Youth Equine Service Scholarship

A Passionate Sacrifice Volunteering has become a passion of mine within the last five years, aiding special needs children and adults, while also caring for the equine community. Over the years, I have discovered that volunteering not only brings joy to children, but also to myself. After several volunteer opportunities, I plan to pursue volunteer work throughout college and adulthood. This community service has transformed me into the person I am today, living not only for myself, but for others. Horsepower Therapeutic Learning Center is a non-profit organization in which children and adults with special needs bond with horses and volunteers. Beginning lessons at the age of twelve, I immediately fell in love with the equine community, but also the kind people that surrounded the location. The following year, I decided to join Horsepower as a volunteer. I met a young girl who struggles with several rare diseases and muteness, allotting a challenge for me to care for a rider who could not fully communicate with me. She also wrestles with dehydration; however, her mother informed me after the camp that her doctor had documented the child’s highest hydration levels. Not only was her family pleased with me as the girl’s volunteer, but they decided to have me continue to care for the child during regular class sessions. To this day, I continue to impact the child’s life as she influences mine. After each riding lesson, she walks away with a smile, leaving me with self-confidence knowing that I have changed a life. While volunteering at Horsepower, I not only have gained experience with children, but I have learned numerous details regarding horses. Before coming to Horsepower, I knew an insufficient amount of information about horse anatomy, the time required and care of horses, and their ability to emotionally connect with individuals. One horse at the non-profit organization, named Sunshine, has worked with a rider for many years. Sunshine has always remained kind and gentle with the riders and receives numerous compliments and love. After seeing the work Sunshine and other horses do for riders, I have adored horses and the act of volunteering. In addition to Horsepower, another non-profit organization titled iCanSwim, aids children with special needs to conquer demanding tasks in the water. As a volunteer, my job is to protect the swimmer from water hazards, but also to encourage them stroke by stroke. One swimmer enthusiastically entered the aquatic center daily ready to interact with me. As I encouraged her, she mostly wanted to play games and know how proud I was of her. The child consistently desired a hug from her swim buddy and even wrote a note on the last day, thanking me for my service. iCanShine enhanced my volunteer proficiency from the equine community to the natatorium, expanding my experience with children and guiding others. An anonymous author once stated, “Helping one person might not change the whole world, but it could change the world for one person.” I live by this mantra today, seeking opportunities to abet suffering human beings. Volunteering has altered my life in more ways than one, including a possible career in Recreational Therapy, plans to continue volunteerism throughout college and adulthood, and the reward of joy and confidence. I choose to live each day knowing I have positively transformed an individual’s life, sacrificing my time to impact the community.

I, like many students, started volunteering to earn volunteer hours. Last summer, I decided to begin the lofty goal of amassing one hundred volunteer hours, an achievement that would grant me a special certificate to put on my college resume. However, as I volunteered at different places, I discovered a purpose outside of myself and grew so much as a person. I began my journey at Hope Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center, the barn where I also take riding lessons. I had always loved horses, and the community at Hope Ranch was incredibly supportive, so when I heard that they needed volunteers, I jumped at the opportunity. Although most of the work included sweeping or mucking stalls, I didn’t mind. The barn became my safe space - where I felt most at peace. When I was able to volunteer with lessons, I loved being able to help the therapy riders enjoy horses as I do. Volunteering at Hope Ranch taught me patience and mindfulness, as working with horses (and people) forces you to be present in the moment. My positive experience at the ranch inspired me to find other ways to help my community. Once the school year had started, I volunteered as a mentor at the Boys & Girls Club. Every Tuesday, I would go there to lead the program for the kids, which helped me realize the value of forming genuine connections with people. Although the mentees and the other mentors started as strangers, by the end of the program, we had all become close to one another. My problem-solving and communication skills were also tested, as dealing with a rowdy group of elementary schoolers isn't easy. The leadership role I took as a mentor gave me the confidence to pursue other leadership roles and make a larger-scale impact. I became vice president of Youth Impacting Community, a community organization responsible for distributing grant money to non-profits. It was eye-opening to research all the different non-profits and discover all the areas of need within our community. This experience again pushed my problem-solving and communication skills, as I had to work with the other committee members to make difficult decisions. Through volunteering, I have learned so much about myself. I've come a long way since last summer when all I wanted to do was get enough volunteer hours. Focusing on the lessons I had learned and my ability to serve my community made meeting my 100-hour goal easy. However, I'm not stopping there. Next year I will be the president of Youth Impacting Community, a mentor at the Boys & Girls Club, an ambassador for the Flint Hills Volunteer Center, and of course, I will always return to the barn. I will continue to do whatever I can to positively impact my community - never forgetting how much I have learned through volunteering. I am incredibly grateful for my community and all the opportunities I have to make it an even better place.

Volunteering at Prancing Horse has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. At first, I wasn’t sure what I signed up for, but I quickly learned what a wonderful service was being offered and I get to be a part of it. I didn’t have much knowledge of horses and never knew how therapeutic they are for people. I never knew how much I would connect with the horses, the children and the other volunteers. Working with the horses has taught me about how similar these beautiful animals are to us. A horse’s mood can reflect our own moods, which then can affect the behavior of the horse. Horses can have bad days, be unmotivated, and irritated. I realized how cooperation and motivation from the volunteers and children could change the mood of a horse. When I am in a good mood, the horse always seems to be in a good mood, and vice versa. Horses are very emotional animals and children can also be very emotional. To get the horse and the children to respond properly, I have to be calm and patient. So much is conveyed through touch of the horse and the texture of the fur for the children that have sensory issues. Working with horses has shown me how to not let little things effect my day and has helped me adapt and respond in a more positive way. Seeing kids come in crying or mad and then leaving happy or more at peace is the most heartwarming feeling. The scenery, the people, and the purpose are the biggest reasons the volunteer work has stuck with me. Being in touch with nature, getting to see and feel the outdoors is a huge factor in why horseback riding is therapeutic, for not only the children, but all that are involved. There are plenty of days that I wake up unmotivated and do not want to go, but I push myself to show up because I know it is important to the kids, and then I leave wondering why I was dreading it. I have never left Prancing Horse unmotivated or unhappy. It is extremely rewarding being a part of something bigger than myself. I love being able to help those less fortunate. I have been diagnosed with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette’s. This is not something I let many know, nor do I seek sympathy for. I try to keep my struggles to myself, but Prancing Horse has been a big factor in my progression. Just being outside with the horses, and helping the children seems calm and ease my anxiety. My volunteer service has taught me that I can be apart of something bigger and more important than myself. I have realized through working with horses and special needs children at Prancing Horse that I am capable of changing people's days, weeks, or even lives. Seeing the joy that the horses bring to the children, and seeing that I am a part of what made this child smile today, is what has proven to me that I am on the right path. I decided before working with Prancing Horse that I wanted to be a Special Needs teacher. Prancing Horse is one thing that has really helped push me to achieve that dream and has solidified my choice to continue into this career.