Debra Avery has been a horse lover since she was a little girl in San Diego. Her family couldn't afford a horse of its own, so Debra borrowed rides at the local horse﹣riding center, gaining the confidence only found atop a horse. Years later, Debra remembered those early days, and the lessons she learned with the horses at the riding center, and wanted to help other young women get the benefits of connecting with horses. "I always wanted to run a horse program for girls like me, " says Debra. "I wanted to help them gain the courage to be around a horse and to care for a horse."
黛布拉·艾弗里在圣地亚哥还是个小女孩的时候就爱上了马。她家买不起自己的马，所以黛布拉在当地的马术中心借马骑，获得只有在马背上才能找到的信心。几年后，黛布拉回忆起了那些早期的日子，以及她在马术中心从马身上学到的经验，她想帮助其他年轻女性从与马的联系中受益。黛布拉说：“我一直想为像我这样的女孩开办一个赛马项目。我想帮助他们鼓起勇气，与马在一起，照顾马。”
One day at the Los Angeles Horse﹣riding Center, as Debra rode beside her fellow rider Judith Hopkins, she mentioned an inheritance from her father﹣in﹣law and her desire to use it to serve disadvantaged girls. Judith had the same dream﹣and a name for the organization.
有一天在洛杉矶马术中心，当黛布拉和她的同伴朱迪思·霍普金斯一起骑行时，她提到了一笔来自继父的遗产，她想用它为弱势女孩服务。朱迪思有同样的梦想，命名了该组织。
They founded Taking the Reins （TTR） in 1998. The organization serves more than 400 young women per year in after﹣school, weekend, and summer programs that feature horse riding and care, gardening and even competitive horse showing. Most participants live below the poverty line and often have not had reliable housing for more than six months at a time. Few have previous horse experience.
她们于1998年成立了“紧握缰绳”（TTR）组织，该组织每年为400多名年轻女性提供课后、周末和暑期项目，包括骑马和看护、园艺，甚至是竞技马术表演。大多数参与者生活在贫困线以下，往往没有一次超过6个月以上的可靠住房，很少有骑马经验。
TTR uses farm and ranch experiences to teach responsibility, leadership, teamwork, and self﹣confidence. Director Dr. Jane Haven says, "A large number of our girls are somewhat autistic. I can't count how many of them have found their first social friends thanks to sharing this hobby and activity. Horses bring them out in such a wonderful way."
TTR利用农场和牧场的经验教授责任感、领导力、团队精神和自信。负责人简·海文博士说：“我们的很多女孩都有点自闭症。我不知道她们中有多少人因为分享这种爱好和活动而找到了第一个社交朋友。马以如此奇妙的方式带给她们。"
Jane also sees members of TTR program excel in school﹣100 percent of young women involved for four years or more have graduated from high school. Ninety﹣nine percent of those participants have gone on to attend four﹣year colleges.
简还看到TTR计划的成员在学校表现优异——参与四年或四年以上的年轻女性中，100%的人已经高中毕业，其中99%的参与者参加了进入了四年制大学。
Debra sees a more obvious impact﹣after a few weeks in the TTR program, the young women sit a little higher in their saddles." There's just something about sitting up on the back of a horse that gives them a boost of confidence."
黛布拉看到了更明显的影响——在TTR项目的几周后，年轻女性在马鞍上坐得更高。“坐在马背上会给她们带来信心。”
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