The Road to Recovery: Part One
KNBN Newcenter 1
Stephanie Kayser
July 2014

The early October blizzard left a lasting scar on the Black Hills, and months later many ranchers say that they still have a long way to go. The Reinhold’s have a ranch in Sturgis and never could of imagined the devastation Storm Atlas caused. And despite rumors that they wouldn't be able to be open for summer camp, their determination shined through and this is their road to recovery: The devastating early October blizzard is still fresh in the minds of many Western South Dakota ranchers. And for Larry and Robin Reinhold it is very personal tragedy, losing close to 100 horses. "You just build stories with these horses and I think that’s what makes them so special,” said Larry and Robin Reinhold, Owners of the Rainbow Bible Ranch. These horses were used for summer camp that teach children valuable lessons. They are an investment of time, money and energy, but the Reinhold’s say its impossible to put a price tag on the loss; these horses were like family members. "They have a personality and you get to know them and working with them they become pretty close,” said Robin Reinhold. The realization of what happened is still surreal to the family. “When I look at what our kids went through and our neighbor kids went through, it will never be the same,” said Larry Reinhold. Elongating the grieving process as many campers arrive hoping to see their favorite horse at camp this year, but more often than not that answer is no. "There have been some tears shed as the kids come, Larry shares with them what happened and how we found the horses and just how difficult it was and you’ll see some of those campers just wiping their eyes as they just process what really happened,” said Robin Reinhold. It is a hard reality for campers to come to terms with, and a painful memory the Reinhold’s will never forget. Recalling the morning after the blizzard hit and discovering their horses’ buried under feet of snow. “It still is surreal aspects to remember that count, four head, eight head, 16, 36 and the numbers just kept going up,” said Larry Reinhold. Good, reliable camp horses gone in a blink of an eye. The aftermath, brought families and communities across the state together. The rancher relief check they received is the perfect example of people's generosity. “When you look at how many people from all over pitched together to come up with that, people that we don’t even know it touches your heart,” said Larry Reinhold. Jump starting them along the road to recovery. The family purchased new horses at the Black Hills Stock Show and well-trained horses donated to them by strangers. Buying 30 to 40 horses, the Reinhold had to start with the basics, training horses be ready for summer camp. Putting in long hours of riding to be able to match campers up to the right horses, so that both are benefitted. "Every single day so many kids ask did so and so make it, did Kip make it, did Frosty make it through the storm, and no, but at the same time there on these new horses their on Rock and Missy and they are getting along with them really well so there really excited about it,” said Rachel Reinhold, Larry and Robin’s daughter. Making progress and bringing rainbow back to what it was before Storm Atlas. "The blizzard was really hard, it was definitely life changing, not a day goes by that I don’t think about it, but at the same time there’s been so many cool things that have happened,” said Rachel Reinhold. Creating memories with new life long companions. "It was good to just be ready for that because there was a lot of people questioning if we'd be open and my family and I never had any doubt that we wouldn't be open,” said Molly Reinhold, Larry and Robin’s daughter. Now with the first few weeks of camp under their belt, the Reinhold’s are confident and ready for the rest of summer. "We are grateful we are really grateful and we press on,” said the Reinhold’s.

The Road to Recovery: Part Two
KNBN Newcenter 1
Stephanie Kayser
July 2014

Rainbow Bible Ranch provides many valuable lessons to children from across the United States. And rebuilding after Storm Atlas, the Reinhold’s show just how important wading the storms of life are. Rainbow Bible Camp provides a place of hope in the face of disaster. The ranch was devastated by Storm Atlas. Now Larry and Robin Reinhold and their six children are picking up the pieces. "Those were some really hard days definitely during the storm," said Rachel Reinhold, Larry and Robin's daughter. "Just thinking about summer and what's going to happen, are we going to have horses and seeing now what's come through that has been really awesome." But recovery is in the Reinhold’s DNA, it's one of these heartbreaking event that is the very reason Rainbow Bible Ranch exists. It was a dream of Larry and his brothers to turn the ranch into a summer camp. But when a terrible accident in May of 1979 took the lives of his two brothers and a friend, that future was questioned. "My brothers were my best friends, but it was through that storm that we contimplated do we proceed with the dream of a camp in Western South Dakota," said Larry Reinhold. The answer was yes, and the Reinhold’s held their first summer camp in 1980 with 27 children. "Rainbow was kind of born out of a storm and even the name, Rainbow Bible Ranch, the rainbow is significant because God used it as a sign of his promise in the old testiment, but for Rainbow Bible Ranch, the day that my brothers drowned, there was a rainbow over this reservoir," said Larry Reinhold. A reminder through the good times, and keeping the family strong through the hard times. "The new horses has been a challenge, but we feel we are fairly close to being on target, half way back to normal on the horses this year," said Larry Reinhold. And despite not having time to get the word out and with rumors of closure, shutting down was never an option. "The numbers are way ahead of what we even dreamed of," said Larry Reinhold. Campers enjoy time fishing, shooting and riding their favorite horses. The staff worked overtime to see how the new horses would respond to as many as four or five different riders a day. "I have 15-20 people on staff that are just pouring their hearts out, and we have about 40 head of horses that are doing the same thing," said Larry Reinhold. The Reinhold's say training a good camp horse can take up to seven years, however with generous donations and hard work, they were able to cut that time down to just a few month. Caleb Clark has worked at the ranch for seven years, through drought, flooding and now the blizzard. He came back this year not knowing what to expect. "They were like my friends, my best friends too, so it was tough to take it," said Caleb Clark, a wrangler at Rainbow Bible Camp, "But I guess it didn't really hit me super hard until it was the first week of camp and we we're kind of just sitting there talking and stuff and they decided to just show some pictures, I guess seeing those, seeing those pictures and knowing which horse it was and thinking of a memory with that horse, whether it was a camper or I rode it before then it really hit me." The camp will never be the same after the loss, but determined to get back in the saddle, the staff are hopeful about the future. "We're definitely getting to where we know the horses now, so you can look at a kid and say you would be perfect on Rock," said Rachel Reinhold. And the campers are excited about making life long memories on new friends. "I come here, I try to come here each year and it's my favorite camp by far that I go too," said Micah Nelson, a camper at Rainbow Bible Ranch. The Reinhold’s say in a way the kids are helping to heal the ranch and are proving why they opened in the first place. "The neatest thing thats happening on this ranch is what's happening to those kids out there," said Larry Reinhold.