Princess of Philianthropy

By AMBER POMPA
Herald-Banner Staff

June 12, 2009 11:08 am

— LONE OAK — Tracy Caruth, along with her husband, Bob, and a great number and variety of animals, live on a huge ranch in Lone Oak, but — believe it or not — Tracy’s heart is even larger than the Caruth Ranch.
In fact, Tracy could easily be considered the “Princess of Philanthropy.” Giving back to the community, and helping kids in particular, gives her an unrivaled joy, even when compared to the feeling of caring for and surrounding herself with the animals she loves.
One of Tracy’s joys is being a donor for the Black Stallion Literacy Program.
The Black Stallion Literacy Program was started by Tim Farley — son of Walter Farley, the author of “The Black Stallion” — and Mark Miller, owner of Arabian Nights Dinner Attraction in Orlando, Fla.
The program tries to instill a love of reading in students by combining a live horse experience with the reading of Walter Farley’s books “Little Black, A Pony,” and “Little Black Goes to the Circus,” along with “The Black Stallion” for older readers.
“I believe in this program with all my heart,” said Caruth. “This program teaches children to read using the power of the horse. My Mojo (a miniature black stallion) plays Little Black and another of my horses plays Big Red.”
Caruth, along with her crew, take “Little Black” and “Big Red” to the schools so that the first graders can meet them and hopefully the horses will encourage them to read the books, as their actually getting to meet the characters from the book.
“This gets them excited and eager to read the book,” said Caruth. “Then they come out to my ranch, or to the Dallas Mounted Police Headquarters at Fair Park depending on what’s closer, where we have different stations set up to teach them about grooming, shoeing, feeding and the different tacks we use. Then we give them the book “Little Black Goes to the Circus.”
Caruth sponsors the fourth grade program as well.
“In that program we give them “The Black Stallion” and then the Arabian Nights come up from Kissimmee, Fla. and put on a show.”
Last year the Caruths sponsored 3,500 kids to see the show.
“It was at Will Rogers Coliseum and it was incredible,” she said. “It’s just an awesome program.”
The joy of giving is what motivates Caruth in her philanthropic work.
“It makes me happier to give,” said Caruth. “It’s so satisfying seeing their faces and knowing that you’ve helped change lives. I was born wanting to give. It’s something that I’ve always enjoyed and luckily I married into the right family, because my husband is the same way.”
Caruth’s other main passion is her ranch, where she has over 100 horses that she shows all over the United States and Canada, including DM Napitov +/, Caruth Arabians’ Multi Champion Purebred Arabian Foundation Sire.
Napitov’s kids, TWC Awesome and Atomic Deluxe, have played their part in acquiring funds for charity. Caruth donates breeding to these two outstanding horses to the highest bidder, with the money going to the Black Stallion Literacy foundation. In 2009 she donated two breedings and so far this years four have been donated.
“Horses were in my blood the minute I was born,” she said. “I grew up in the Saint Thomas Virgin Islands where they didn’t have horses, but every time I had a chance to be around them, to touch them, to smell them, to groom them, to do anything I could do, I was there doing it. I would cross highways at 10-years old to find horses. I would clean their tack, clean their stalls, whatever it took just to get to ride their horses. Anything. If they wanted me to clean their whole barn down just to ride for an hour I’d do it.”
During her childhood, Caruth was struck by a drunk driver while riding her bicycle on the sidewalk and went into a coma as a result of a head injury.
“The doctors told my mother that I wouldn’t be normal when I came out of it,” she said. “I woke up before they did any brain surgery. After that I was no longer allowed to do gymnastics or any other sport. I had a blood clot the size of my fist and if I barely bumped my head the clot would burst resulting in my death. I had to take medication for two years to get rid of it.”
To stave of insanity due to inactivity, Caruth started her own business called Mother’s Helpers when she was 11 years old.
“I would walk dogs, take care of cats and plants and clean houses, just about anything to earn money,” she said. “I sat my Mother and Dad down one night and said, ‘If I could afford to buy the horse, saddle, bridle, pay for the board, shavings and feed, can I have a horse?’ My Dad said, ‘Well, yeah.’”
Her parents had very little faith that she would be able to cover these costs.
“The next day I had a horse delivered,” she remembered with a laugh. “I paid for it all myself. My Mother wanted to take back the promise, but my Father was a man of his word and refused to renege, even for my own safety.”
This horse was just the beginning for Caruth.
“I worked with handicapped children with that first horse,” she said. “I guess that was the beginnings of my charity work, but I never thought of it that way. That horse kept me out of trouble. Her name was Cinnamon and she was half Belgium and half Quarter Horse. She was the color of a copper penny and her mane and tail were as blonde as my hair. She was beautiful.”
Recently, Caruth paid a visit to Travis Elementary School, as part of the Black Stallion Literacy first grade program.
“With everything I’d heard about Travis I knew this was the school I wanted to start with to bring this into Hunt County,” said Caruth. “What I want to do is to personally sponsor the school again next year and let them raise money, they were going to raise money to sponsor themselves, but instead I want them to pick a school that really needs it and let them sponsor that school. Teaching the kids to give too, you see? That’s is my goal for next year.”
Caruth has given so much over the years she cannot even begin to name off all the charities and organizations.
“When I give I don’t think about it,” she said. “I don’t keep a list. I just love to do it and the rewards are so worth it. Seeing these kids bright faces smiling up at me in gratitude. It’s beyond amazing and it’s a feeling I’m totally addicted to.”

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