Old barn at Freedom Farms

Late last fall, I had a discussion with Rick Lamb about the possibility of doing another Ritchie based television show. The episode that we filmed of “The Horse Show with Rick Lamb” in 2009 was so successful, why not? During our conversation, Rick brought up the idea of channeling Mike Rowe and do a “Dirty Job” type episode. I loved the idea and we ran with it.   

With the help of Chad Carlson (Carlson Wholesale) and Chad Harwood (Carlson’s installing dealer, Harwood Trenching) we located a film site in Waverly, Minnesota. We were going to invade Freedom Farms, a therapeutic riding center that offers free sessions and therapy to wounded soldiers and those suffering with post traumatic stress disorder. I ran it by Rick, got his approval, and started to make preparations for the shoot to begin the last week of April. This was going to be a great Ritchie episode, full of useful information, I thought. I certainly wasn’t expecting what I found when I arrived.

Monday the 26th began my trip north. Towards the end of my 5 hour journey, I found myself driving through a post card. The quaint little towns, beautiful farms, bright blue sky, I was in awe. Nestled among these beautiful farms and across the street from a lake, was 18.5 acres of Freedom Farms, an equally beautiful farm oozing with historical character. I arrived around 4:30, touched base with Chad Carlson, surveyed the film locations, and had the opportunity to meet Sue Claussen who assists at FF and Tom Bjorkland, the husband of Susie Bjorkland, the director of FF. I then had the opportunity to witness Susie in action. She was conducting a class at the time I arrived. Focused and purpose driven, Susie briefly said her hellos and went on to teach her class. I could not remove the smile from my face as I was watching the three adorable kids having the time of their life atop those horses. About 10 minutes in, Susie stopped the kids, had them ride their horses to the middle of the arena and wave to me and thank me for the waterers and for letting FF participate in “The Horse Show”. I honestly had to hold back tears, and the emotional part hadn’t even begun. As I was leaving that evening, I knew that we were filming at the right place. That FF was a place of greatness that made our waterer installation seem quite small in the scheme of things. Ritchie wasn’t the story here. The amazing things that went on at Freedom farms trumped that by far.   

Susie and Tom Bjorklund

   I must tell you about Susie Bjorkland, the FF director. She is extremely focused, smart, driven and humble. It is clear that her goal is to help as many people as possible, with all kinds of mental, emotional, and physical challenges, some far beyond any of us will ever have to experience. Susie does it with a smile and contagious positive attitude. She mentioned to me several times, “If they would only come,” meaning her door is kept wide open.   

Tuesday we had the opportunity to visit with two female veterans, both severely suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Their stories were heart wrenching and sad. But as they started to speak to what Freedom Farms and Susie means to them, their demeanor changed, becoming inspirational. Freedom Farms was a safe place, a place that helped them shut down the clutter in their heads. Freedom Farms means the world to them.
Later that evening, Susie had arranged an incredible surprise for us. Being the focused and driven person that she is, she took advantage of our invasion and arranged to have the Minnesota division of the Patriot Guard Riders visit the farm. They rode in on their various models of motorcycles, gravel dust flying, and  American flags flying high. It was awesome. Susie gave a demonstration to the Patriot Guard and let them know a little more about the program so they could let their friends and family know. After the demonstration was over, we enjoyed a very nice dinner with the patriot guard, veterans who participated through the day, Susie’s parents and of course other fine employees, an handful of FF 80 volunteers and family members of those involved with Freedom Farms.We left that evening completely drained, physically and even more so, emotionally. There was enough good, useful and intriguing video to make 2 full episodes.
   

Chad Carlson and Rick Lamb

The next day, the Lambs and I returned to the farm to film the dirty jobs portion of the show. Rick was ready in his work gear to climb in the trench and install a unit from start to finish.  Chad Harwood uses directional boaring to install waterers. A process that is incredibly interesting to watch and at the same time, preserves the land around the waterer so less land repair would be needed. During the installation process, Chad Carlson was wired up with a mic and participated in most of the narrative and instructions to Rick. By the way, Rick and Diana Lamb mentioned several times what a natural he is on camera, that he could be the next Ty Pennington, and that he looks great. A star is born!

By the end of the day the two waterers were completely installed and looked incredible on the property. The cattle were sure glad we were done so they could eat and drink in peace. Susie was incredibly grateful for all of the work and allowing her to be a part of this. She said that the waterers will help free up time   that she can now dedicate to those that she helps. I think all of us are grateful for the work that she is doing and for allowing us to be part of something so incredible.   

“The Horse Show” Freedom Farms/Ritchie episode is set to air June 7th on RFD-TV.   

 ***Freedom Farms recently leased an old school house adjecent to their property.  They are hoping to renovate it to make a day retreat for soldiers and their families.  Pictures can be fount on our Facebook page.

Please visit Freedom Farms at http://www.freedomfarmmn.org.   

Installed Omni 3This is the last installed Omni 3 and the cattle waiting for us to leaveTuesday Morning SessionVolunteer Panel at Freedom Farms