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76 FA L L 2 014 U N TAC K E D are so helpful, and they play together. e nice thing about more kids is that if two aren't getting along, then they can split and will go with other kids. We have enough where you can have three or four different groups of kids at a time." And while they don't all share the same genes, many of the Crooks children seem to have inherited their parents' interest in riding. Hunter competes in the 1.20-meter jumpers and spends a large portion of his time in the barn. Ruby, who has only two small fingers on each hand, also started competing in the jumpers, and she'll soon move up to the 1.00-meters. "We thought she might not be able to ride, but she has just sheer determination, and she works hard," said Jennifer. "She's also so obser- vant with the horses. She'll walk by one and be like, 'at leg wasn't like that yesterday.' Hunter is also very dedicated, and he wants to be a pro- fessional." Sophie enjoys equitation and will likely com- pete in that soon, while Ciara and Millie ride western. Jade and Mahlia have just started learn- ing to ride. But it's not all horses all the time, and if the kids want to take up other sports, they're wel- come to do so; four of the children play tennis seriously. "It's fun to share your passions with your children," said Mike. "e homeschooling has also been fantastic because when we're home, I can say, 'It's going to be 95 today, so everyone is riding in the morning!' During horse shows they do more school, but when we're home, we can cut out and go to Yellowstone or the lake. "Andre asked me a few weeks ago what it was like having so many kids," Mike added. "I asked him, 'How many horses do you have?' He said, 'Maybe 100?' And I said, 'Well, we just have eight horses and 10 kids, so it's not any different.' "It's hard to stop adopting," he continued. "I can't put it into words, really. I just love every child that we have." HELPING MORE THAN THEIR OWN Now the Crookses are trying to apply that love in new directions. e last time they went through the process of deciding whether to adopt another child, they'd been considering taking two baby girls from an orphanage in Ethiopia. "A woman who was a missionary in Ethiopia called the next day and said, 'One of those girls died.' So the next day I spent $540 to FedEx for- mula to Ethiopia for [the baby who turned out to be] Mahlia," Jennifer recalled. "We adopted her at 9 months, and she did live. ey thought PROFILE Ruby Crooks, 13, whom Mike and Jen- nifer adopted from China 10 years ago, competes in the jump- ers. A birth defect left her with only two fingers on each hand, "but she has just sheer determination, and she works hard," said Jennifer. "She's also so observant with the horses. She'll walk by one and be like, 'That leg wasn't like that yesterday.' " TOTEM PHOTOGRAPHICS PHOTO "ALL TRAINERS AND RIDERS HAVE A SORT OF INNATE SENSE THAT THEY WANT TO FIX THINGS. IT'S JUST WITH MIKE AND JENNIFER, IT DIDN'T STOP WITH THE HORSES." —Janet Fall

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