Equine therapy What happens when a pastor combines his love of God with his love of horses at Shekinah Ranch Camp
Celeste Van Kirk
Pastor Tom Ravasio with his horse, Glory.
Whisper, one of Pastor Tom Ravasio’s horses.
Savannah Placie, assistant barn manager at Shekinah Ranch Camp, teachers campers about horse anatomy.
Dehlia Placie, left, helps Kenzie Mitchen go through an obstacle course.
Pastor Tom Ravasio with his horses Glory and Whisper.
As a youngster growing up in 1960s Monongahela, Tom Ravasio’s most fervent desire was to own a horse. One of nine children, Ravasio didn’t understand why the family couldn’t make room for the animal in their home.
“I asked why we couldn’t keep him in the basement,” Ravasio says.
Now the founder and director of Shekinah Ranch Camp in Charleroi, Ravasio has 16 horses that aren’t housed in a basement, but who are lovingly cared for in his Christian ministry camp.
“Horses are God’s servants. They create curiosity in children and youth,” he says. “They’re a question that needs answered. ‘Can I ride you? Are you safe?’ You look intimidating, but inviting.”
Ravasio and his family are celebrating 15 years this summer, and while the camp continues to evolve to serve the interests of campers, the essence has not changed. “My message to campers is that God loves them and has a plan for them,” he says.
Shekinah Ranch is a summer youth camp that offers overnight camping to ages 8-16 and day camp to ages 5-8. Offering all of the amenities of a traditional camp, such as a pool, pond, rock-climbing wall and obstacle course, the camp has an emphasis on riding, horse theory, care and games. Thousands of campers have participated over the years, and Ravasio’s hope is that they’ve forged connections while at Shekinah.
Ravasio, who said as a teen, he “got in with the wrong crowd and got into trouble,” wants the camp to provide positive connections for campers. “I needed a place to connect, as most teens do,” he says. “There are many girls and boys who are like I was. I see what a place like this can do for them.”
In junior high school, Ravasio worked at the Horse Emporium, a stable near Mingo Park where people could “rent” a horse to ride in the park. It was labor-intensive, but Ravasio hitch-hiked seven miles every day “just to be near the horses.”
When he was in ninth grade, he finally got his own horse, and boarded it with his employer. Within a few years, though, Ravasio says his priorities started to shift. He says he became a reckless teenager and put his love of horses on the back burner.
After high school graduation, he moved to Florida, and, in 1982, at 22 years old, Ravasio says he had a personal and profound religious experience. “My life was never the same.”
Ravasio dedicated the next several years to missionary work, traveling to more than 25 countries. He then went back to school to become a pastor and moved back to the Mon Valley with his wife.
“I left as part of a problem. I wanted to come back to be a part of a solution,” he says.
While watching TV, a show about a Christian horse camp in Canada piqued his interest. He was so inspired, he traveled to the camp, met with the director and spent three days there.
“At a campfire one night, I watched a young girl stand up and say, ‘I can’t tell you all what this has meant to me.’ Her dad was an alcoholic, and her parents fought a lot. She was afraid to go home,” Ravasio says. “I watched the other kids reach out and comfort her, and I said, ‘We’ve got to do this.'”
Ravasio came back with a mission. He wanted to be able to offer those experiences, and give children and teens a place to forge positive relationships. At the same time, the leaders of the former Bethany Bible Church were looking to donate their land in Charleroi. Ravasio met with them and told them what he wanted to do. The land was his.
Shekinah, which translates to “The place where God’s glory dwells,” was born.
Ravasio, with the help of his family, friends and the community, built upon what Bethany left behind, using the church as a Town Hall building where meals are served and campers congregate. They added an arena for riding, stables and cabins, and the camp took off.
Ravasio says he has witnessed campers forge those connections and come back to share favorite memories. “It’s not a pulpit, it’s a saddle,” he says. “It’s not a church. It’s a farm.”
The associate pastor of Journey by Grace Church, Rostraver Township, Ravasio gets help from his wife, daughters and son-in-law, who helped develop a new sports camp through a partnerships with the Mon Valley YMCA. A staff of 12, many of whom are former campers, serve as cabin leaders and guides.
“The camp continues to grow,” he says. “It’s a happy year for us – a happy summer. It’s all because of the help and goodness of others who have helped us fulfill our vision.”