CHRISMAN, Ill. (WCIA) – Right on the outside of downtown Chrisman sits a big barn with an open pasture called Sunrise Stables.
“It started out with riding horses, and then a few years ago I saw a picture my dad showed me. He was in his late 90s and somebody was visiting him with a miniature therapy horse, and I just became captivated with that idea and I decided I wanted to do it myself,” Pat Bolen said.
So, she down sized.
“Little by Little I started collecting these little miniatures and training them,” she said.
Now, she has four miniature horses. That she drives around and takes to help brighten other people’s day.
“We go to nursing homes and we’ve been in parades. We’ve done some children’s programs. We have stories in a storyboard that we use to tell stories about the little horses and it’s just a lot of fun,” she said. “I think really, the very best thing, is just to see the looks on the faces of people when they see the horses and when they have a chance to come up and pet them and interact with them.”
Looking back, she said she feels this is what she was meant to do in our town Chrisman.
“There have been times when I’ve sat on the porch here and thought what should I be doing with my life and I have a passion for horses. I also worked in long-term care for many years. So, a love of sharing them with the people,” Bolen said. “The real special thing is just to see the joy the little horses bring to people.”
