Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin handed out a Spirit of Virginia Award to the James River Horse Foundation on July 31.

The awards recognize Virginians’ uncommon contributions to their fields. Only six are given out each year.

In the spirit of the morning ceremony held outside Barn 4 of the State Farm Work Center in Goochland County, it may have the First Couple feeling as if they were receiving a gift.

“It was my job here at the barn to provide the daily care for the horses, but at the end of the day it was the exact opposite,” explained Becky Owens, an alumna of the James River Horse Foundation program. “They were taking care of me.”

The crowd assembled for the presentation included wardens, inmates, horsemen, elected officials and media listening intently as Owens described how the program impacted her life. The horses “played a huge role in my rediscovery of self and time for healing at the horse farm,” according to Owens. 

The James River Horse Foundation keeps 26 off-track thoroughbreds at the State Farm Work Center, rehabilitating former racehorses in many cases to a level where they become adoptable. Up to eight inmates of the State Farm Correctional Facility next door can participate in the program. Owens recognized some of the memorable thoroughbreds that were present during her rehabilitation.

“There was a sly gelding here on the farm by the name of Tuck,” Owens began, igniting an inside chuckle from the program’s current participants. “This fellow tested my patience almost daily, and working with him consistently taught me perseverance, a skill that has proved invaluable in my recovery.”

Owens then introduced Doc, an older gelding that had “any and all illnesses that any old horse can handle.” 

Doc is one of the “lifers” of the program, who as current President Janis Paiva later explained is too embedded with the surroundings and other horses at Barn 4 to become adoptable outside the grounds.

“Nurturing him back to health was to be reconnected with the mothering inside of me that I so greatly needed to exercise and to fill that sense of purpose,” said Owens.

Owens moved on to describe Happy, “a chestnut mare who was the embodiment of a teenage girl,” that broadened her relationships with trust and boundaries.

“Building trust in a relationship with her taught me valuable lessons that I now apply to my own teenage daughter,” offered Owens.

Owens now works at Radford University as a recovery support specialist. She remains involved at the James River Horse Foundation “to coach my peers, sharing the knowledge and skills I gained.”

The James River Horse Foundation has had 80 horses — teachers as the Governor referred to them — cycle through the program. Dozens of inmates have participated over the years.

The equine curriculum developed by former program director C.J. Weldon has three primary stages, ranging from beginner to teaching assistant, the highest level that Owens completed. Owens was one of the original eight participants of the program when it was redefined in 2019. 

“We were not just working on the farm, we were working on ourselves,” voiced Owens. “We took as much care of each other as we did the horses.”

The Governor was duly impressed.

“Becky, I have to tell you, you could have just handled the whole program today,” he said.

Suzanne Youngkin, herself an avid horsewoman, spoke enthusiastically about the blessings of the program. 

“We just could not be prouder of the bonds that are being built here between human beings, the bonds between women and equines, and the bonds of the equine and their own renewal, and the greener pastures that are available to them,” she said.

The First Lady visited the facility in 2023 on a much colder day and became enamored with the facility and its mission. 

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“She came in 2023 and stayed two to three hours and visited every horse and spoke to every woman,” recalled Paiva. “When they called to tell us about the award, we thought she was just coming to revisit the facility.”

“There is something very, very, special, very spiritual and it exists between women and the equines here and that’s what we are here to celebrate,” the First Lady told the gathering.

That something, she added, connects directly with the goals of the Spirit of Virginia program.

“The Spirit of Virginia is a recognition of life-changing organizations, life-changing individuals, and a commitment to deliver more than you ever thought you could,” the Governor explained about the award. 

“This organization serves two incredible missions. A mission that saves horses from potential abuse from potential slaughter or neglect and recognizes that they too were created by an almighty God.”  Youngkin continued. “It brings those horses into this second incredible mission which is to transform lives and to show a way and offer a tremendous moment of self-recognition and training to step into life.”

Paiva notes that the program helps participants develop life skills other than those used in the equine world, something that the Governor also emphasized.

“The program is not just a pathway, but a skill set to take full advantage of that opportunity,” added Youngkin. 

The Spirit of Virginia is in ample supply at Barn 4, whether it is given or received.