INTERVIEW WITH JOSE LUIS TORRES

INTERVIEW WITH JOSE LUIS TORRES

Vida y Esperanza and Club Hípico Trebol

INTERVIEW MAGAZINE TALENTOS Y MARCOS

Club Hipico Trebol is led by a professional horse trainer with 35 years of experience. His name is Jose Luis Torres, and he has trained professional jockeys, such as the well known  Oliver Parra, among many others. This Bolivian trainer has a special talent and technique. He combines psychology with his training of riders and horses in order to obtain a good relationship between the horse and the rider.

Although Jose Luis admits that new horse training techniques are needed in Bolivia in order to elevate the quality of such training, he explains how every horse and rider are so unique that individualized techniques are needed to obtain better results. These individualized techniques are used to increase one's skills in accordance with one's ability, by overcoming weaknesses.

Jose Luis not only works to ensure the wellbeing of the riders, but also does much to support the horses. Just as he does for the riders, Jose Luis respects the time the horses need to learn. He does this because he understands that a mistreated horse can be dangerous.

In the competitions, there is usually a lot of pressure, demand, and risk. Because of this, both the riders and horses spend time in training working on the psychological aspects of their character.

During the interview, I got the chance to meet Andrea, the adoptive mother of a young woman with serious problems of aggression and low self-esteem. Andrea's thankful eyes expressed her total support for Jose Luis and his project Vida y Esperanza. During the daughter’s training with Jose Luis, she obtained better self control, reducing her aggressiveness, and learned how to deal with the nature of situations by accepting their consequences.

Jose Luis and a Student

The outcome of Jose Luis's work could not be more positive. Through this training, the young riders obtain the tools to work and form a strong character. He emphasises that the characteristic that defines this work is a spirit of sacrifice.

Translation from Spanish by Sarah Young

THE FAMILY

Many of you already know about the work that Vida Y Esperanza is doing in Cochabamba Bolivia with at risk youth with their Equine Assisted Therapy Program.  This particular part of the program is designed to assist adolescents in crisis by addressing a number of mental health issues; behavioral problems, lack of self-esteem, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety, all issues which often end in drug and alcohol abuse in the urban environment. The program works with 10-15 youth, training them in the care of horses and horseback riding, while providing a safe alternative space to the streets.

Today we are blogging to tell you about 4 of the boys in the program. In 2011 two brothers Rodrigo (12) and Ariel (10) came to Vida y Esperanza to participate in the lunch tutoring program after they were referred by the director of their school. After assessing their living situation and the risks facing them from exposure to drugs and violence they became a part of the Equine Assisted Therapy Program that Vida y Esperanza has been running since 2007.

Rodrigo (now 16) and Ariel (14) soon became an integral part of the program. Since then they have become accomplished riders and hard workers caring for the 10 to 14 horses that make up the program. After a time we learned they have 2 younger brothers, Jamil (11) and Miquel (9) and they lived with their mother in a rented room nearby the horse pasture. Their mother worked selling bread from a wheelbarrow in the large market several kilometers from their room and was rarely home. Jamil spent his days at a traffic light doing handstands for spare change, and Miguel spent his days alone in the rented  room waiting for his brothers to return.

On May 27, 2014 tragedy struck when their mother was hit by a car. She was in a coma for several weeks, then regained consciousness for a few weeks (but never spoke again), and then on July 19^th her heart gave out and she died leaving the children orphans.  As no relatives immediately came forward to take care of the boys Jose Luis stepped in to the role of guardian. He found them a rented room 2 blocks from his house where they could sleep and shower. They eat and do their homework at his house under the guidance of his sisters and nephews and the four boys have become part of their extended family.

Miguel, Ariel, Jose Luis, Rodrigo and Jamil

Giving them the love, security and guidance they need has proven challenging for Jose Luis but he is very certain that they are now part of his heart. The harder part has been the financial strain of raising 4 kids. Jose Luis convinced a local school to give the boys free tuition if they can keep their grades up, a local priest bought their school books and neighbors donated furniture but he still spends more than $500/month out of his pocket. The bulk of this is for the room and utilizes $88, food $416, and school expenses $80.

In order to defray these basic costs we are looking for “god parents” who will pledge to donate money every month that can be used for these basic expenses.  Any amount is a great help and to make it easy you can set it up as a direct deposit into my account every month.

So please consider giving $10 or $20 or $50 a month to help these four boys.

To set up monthly payment or make a donation we are using an account in the US OR use the DONATE button to the right.

Bank of America

Name of Account Holder: Lee Cridland

Checking Account number:  009380862999

Routing # 021000322

Swift Code:  BOFAUF3N

Thank you!!!!!

Jose Luis, Jamil, Rodrigo, Ariel and Miguel!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Vida y Esperanza wishes all of you a very happy new year.

This year our resolution is to stabilize the program and try to get some real money into the project. With this funding we would begin 4 micro-businesses which would eventual cover a large potion, if not all, of the financial needs of the project. These micro-businesses would also give the youth who have been through the program and are stable a source of work and much needed job skills.

Our ideas are to:

1.      Trail rides

2.     Birthday parties with ponies

3.     The fabrication of halters, bridles and saddle blanket to be sold 

4.     Organic compost

All of these we already do to a small extent but to do each one well, we need an inversion of money to get us going. For instance for the fabrication of halters/bridles/blankets we need raw materials (strapping, hardware such as buckles, bits, cloth, thread etc.), an industrial sewing machine (could be used), work table and shelves, a small budget for advertising the products.

We have a written proposal for funders but have yet to find one that is interested. If any of you have any ideas for sources of funding lets us know at vidaesperanzacochabamba@gmail.com.

We also are trying to raise $1000 to buy 2 weed whackers so we can cut grass for the horses to eat in empty lots around town and survive the rainy season which is the hardest time for us as without an indoor ring we cannot give classes and therefore have no steady source of income. 

If you can help thanks (just click on the Donate icon to the right)but more importantly if you can pass this around to friends and family we would appreciate it.