The Right Steps

I’ll admit, I’m not very outdoorsy. I love an afternoon stroll through the park or the occasional early morning beach visit, but that’s about it. So, I didn’t know what to expect upon my arrival at Crazy 8 Ranch.

What I found was a sense of peace. 

“It’s our little slice of heaven,” said Brittany Reese, vice president of 4 Steps Horse Rescue.

Heaven, indeed.

The ranch, which offers trail rides, kids camps and horse boarding, is home to 4 Steps Horse Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equine rescue, rehabilitation and therapy. Horses arrive through various channels, including owner surrenders, the sheriff’s office and kill pens, and the 4 Steps team works tirelessly with its rescues to restore health and reinstate trust in people.

“It all boils down to the fact that they’re unwanted horses that aren’t going to get the time, attention and everything they need and deserve,” said Marcia Decamp, owner of Crazy 8 Ranch and founder of 4 Steps Horse Rescue.

Decamp grew up around horses but “hated” the things she learned growing up, calling many practices outdated. So, she went to school for equine management, took training courses and received her farrier’s certificate from the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School.

In 2007, she established Crazy 8 Ranch. In 2020, she started 4 Steps.

Each of the ranch’s horses has its own story to tell. The first horse I met, an American quarter horse named Wizard, arrived from a kill pen.

“He was the worst-looking horse there,” Decamp said. “He was skin and bones and absolutely miserable … I wasn’t even sure we’d be able to get him in the trailer.”

Now, he’s “fat and sassy” and ready for adoption.

Decamp and 4 Steps Horse Rescue vice president Brittany Reese transformed a malnourished horse named Wizard into a “fat and sassy” stallion ready for adoption. Photo by Alicia Osborne

Daisy, the rescue’s oldest horse, was an abuse case. According to Decamp, Daisy was tongue-tied by her previous owners, a horse racing practice that involves tying the tongue down to the chin. As a result, Daisy’s tongue now hangs from her mouth. Given all that she’d endured, Daisy was aggressive when she arrived at the ranch.

“She wouldn’t let you near her,” Decamp said. “On my initial meeting with her, the people were like, ‘If you don’t get her, we’re shooting her and putting her down.’”

Decamp managed to load Daisy onto her trailer, but the fight was far from over. At the ranch, Daisy charged at anyone who dared to approach, and even once knocked down Decamp. But the ranch owner didn’t give up.

Decamp also managed to turn a stubborn mare named Daisy into a trail horse (for experienced riders only). Photo by Alicia Osborne

Finally, with the help of her 2-year-old grandson, Decamp made headway with Daisy.

“As long as that baby was around, she was good as gold,” Decamp said. “She wouldn’t charge me.”

Decamp brought her grandson along whenever she needed to interact with Daisy. And though the horse didn’t love it, she eventually allowed herself to be tamed.

“She loves, loves, loves babies to this day,” Decamp said. “If there’s a baby around, she’s going to their stroller.”

Taming aggressive horses isn’t easy. Decamp says she’ll spend full days in the round pen with horses, ordering them to run circles until they listen and behave.

“I’ll bring them to the middle and try brushing them and stuff like that, and they’ll try biting or pulling away and I’ll be like, ‘Run more circles,’” Decamp explained.

Decamp exercises aggressive horses in a round pen to help them learn commands. Photo by Alicia Osborne

She’ll do this exercise all day if necessary.

“If you quit before it’s time to quit, you will backtrack,” she said. “If the horse wins, you’re going to make the horse win next time, too.”

Not all horses rescued by 4 Steps are aggressive. Some arrive already tamed. Others have had such bad experiences with people that they avoid Decamp’s team altogether. To regain their trust, Decamp will sit beside their food buckets and read to them.

To win back the trust of mistreated horses, Decamp sits beside their food buckets and reads to them. Photo by Alicia Osborne

Decamp hopes to find forever homes for each of the 4 Steps horses, whether on the ranch or off, and she frequently checks in with those who’ve been adopted to ensure they’re in capable, loving hands.

“We don’t want them to ever suffer again,” Decamp said. “They’ve already suffered once.”

Calling All Volunteers!

Caring for over 30 horses is hard work, so 4 Steps Horses is always looking for volunteers to help around the ranch. Founder Marcia Decamp also hopes to find skilled labor to help clear out the neighboring land so she can build more pens, i.e., save more horses. For more volunteer information, visit 4StepsHorseRescue.com/volunteers or call (850) 524-3484.

Decamp runs 4 Steps Horse Rescue with Brittany Reese, the nonprofit’s vice president. Photo by Alicia Osborne