Chelsey Banker

It’s a pretty crazy story on how this all worked out and the signs that it was meant to be; but for now I will just leave it at this. We are not a 501c3, we’re just a family trying to make a small difference by doing what we can when we can in honor of our late daughter who passed away. Blaze is now one of our many sanctuary horses and we’re honored and excited to have him here.

Replying to @Britanny Pinkerton After losing Emmri; it hit me that I truly didn’t know who I was outside of being a special needs mom and caregiver. When I started this journey I couldn’t have imagined all it would turn into. I still remember the day it clicked for me…. I am good at this because I am good at communicating without words. Ive been doing it almost 14 years now. While Ive only been doing it with horses for 2.5 years now; I had been doing it with Emmri her whole life. I was a pro at studying facial expressions, recognizing patterns, and learning someone from the inside out simply by studying them. It is a blessing and a curse at times; but I am so grateful for all she taught me. I now have a whole new outlet to pour my energy and heart into; communicating and caring for those who cant use words… just like I did with her. It has been so healing for us all.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous when we started our exchange student journey. What if they don’t like us? What if were not good at being host parents? What if the farm life is too dirty and rough for them?… but here we are 3 months in and I can’t imagine life without these girls in our family now. I have no doubt this was destined to be; both of them total opposites but both blending right in and filling holes in our hearts. I have learned so much from them and this experince already and am go grateful to have them. They have brought so much joy and color back into our life and I am forever grateful we had this opportunity. 10/10 reccomend hosting if youre doing it for the right reasons with an open heart. It can be life changing. #hostfamily #exchangestudents #germany #spain #america #travelabroad #exchangeyear #family

*long sappy caption alert* I get asked a lot how I have managed to not only survive but find peace and happiness again after losing my daughter, and the truth is I don’t have a solid answer other than blind faith. Faith that when one chapter closes; to jump head first into the next chapter. Even when it’s scary or not really clear yet. Faith that my daughter will guide me to what is meant for me next. Faith to not resist change; but embrace it. To follow paths that I can’t see the ending to yet, and instead of worrying about whats at the end to instead focus on the beauty of what is in front of me right now, enjoying the view and trip there. My daughters life was always one big mystery. We never knew what to expect, and I had no control over it, so I had to learn to live in the now and appreciate each day. It is one of the hardest lessons I think I had to learn; to learn to let go… but I truly believe it has played a major role in my ability to keep living after her passing. That version of me died with her on 02/20/2022 and I welcomed the birth of the next version of myself and my life with a broken but hopeful heart. We are so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for. The possibilities for your life are endless is you can learn to enjoy the ride and have faith. You have to be ok with being a little delusional at times; truly believing everything will work out and you can achieve big things. Our brains and grief/heartbreak can be a powerful catalyst to getting our goals met. Thinking positive, accepting change and staying hungry for success can and will change your life. I thank Emmri every time I pull this mare out of the pasture because when I am on her I feel Emmri with me so strongly. Every ride I get chills.

Update on Blaze; the newest member at Emmri Acres. He is indeed the sweet shy old man we saw at the sale who just needed a soft landing. Something in my gut was screaming at me that day and I knew I couldn’t leave without him. Especially hearing the only man who bid and won on him was purchasing for slaughter. He sold for $450. Thousands of people walked past his stall, read his sign, and over looked him. He is missing an eye and it is clear that he is older, but my gut was so loud on him having a lot of life left in him. I was able to track down a previous home who was shocked and heart broken that he landed at the sale. She sent my 30+ vidoes of this guy gaiting, going through water, having guns shot off him. He was a field trial horse and gaits beautifully. My husband who originally told me no when I called to ask if I could bring him home, is now in love and see’s exactly why I couldn’t leave without him. It all just feels so meant to be.

And then of course the new guy I introduced last week! Let me know if there are any specific horses you would like a longer individual video and background of. I have 20,000 videos on my phone of them each, all with their own very unique story on how they came to Emmri Acres and very big personalities! I love sharing them with you and talking about them, its my favorite hyper focus topic haha. Ask any questions! #NFR #horses #horsesoftiktok #horsetrainer #wildhorses #mustang #wildmustang