Teens were sent to the ranches for therapy. They say they found a nightmare of hard labor and...

My wife and I teach horseback riding/ownership. Our course is not for wimps. We've only had one boy even start. He didn't last the day. He wanted to gallop NOW, first, before he did a lick of work. We start kids as young as 12 (We start riding lessons as young as 8.). The kids come voluntarily, and they can quit anytime they want. We only take 12 kids at a time. We get some down state kids, but they must have someone parent approved, in the area, for room and board and free time supervision. The 14-year-olds and up can earn a little spending cash or defray the cost of their horse lease/boarding if they help out on the dairy goat side. But we limit the "paid" hours to 8 per week.

Each child is assigned a horse, their own or a lease. During the summer and weekends, the kids must do 100% of the labor specifically associated with that horse and their fair share of the general care of the herd. Cell phones are checked at the barn door. During the school year, they must show up for two hours of work unless they are participating in school athletics. Most kids don't make it through a month. But we have a waiting list to take any vacancies.

Tasks include:
_Help bring in the hay bales from the field. (The bales weigh 50lbs because the lighter they are the higher the cost of baling, transporting, storing and feeding.) It is hard for the 12-year-olds at the start, but the ones that stick with it are fine by the end of summer. My guess is the girls complaining never did any harder work than texting before they got to the ranch.
_Muck stalls
_Carry water
_Repair fence
_Trim horses' hooves
_Administer vaccinations and oral wormers
_Deliver foals that must be assisted in birth (Reach inside the mare and re-arrange legs and turn foals in the birth canal.
_Train upcoming horses not yet gentled to ride.

Seventeen girls who have stuck it out have gone on to become equine professionals (trainers and farriers).

As far as complaints about hard work, my response is "tough shit." If 12-year-olds who just want to earn the chance to own/lease their own horse can do it voluntarily, the "bad girls" can do it to show they can understand adult responsibilities and work; and deserve a second chance at their normal life. But the allegations of punishment techniques are clearly child abuse (tied to a goat for hours or days, boxing matches, branding, etc.) are clearly child abuse. If true, the ranches should be shut down and the owners/operators charged and tried.

Our world would be much better off without religion. The Christian Yal'qaeda is spreading all over our country.

Sounds like scientology.