Payton Mouw

Blessings come to Happy Trails in all shapes and sizes. One such gift arrived in 2009 when Lance & Jamie Mouw brought their daughter Payton to Happy Trails for therapeutic riding. Payton’s medical issues had prevented her from participating in traditional sporting activities, including running. This limited the choices available to her but at 9 years old, she fell in love with horseback riding in the gymkhana discipline, a sporting event involving a series of timed contests performed on horseback.

It was while Jamie was looking for other activities that might provide therapeutic value that she discovered Happy Trails ‘in her own backyard.’ Payton found her joy in the vaulting class with Lisa Cotta-Meek as her instructor. The class helped her build self-confidence and trust in others. In 2011, she successfully competed at CALNET, one of the largest horse shows for riders with disabilities in the country. Her mother beams with pride when she says, “vaulting allowed

Payton to focus on what she could do, not what she couldn’t do.” As Payton grew older, she became a volunteer at Happy Trails and assisted others to become stronger in overcoming their fears. She remembers waiting with a child on the autism spectrum who was nervous for his turn in class. Afterward, the child’s mother made a point of complimenting Payton on the way she was able to calmly reassure and encourage him during his ride.

Payton has become a self-driven individual who has succeeded in overcoming many challenges. After high school she went on to Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego earning a degree in Communications. Payton is now 25 and works as the office manager in her family business, Riverbend Farms.

The Mouw family has supported Happy Trails in many ways over the years. At one time, Jamie served on the Board of Directors. Their recent donation to our herd has been one more blessing for our program. Payton’s horse Bam Bam is a 19-year-old black gelding who was not ready for retirement. After all, he’s still a teenager! Happy Trails seemed to be the perfect answer to finding a new home for him. Since arriving at Happy Trails, he has shown that he enjoys activity and welcomes any challenge. Jamie happily states, “Giving Bam Bam to the place that gave so much to Payton seems the right thing to do.”