Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch

What Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch does

Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch (RYYR) is a faith-based, nonprofit Christian ministry founded in 2010 by Micheline and Matthew Barkley in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, after the founders attended a seminar at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon. The organization operates on a 50-acre horse farm and delivers a free equine-assisted mentoring program that pairs rescue horses, children ages 6–18 facing life challenges, and volunteer mentors in 90-minute weekly sessions over 8-week terms, running from May through early September. The herd comprises approximately 15 rescue horses, and the program encompasses horse care, riding instruction, crafts, fishing, woodworking, and spiritual mentorship, with activities including a summer day-camp program, fall/winter horse care sessions, and an annual Round Up horse show.

The underlying "technology" is operational rather than digital: a structured mentor-child-horse triad model, PATH Intl.-credentialed instruction, and a documented pipeline of rescue-horse intake and rehabilitation. RYYR has no proprietary software platform, no mobile application, and no disclosed API; the website is hosted on Squarespace with donations processed via PayPal and Square, and merchandise is sold through a third-party spiritsale.com storefront. The program is delivered exclusively on-site at the ranch and serves children from Beaver County, PA, with referrals sourced from county services, churches, and word-of-mouth.

RYYR is funded entirely through charitable contributions rather than fees to beneficiaries. Revenue streams include direct monetary donations (PayPal), a tiered Horse Sponsorship program ($50–$300/month or $3,600/year covering specific categories of horse care), merchandise sales, and annual fundraisers such as Purse Bingo, Golf Outing, and Christmas at the Ranch. The core staff is small (1–10 employees including a Program Coordinator, Herd Manager, and Co-Founders), supplemented by three annual summer program assistants and an embedded Crossworld Mission missionary couple that serves five months per year. The organization is governed by a three-person board of directors and holds no external parent, venture, or private equity ownership.

Name

Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch

Legal name

Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch

Website

https://ryyr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch is a faith-based nonprofit Christian ministry in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, that delivers a free equine-assisted mentoring program pairing rescue horses with children ages 6–18 and volunteer mentors through 90-minute weekly sessions on a 50-acre ranch.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Horses and Other Equine Production (11292), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Equine Rehabilitation, Layup & Retirement Facilities (AFAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Equine-assisted mentoring
• Youth mentoring programs
• Faith-based ministry services
• Rescue horse rehabilitation
• Community youth outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

New Brighton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: Accepts direct monetary donations via PayPal and other channels. Donations support ranch operations, horse care, and mentoring program delivery.
2. Horse Sponsorship: Annual sponsorship at $3,600 covers all care for one equine for one year. Monthly options range from $50-$300 covering hay, feed, bedding, and full care respectively.
3. RYYR Merchandise Store: Online spiritsale.com storefront selling RYYR apparel and merchandise with proceeds benefiting the ministry.
4. Fundraising Events: Annual fundraisers including Purse Bingo, Golf Outing, Christmas at the Ranch, and sub/flower/candle sales generate operational revenue.
5. Volunteer Service: Volunteers provide essential labor including barn chores, maintenance, mentoring, and event support at no cost to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch (RYYR) is a nonprofit Christian ministry that operates free 8-week equine-assisted mentoring programs for children ages 6-18 in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Each 90-minute weekly session pairs one child with one rescued horse and one volunteer mentor, combining horse care, riding instruction, faith-based mentorship, and structured activities such as crafts and woodworking. The 50-acre ranch in New Brighton, PA sustains the program through donations, horse sponsorships, merchandise sales, and community fundraising events.

Product overview

Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch is a Christian ministry that operates as a single, unified youth mentoring program connecting rescue horses with children ages 6-18 facing life challenges. The core program consists of weekly 90-minute sessions pairing one child with one horse and one volunteer mentor for 8-week terms. Supporting offerings include Horse Sponsorship (annual/monthly donation programs), Volunteer Programs (mentors, barn workers, farm maintenance), Summer Program (seasonal day camps with celebration banquet/horse show), Horse Care Sessions (fall/winter small groups), Horse Surrender/Rehome Service, and Newsletter Publications. All programs are offered free of charge to families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Mentoring Program An 8-week interactive mentoring program that pairs one child (ages 6-18) with one rescued horse and one volunteer mentor for weekly 90-minute sessions. Children learn horse care, riding, and participate in chores, crafts, woodworking, fishing, and play activities. Sessions are free of charge and focus on building trust, faith, and love.
• Horse Sponsorship Program A donor sponsorship program allowing individuals to fund the care of program horses via annual ($3,600 for full annual care) or monthly ($50-$300 tiered) donations. Sponsors receive photo updates, t-shirts, stall plaques, meet-and-greet opportunities, and grooming or photoshoot experiences based on tier.
• Summer Program Seasonal day-camp program run June through August in partnership with Beaver County services. Three summer program assistants facilitate 25-50 children in 3-4 hour sessions, culminating in a celebration banquet and horse show (Round Up). Open to county-referred youth.
• Volunteer Programs Structured volunteer opportunities including Session Mentors (weekly one-on-one with assigned children), Barn Volunteers (daily feeding, stall cleaning, horse care), Farm Maintenance, Church/Youth Group work days, Grant Writers, Fundraising Leaders, and Event Leaders.
• Horse Care Sessions Small-group sessions offered in fall and winter for children to learn horse care skills outside of the main summer mentoring terms. Supplements the core 8-week summer mentoring program.
• Horse Surrender/Rehome Service Animal surrender and rehoming assistance providing resources and transportation help for horse owners experiencing temporary transitions or needing to rehome their animals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32 children showed their learned skills at the 2024 Round Up
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crystal Peaks Youth RanchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Bend, Oregon was the inspiration and model for RYYR. Founders Matthew and Micheline attended a seminar there in 2010 and used it as the blueprint to start their own ministry connecting rescue horses with children.
• Personal PoniesminorOthersNational non-profit organization for rescue and placement of minis and ponies. RYYR received Zeba and Latte from Personal Ponies, who were originally placed with a family that had adopted children with disabilities.
• Crossworld MissionminorOthersMissionary organization with which Don and Zoe Peffer serve. They spend 5 months per year at RYYR (formerly 6 months), where Don handles maintenance and Zoe mentors and teaches Bible lessons for day camps.
• Take Heart Counseling and Equine Assisted TherapyminorOthersSimilar ministry in Berks County, PA offering equine-assisted therapy services.
• Living Streams RanchminorOthersSimilar ministry in Bucks County, PA listed as part of RYYR's referral network for families seeking equine therapy options.
• Locust Lane Riding CenterminorOthersSimilar ministry in Chester County, PA offering riding services, listed as part of RYYR's similar ministries network.
• PA Youth RanchminorOthersSimilar ministry in Mifflin County, PA serving youth through ranch programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ready-yourselves-youth-ranch-incorporated

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ready Yourselves Youth Ranch