be hard work for any family, but imagine adding loads of four wheeled or four legged toys for 2-15 kids and you get an idea of what it is like to be a part of Tehama County’s Kohler family. For more than two decades Kent and Greta Kohler have led a group of youth for close to two weeks of camping and horseback riding in Lassen National Park. On top of that, for 15 of those years, they also helped each kid get certified in ATV safety, then took a separate trip to the Oregon sand dunes for a fast-paced ATV adventure.

Every year, Greta and Kent Kohler lead Tehama County youth on life-enhancing camping and horseback riding tips through Lassen National Park.

Campers earn the trips themselves

This approach to mentoring area youth has opened up the world to some kids who had never even travelled outside of the county. Sleep away horse camps or ATV camps can be very expensive, but because part of the Kohlers’ mission was to foster self-worth, they set up a system for the campers to earn the trips by themselves.

Starting out as part of the former Shepherd’s Community Church in Red Bluff, the Kohlers gave points to kids who came to church (often walking from home) and who participated in volunteer activities and scripture memorization. Those who reached the minimum threshold of points could attend the camps. The highest point earner was even allowed to invite a friend. One year, that invited friend girl echoed what many of the kids have said: “Those were some of the best days of my life.”

Kent and Greta manage multiple “jobs”

Caring for a competent string of horses, maintaining mechanically sound ATVs and properly outfitting the youth for all the outdoor adventure (those clothes often become the kids’ school clothes for the fall) would be full-time jobs for many people, but the Kohler family manages to blend this with lots more. Kent farms walnut and almond orchard and operates an ATV store while Greta homeschools son Ryan, 13, and daughter Katey, 16, and raises goats alongside their horses. Greta just finished another season as a 4H leader in the Lassen Colony where this time she was in charge of the pig projects. Greta credits her grandmother for passing down her love for animals. Her grandmother raised appaloosa horses and Greta was given her first horse at age 4.

These days Greta also manages a herd of Rocky Mountain horses, a breed she notes is not quite as bouncy for green kids as the quarter horses they used to raise. On some of their days in Lassen Park they might put in 26 miles on horseback, and finding the right horse for each kid is vital. Greta fondly recalls a horse they nicknamed Albert because he was their trusted standby for everything. “Anybody could ride him, even upside down or backward,” she laughs. When Ryan was a toddler on their camping trips, he would ride behind Greta on Albert and when Ryan fell sleep she would pull him around to the front. She says its has been gratifying to buy a two-year-old horse, watch it transform kids’ lives for over a decade and then move down the trail to another owner for further good use. One man recently bought one of her horses to help introduce city kids to trail riding and Albert is now at home with an 82-year-old woman who rides frequently.

Horses make good listeners

A relationship with a horse in their care can truly touch a child’s heart, says Greta. Horses make good listeners and this helps with the Kohlers’ mission to always offer a listening ear to the youth on their trips. Many of the kids throughout the years had parents who were too burdened with their own problems to find the time to really know their kids. The Kohler family has learned that time on the trail and in camp can help kids open up about what troubles or inspires them. Greta has the pride of a mother in her voice as she talks about one young man who is now grown and trying to raise his own family on a different path then his own troubled childhood.

Greta says they have tried to “plant the seeds and water them consistently.” At Lassen Park this looks like hours of riding hard, playing hard, working hard and then gathering for rest and reflection in the evenings. The Kohlers often lead the kids in projects to improve the horse facilities and camping area where they stay. The youth are rewarded with self-confidence from their labors and plenty of good food. Greta recalls, “One year Harry ate 23 pancakes in one sitting!” In the evenings the group will play games and read books together. Some of their favorite books are the ones by Kim Meeder, a woman who grew up in northern California and now owns Oregon’s Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, helping abused horses heal alongside troubled youth (crystalpeaksyouthranch.org). Kim writes, “Sometimes, just believing in someone is enough for them to start believing in themselves.”

ATV camps are another part of the Kohlers work with community youth.

Balancing fun with hard work

Kent and Greta Kohler believe that today’s youth are capable of great things, just needing the benefit of time spent together. They focus on balancing all the fun with hard work and are always be ready to lend a listening ear. After a year when so much has changed, including the price of hay, which keeps rising, the Kohler family is not sure about the direction their work will take, but Greta’s motto has remained the same throughout the years and she calmly looks to the future with confidence: “When we need it, it has always been timely provided.”

The ancient word “Tehama” once meant a place where rivers could be crossed. With our county’s rich currents of history, happenings and hope, this is our crossing place today — where we meet to celebrate our beautiful Tehama County.