PATIENCE
a story of lessons learned by wild horses & wild men BY TIFFANY SELCHOW ~ PHOTOS BY LAUREN MAEHLING
Somewhere things went wrong for every single locked up prisoner. The stories are endless and the crimes plentiful. A chance at happiness behind the walls of this forbidding structure in Florence, Arizona is slim. Randy Helm, manager of the Arizona Wild Horse Inmate Program, might offer that chance or at least a small glimmer of hope. A unique partnership is occurring between the Bureau of Land Management and the Arizona State Penitentiary System to utilize both the numerous wild horses and burros present on federal land and the labor of inmates. The idea is the inmates train the horses and burros making them more adoptable. While this is a mutually beneficial relationship, it seems the inmates are the ones who gain the most happiness from this program. But not the sort of happiness which comes from instant gratification. No. This is the type of joy which comes from long, hard, and oftentimes, hot days of fulfilling life lesson-teaching work. Not every inmate is allowed into this program. Before these criminals can start working with the horses, they first interview with Helm. This process, much like a job interview, allows Helm to assess the likelihood of success for an inmate in the program. It also allows him the chance to cover the ground rules. Racism is a significant issue in most prisons, but those politics aren’t allowed in the horse arena. The focus is on working as a team, despite the race of the inmate. Once an inmate is accepted into
the program, he is paired up with a convict who has been working in the program for some time and is ready to share his knowledge. Helm grew up on a ranch and then moved to a farm where his family raised and trained thoroughbred racehorses and grew row crops. After time spent in the military, he moved on to law enforcement. In this current role, he has melded two impactful areas of his life into what is a hugely successful program in which inmates are invited into an evident atmosphere of mutual respect: respect for the animals and inmates alike. Helm said, “I know these horses come and need to learn, but I’m going to give that horse the chance to prove itself and give it every opportunity to make the right choice. What I find is if you treat these guys with respect, similar to the horses, they will work hard and prove successful.” Helm often holds clinics in one of the many inmate-built pipe round pens. During these clinics, the inmates gather around and learn how to work their three assigned horses. Each clinic covers a different step in the process ranging from a horse who has never been touched to one who has reached the final step in their saddle breaking - the first ride. Under Helm’s training program, throwing a leg over the horse should be the next natural progression. Step by step is how these horses are trained to succeed, a parallel which Helm is quick to point out works well in the lives of 24
