About
God sends people into our lives for many reasons, and in many cases, it is in response to a need we have - whether it's now, or yet to come. No relationship happens in the Kingdom of God by circumstance or without reason, whether it's to provide friendship, help us through a season of difficulty, provide wisdom or inspire us to stand strong in our faith when we feel weak and unsure.
Our Team
My name is Julie Mayville and I am the Director of Minis 2 Love. I have enlisted the help of family and friends in this adventure. My board of directors include Katie Mayville, Susan Donovan, Kevin Carter and Jessica Parrish.
My list of potential volunteers is growing and I love it! If you are interested in helping out with the care and training of the horses, please contact me though email or messenger.
Our Story
Our story began with a visit to the barn where Legacy of Hope Initiative's miniature horses were stabled and trained in Garden City, Georgia. A friend took me with her to meet and play with the horses and I fell in love. I volunteered to go work with the horses twice a week. I groomed them and was trained to take them through the obstacle course that helps to desensitize them to a variety of objects, including wheelchairs and walkers.
I was so excited when Kate asked me to go on a visit with her to a nursing home. It was an amazing experience. The smiles and joy the staff and residents had on their faces when they saw us and were able to touch the horses were priceless. It felt so good to brighten someone else's day. There were more visits after that and my love for the horses and what we were doing grew. We went to other senior living residences, to individual homes, and to parties for cancer patients. We went for walks downtown. Each experience gave the horses more training and confidence.
Kate fell in love and moved to NC. I was happy for her but very sad for me. I was lost. I hadn't realized just how much therapy I was getting from volunteering/working with the horses. My husband of 25 years committed suicide in 2012. The work I did with the horses was fulfilling and enjoyable and kept me busy. Nothing seemed to really match the feeling I got from them.
In the early spring, I saw where a miniature horse breeder that I followed on Facebook had had her first foal of the spring. He was quite a cutie. I loved seeing her pictures and videos of him. I was kinda hooked on him but I knew most, if not all, of her babies were spoken for in advance of their births. After a couple of days, Lisa posted a video of him and said that he was available. I decided this was a God wink. I reached out to Lisa and we had a great convo. I prayed and talked to my family about it. I put a deposit on him and things just started to fall into place. I asked Lisa to let me know if she or anyone she knew had another baby available and two weeks later she messaged me that she had a new filly born at midnight. She was gorgeous. I put a deposit on her. They are half siblings. They both have blue eyes and a white blaze off-center on their faces.
Everything has really fallen into place and I am committed to making this work.
