Note: This article was reprinted with permission from the Concord Monitor. It was originally published on December 11, 2022.

After Kathleen Lang’s only child, Becky, died in a tragic car accident in 2005 on her way to graduate school in California, she was left empty and defeated before friends encouraged her to start a non-profit dedicated to supporting horse owners in times of struggle.

Becky was a competitive equestrian, lifelong animal lover and aspiring archeologist who was known for her kindness, passion and desire to help people, Lang said of her daughter. The organization, Becky’s Gift, helps keep her daughter’s legacy alive.

“This truly is in memory of Becky but is also a shining example of the life Becky lived and the way she conducted herself,” Lang said. “I am honored to be able to carry that tradition on for her and I know she has been with me all along.”

In times of financial hardship or life changing tragedy, horse owners can reach out to the non-profit for short term financial help with medications, grain, hay and veterinary and grooming services, Lang said. Since its foundation in 2007, the non-profit has helped hundreds of people keep their animals in times of struggle.

Last summer, after going through a divorce and grappling with COVID-19, Victoria LaPointe crashed her motorcycle and couldn’t afford the farrier’s cost to trim her horses hooves and place shoes, she said. At 30 years old, she had to consider giving up her horse of 17 years to pay for her medical and living expenses.

“Becky’s Gift paid for his feet and paid for his food for a month until I could get back to work and get back on my feet again,” LaPointe said. “I knew he was in pain and there was nothing I could do about it, and there was such a sense of relief knowing my horse would be taken care of.”

Once recovered and back to work, LaPointe donated to Becky’s Gift to reimburse them for the time and hours spent helping her horse, and will continue to donate in the future.
Funding for the non-profit comes from donations and the sale of new and gently used equestrian supplies the Tack Room for Becky’s Gift, which operates out of the bottom floor of the community center in Andover.

“People are very generous going there to donate things and buy things; it’s sustained us,” Lang said. “One-hundred percent goes to Becky’s Gift and they know that when they purchase and donate.”

Over the last few months, calls for help have increased, Lang said. With hay prices doubling and veterinarians increasing their rates, the non-profit does what it can to help, and veterinary and grooming specialists have donated their time to maintain services.

“They’ve stepped in twice for an evaluation by a specialist,” said Janice Lalmond, whose horse struggles with a terminal hoof disease similar to degenerative arthritis. “In the spring, I almost had to put him down. I reached out and the specialist and the farrier came out and were able to figure out a shoeing solution.”

Now, he’s doing fantastic, she said.

“I’ve known Kathy for a number of years and I love that she thinks about the horse first,” Lalmond continued. “I would have had to put him down if it wasn’t for her and I wouldn’t have known about the shoeing options or medications.”

Like many horse owners, Lang’s horses have continued to support her emotionally through her hardships and gave her a purpose when she couldn’t find one on her own.

“They are a support animal,” Lang said. “That horse can get you through that tragedy. My horses did that for me.”

Running the non-profit has helped Lang heal, she said. She often feels Becky’s presence and guidance in the cases and clients she takes on.

“Becky works in direct ways; when she sees there is a need, she fulfills it,” Lang said. “I am glad that I am doing something positive for other people and that Becky has guided me in this journey.”

To further honor Becky, a Bow High School and University of New Hampshire graduate, Lang started an endowment for archeology students at UNH. Lang receives two letters a year from students who have traveled to dig sites across the world and shared their experiences.
During her time at UNH, Becky traveled to Belize, Bolivia and Guatemala where she assisted her archeology professor William Saturno at various Mayan dig sites. In Guatemala, Saturno had previously discovered an ancient mural on the walls of a room beneath an unexcavated Mayan pyramid, which was featured in National Geographic magazine.

Becky worked in the mural room and recorded and traced the sky band portion of the mural for her senior thesis, “Contextualizing Cosmology in the Pre-classic: Interpreting the San Bartolo Sky Band.”

Saturno wanted her to take over its management after she graduated from the University of California, where she received a full scholarship to pursue a doctorate in Mayan studies.
It was on her way there, while driving overnight through New Mexico, that a rabbit ran into the road and Becky crashed while attempting to swerve around it.

“I always told her if an animal runs into the road, don’t swerve,” Lang said. “But she was an organ donor, and I don’t know how many lives she went on to save, but she wanted that. She was beautiful inside and out.”

To donate to Becky’s Gift, or to learn more about the nonprofit’s mission, visit BeckysGift.org.

Editor’s note: To contact the Tack Room for Becky’s Gift, go to Facebook.com/tackroomcq.