HorseTales literacy program debuts new author
Mar. 24—Baxter the miniature horse, known as B.B. on Oklahoma State football game days, held the first signing for his new book for first graders at Highland Park Elementary School and Will Rogers Elementary School last week.
For several hours, Baxter "signed" his name with his hoof, greeted students and posed for pictures.
Baxter's book, "Hay You Guys!: My Life in Words and Pictures", is about his life and was written for the HorseTales Literacy Program at Turning Point Ranch, a nonprofit organization that uses therapy horses to help people who face physical, mental, emotional or socio-economic challenges.
Previously, Natalea Watkins, a mentor and instructor at Turning Point, and her team used "Little Black, a Pony" by Walter Farley, who also wrote "The Black Stallion." But the book wasn't available this year because the National HorseTales Program was transitioning to a new book for next year.
"So Baxter stepped up," Watkins said.
The result was a 52-page book, complete with full-color drawings of Baxter's adventures.
The book focuses on how Baxter, although short, wants to be big and do big things. With advice from his horse friends from Turning Point, he learns to accept his size and focus on what he can do.
"He gets advice from one of our long-time horses and finally realizes that you are a big deal if you do something only you can do," Watkins said. "And there's things that only he can do and he finds out what it is."
Baxter's friend, Sparky — another therapy mini-horse from Turning Point — joined Baxter for the reading day at Highland Park and Will Rogers.
For the past 12 years, volunteers and employees at Turning Point Ranch have held a reading day in March for first-grade students at Highland Park Elementary. In 2022, they added Will Rogers to the schedule.
There were 86 kids from Highland Park and 94 kids from Will Rogers on reading day.
"The kids immediately got down on the grass and started reading," Watkins said. "Baxter worked hard to autograph every book."
Denise Roberts, one of the teachers from Highland Park, was also in the book.
"Her students were blown away that she was famous," Watkins said. "She told them it was because she had been around for so long, but they weren't buying that. They know she is special."
Watkins is passionate about helping kids learn to read. She initiated the program locally after seeing it at a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship regional conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
"We firmly believe if you get a first grader excited about reading, you've changed a life," Watkins said.
Watkins said raising the money to buy the books and finding the volunteers needed is a challenge. Then five years ago, DeeAnn and Gary Beeby stepped up and began funding the books each year.
Over the years, Watkins said she has seen reading levels and the excitement for reading skyrocket from this program.
For the next month, the kids will practice reading the book and then in April, the students will attend a field day at the ranch. They'll participate in reading to horses and enjoy a variety of horse-related activities.
