What Forty-Two People Built Together
Photos and video coming soon…
I am still trying to take in everything that happened at Cheyne Ranch today.
For months, the arena has existed in plans, measurements, fundraising goals, and conversations about what our students and horses need. Today, it began to look like the space we have been dreaming of.
Twelve Team Depot Volunteers Built the Arena Fence
Twelve Team Depot volunteers from our local Oviedo Home Depot spent the day building approximately 250 linear feet of four-board arena fencing. That meant digging around thirty deep post holes, setting and aligning the posts, and lifting and securing row after row of heavy 2-by-6 boards in the summer heat.
It was incredibly hard physical work.
They measured, carried, lifted, leveled, adjusted, and kept going for hours. Watching the arena take shape, post by post and board by board, was extraordinary.
Why This Fence Matters
This fence creates a dedicated place for riding, separate from the areas where horses rest, play, and move freely. That separation is essential for safety. It gives students a more controlled environment in which to learn, while also helping the horses understand when they are being asked to work. The arena becomes a familiar cue, helping them settle, focus, and respond more consistently.
The fence itself must be strong, safe, practical, and professionally built because it will hold up to years of lessons, weather, curious children, and horses testing its boundaries. It also matters that it looks beautiful because the arena is now one of the first things people see when they arrive at Cheyne Ranch. It is not only part of how the space functions. It is part of how this place is experienced.
The Home Depot Foundation Made the Materials Possible
The fencing materials were made possible through an approximately $4,500 grant from The Home Depot Foundation, and Team Depot from our local Oviedo Home Depot provided the people, skill, and labor to build it.
Special Thanks to Michael and Natalie
I am especially grateful to Michael Smith, who led the Team Depot project and helped make the entire day possible. From the planning through the work itself, Michael carried an enormous amount of responsibility for bringing this project together. His leadership, coordination, and willingness to invest in Cheyne Ranch meant so much to us.
I am also deeply grateful to Natalie Zarnowski, a Pro Desk professional at our local Oviedo Home Depot. Natalie was the person who first connected me with Michael, and that introduction opened the door to everything that followed. She helped with so many details along the way and was consistently kind, personable, encouraging, and generous with her time. Natalie made the entire process feel personal from the very beginning, and I am so thankful for the care she showed me and Cheyne Ranch.
I wish I had caught the name of every Team Depot volunteer who came to help. Each one deserves to be recognized. I may not know every name, but I will remember their kindness, their determination, and the sight of them continuing to dig, lift, measure, and build through such a hot day.
Thirty Incredible People from Cheyne Ranch
While Team Depot focused on building the arena fence, approximately thirty of us from Cheyne Ranch helped carry everything happening around the project.
We had asked our Cheyne Ranch volunteers to give the Team Depot crew the room they needed to work safely and efficiently. They did that while staying nearby, supporting the day, and continually noticing where else they could help.
They found the work.
They kept ice, cold water, cooling towels, and Gatorade slushies ready for the Team Depot volunteers. They brought tools, helped carry supplies, answered questions, offered tours, introduced our guests to the animals, and shared why this place and this project matter.
Our Cheyne Ranch group ranged from young children to adults, and every one of them contributed to what made the day so remarkable. It was long, busy, and very hot, but they stayed involved, helped wherever they could, and worked alongside one another with so much enthusiasm and care.
The People Who Helped Feed Everyone
A day this large also required a significant amount of food and drinks, and several generous people helped make that possible by sponsoring different parts of the day.
Coach Kelly Live sponsored breakfast.
Valerie and Skip Kohlmyer sponsored lunch.
Erica Hall, LMHC sponsored snacks and treats.
MaryBeth McAdam sponsored drinks and hydration supplies.
Their support helped cover the cost of feeding and hydrating more than forty people throughout a long, hot volunteer day. Because of their generosity, everyone had food, cold drinks, and a place to pause and recharge before returning to the work.
I am so grateful to each of them for helping make that possible. 💛
Caring for Every Animal
Even with a major construction project underway, the daily life of the barn continued.
Every animal still needed food, water, cleaning, attention, and care. Because it was such a hot summer day, some of them also needed to be rinsed and cooled.
Our volunteers handled all of it.
They cared for the animals calmly and thoroughly while the work continued nearby. They made sure every routine was completed and every animal remained comfortable.
Twenty Beautiful Ground Poles
The Cheyne Ranch volunteers also painted twenty ground poles for the new arena, and they are beautiful.
These poles will become part of everyday lessons. Students will ride over them, around them, and between them as they practice steering, balance, focus, and communication with their horses.
While Team Depot built the structure of the arena, our volunteers created some of the pieces that will bring it to life.
They Deep Cleaned the Barn Without Being Asked
And then they deep cleaned the barn.
I did not ask them to do it.
I did not make a list, assign corners, or point out cobwebs. They simply looked around, saw what needed attention, and began working.
They swept corners, removed cobwebs, cleaned behind things, and reached places that had never been cleaned that way before. Every time I walked through the barn, I discovered something else they had done.
They chose work that was dirty, detailed, and deeply needed. They also braided manes, pampered horses, and gave the animals extra attention throughout the day.
A barn is always full of work, and the daily needs of the animals have to come first. To have so many people look around, recognize what could be done, and take care of it without being asked felt like an extraordinary act of love.
They were not only cleaning a building. They were caring for Cheyne Ranch.
Two People Who Help Carry Cheyne Ranch
Ms. Katie and Erin are two of the people who normally help carry so much of the daily work at Cheyne Ranch, and on this day they gave even more.
Ms. Katie came on Sunday to help me think through the details and prepare for such a large day. Then she arrived before sunrise on Monday and stayed for eleven hours. She is a true right hand to me, someone who helps me plan, notice what I may be missing, and keep moving when there is a lot to carry. She also brings her incredible veterinary technician skills to the care of our animals, which gives me so much confidence and peace of mind. I am so deeply grateful for her steady presence and everything she gave to the day.
Erin worked incredibly hard from beginning to end. She brings so much willingness and enthusiasm to everything she does, including the tough, physically demanding work. She kept noticing what needed attention, helped make sure every volunteer had a meaningful way to contribute, and treated people with so much kindness and patience throughout the day. She is good to everyone and especially wonderful with the kids, keeping them involved and part of the real work. Her energy, kindness, and wholehearted willingness to help are such a gift to Cheyne Ranch, and I am deeply grateful for her.
Helping Before the Day Even Began
I am also grateful to Abby and Katelynn. They helped us prepare on Sunday, spent the night, and were ready to begin again first thing Monday morning.
Their commitment stretched across two days, and I cannot say enough good things about their willingness to help, their reliability, and the way they continue to show up for Cheyne Ranch.
So many others also arrived early, stayed late, and gave an extraordinary amount throughout the day. I saw the long hours, the hard work, and the care people gave even when they were hot and tired. I am deeply grateful for every person who helped carry the day.
Forty-Two People, Working Toward One Purpose
By the end of the day, Team Depot had completed an extraordinary amount of difficult construction work.
Around them, the Cheyne Ranch volunteers had cared for the animals, welcomed our guests, painted twenty beautiful ground poles, kept everyone cool and hydrated, guided the younger volunteers, and transformed the barn.
There were forty-two of us here, including me.
Every part of the day mattered.
The Team Depot volunteers built the fence that will surround our new arena.
The Cheyne Ranch volunteers cared for everything that gives the arena its purpose.
What We Will Remember
I am so deeply grateful to Michael, Natalie, every Team Depot volunteer, The Home Depot Foundation, and every Cheyne Ranch volunteer who gave their time, energy, care, and heart to this day.
In the days ahead, students will ride inside this fence, horses will walk over these ground poles, and volunteers will move through this beautifully cleaned barn. The care that went into this day will still be here, woven into the way this space is used and loved.
We will remember the heat, the tools, the cold drinks, the paint, the dust, the tired faces, and the way so many people came together to make Cheyne Ranch better.
Thank you for building this with us. 💛
Our Cheyne Ranch Volunteers
Abby, Aine, Ameilia, Anna, Chandra, Christi J., Christie R., Christopher S., Cole, Emily M., Emily P., Emma, Erin, Eva, Evan, Grace, Jason, Joseph, Juliet, Katie, Katelynn, Kayla, London, Olivia, Oliver, Rosie, Sophia, Talyn, and Zinn.
