ACCESS ADVENTURE VOLUNTEER

As a young boy I had my first experience with a horse; well maybe it was a pony but I was eight years old at the time and it seemed like a horse to me. I was playing with another child at my mother’s friend’s home in the country. We hopped on the pony bareback and away we went down the road. It was a thrill and then the pony took off, bolting down the road. I held with my legs as I was riding on back but the ride only seemed to go faster and faster. I decided that it was time to get off. Tumbling to the ground I picked myself up slowly, reeling from the hardest fall I had ever taken to that date at eight years old. I was shaken, scared and thought to myself, "I’ll never do that again".

Later on in life as an adult I had the opportunity to work at a private stable in Marin County. I cleaned stalls four days a week in the morning before heading to my job. It was great being around the horses. Because I was with them on regular basis in sometimes very close quarters I learned to read the body language as I entered to clean their stalls. I did this for about five months and developed a keen interest in a character of a Thorough Bred named Steve. He had had one light eye and one dark eye and always seemed a little goofy but never sour or angry. I remember that he was always a happy horse and when I got to see him canter in the arena one day it was totally amazing. The way he moved was awe inspiring and I decided at that moment that the horse was a magnificent and beautiful creature.

Coming to Access Adventure in the spring of 2010 was a natural fit for me. While I cleaned stalls for five months in 1997 I had not taken the initiative to learn more about horses even though I was fascinated by them. Now being a little further along in my life and discovering the opportunity to work with horses and people, I have found the experience of helping others and working with horses leaves me totally satisfied at the end of the day. I have learned so much at Access Adventure through the relationships with our wonderful volunteers, many different people served by our program and the horses. I am learning that patience and perseverance are required with the horses. I have enjoyed working with other members of our group; whether it be manure management, fixing a fence, grooming a horse, working with a foal, learning about harness and driving protocol or assisting in therapeutic driving lessons there is always an opportunity to help and give back to the community at Access Adventure.

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