Exhibit: Volunteering for the Sitting Tall Proud Equestrian Program

Benchmark: Personal Management

Skills: P107: Be self-motivated in taking responsibility

P109: Recognize a need or opportunity and take appropriate action

 

    The Sitting Tall Proud Equestrian Program is a volunteer run program for mentally disabled kids. The program allows for kids to interact with horses by walking with them and riding them. I volunteered for this program in order to gain volunteer hours, but in turn this program showed me much more.

 

            It started at 8:30 in the morning, the few volunteers that were there that morning started to unload saddles and saddle pads and set them up at the designated post for each horse. Then once all of the stations were ready we went and brought out the horses. We lead each horse to their station, groomed them and then tacked them up. Once the horses were all ready we brought them out into the large outdoor arena and began to walk them along the fence line. Classes started at 9:00 and were an hour long. There were four sessions total for the day and I worked each one.

 

            During the class once the rider was there you would give them the end of the lead rope for them to hold as they walked with you and the horse. Some of the kids were more talkative than others but then some of them weren’t even able to talk. Then once you had walked roughly five laps you would have the kid go over to the mounting block and wait for you and the horse. Another volunteer would come over and tighten the girth on the saddle so it wasn’t loose and wouldn’t slip. Then you would guide the horse over to the mounting block where the Riding Instructor and the other leader of the program would help the kids mount the horse properly while I held the horse’s lead. Once the rider was on they would hold onto the reins and say, “Walk on” which told the horse it was okay to go but mainly told the volunteer walking the horse that the rider was ready to move. Some of the kids were more capable than others at steering the horse with the reins. For example, some would pull on the reins to steer the horse through and around the many small barrels that were set up, but others would just hold on to the reins and not do anything. This was perfectly fine because for many of the kids just being there around the horses and simply being on the horse riding is extremely helpful for them. During the course of the class I had to make sure my rider was sitting up straight trying to steer and was also looking up to wear they were going.  Also, throughout the class you and the rider would walk around barrels, weave through them and even grab a large ring from the instructor as you walked by. Then with the ring the riding instructor would tell them to stretch the ring out to the side of them or put it over the head or drop it in a bucket as they walked by. Many of the kids loved riding the horses and the small moments where they would just look up and smile after they had been zoning out or getting worked up made the experience very valuable to me. During this experience I got to see the therapy aspect of horses more than I ever have before and I was able to help out kids who truly needed it. Volunteering for this program started out as simply something that I needed to do for volunteer hours for both 4-H and NHS but it turned into an unforgettable experience. I realized that I had to be very independent throughout this experience because many of the other volunteers were extremely busy with other kids. Volunteers were either putting them on horses or going to get more horses. I was responsible for my rider and had to make sure that they were okay. I had to watch for seizures or other problems to come up and be ready to get help.

 

            This experience was very valuable to me because it taught me to be responsible for someone who needed me more than a normal child would. It also showed me how much enjoyment kids got out of working with the horses and how I could help with that simply by leading them around on the horse is circles and through barrels. This gave me a unique one-on-one experience with disabled kids and will be very beneficial to my future career in music therapy where I could be working with mentally disabled children every day! It also taught me to be mindful of all the things that I take for granted. For example, the fact that my mind is functional and I don’t have to fight against it to make it through the day is something I take for granted all the time. Also this experience especially affected me because some of these kids couldn’t even steer their horses whereas I am so blessed as to be able to ride everyday and even compete with my horse. These skills will help me in my future as a young adult because they have taught me to be aware of what is going on around me and to be ready to help at all times. I also learned to remember to be grateful for the simple blessings that I take advantage of. This experience is truly unforgettable and taught me so much that I will use for the rest of my life.