Horses first came into my life when I was receiving treatment for my eating disorder and was given the chance to participate in equine therapy myself. Their silently powerful presence and the emotion I sensed from them drew me to them like a magnet. About a year later I volunteered at Herd of Hope Equine-Assisted Therapies for the first time. It was the dead of winter, so my main jobs were to clean the stalls and lead the horses out to pasture. While this was hard and grueling work some days, I showed up eager every time knowing that I would get to feel the aura of the horses. As spring came around, I got my first chances to volunteer during therapeutic riding lessons. These lessons focus on helping those with developmental and intellectual disabilities to grow in strength and confidence through horseback riding. My job as a sidewalker was to support the riders, help them understand activities, and engage with them. The relationships created with many of the riders are ones that I can imagine lasting forever, as I watch them grow and get to know them better each week. As well as this, I have recently gotten the chance to work more directly with the horses through horse-leading for therapeutic riding lessons. This job still includes interaction with the rider but also requires attention to and control of the horse, which has allowed me to develop my passion for the understanding and care of horses. I am extremely grateful for my experience volunteering at Herds of Hope and will never take for granted the healing powers horses give to me and my ability to share that with other members of my community. Horses and my volunteering have taught me a lot about myself. Volunteering has increased my patience, empathy, and understanding of the world around me. Thanks to volunteering I have realized I want to pursue a career that involves helping people using the healing power of horses. Volunteering has taught me to be relentless in my pursuits but gentle at the same time. Thanks to volunteering, I value myself and my personality more and have a better relationship with how I treat myself and how I view myself. Horses and people have helped me come to the realization that I am a dynamic and valued human who can and will make a difference. Volunteering has been extremely helpful in increasing my inclination for advocacy and education about mental health, disabilities, and equine therapy.

My volunteer experience influences and builds my core values daily. Volunteering has allowed me to flourish my empathy, patience, and understanding of the world around me. I volunteer at Herd of Hope Equine-Assisted Therapies and help individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities to grow in strength and confidence through horsemanship and riding. Horses first came into my life when I was receiving treatment for my eating disorder and was given the chance to participate in equine therapy myself. Their silently powerful presence and the emotion I sensed from them drew me to them like a magnet. About a year later I volunteered at Herd of Hope for the first time. It was the dead of winter, so my main jobs were to clean the stalls and lead the horses out to pasture. While this was hard and grueling work some days, I showed up eager every time knowing that I would get to feel the aura of the horses. As spring came around, I got my first chances to volunteer during therapeutic riding lessons. My job as a sidewalker was to support the riders, help them understand activities, and engage with them. The relationships created with many of the riders are ones that I can imagine lasting forever, as I watch them grow and get to know them better each week. As well as this, I have recently gotten the chance to work more directly with the horses through horse-leading therapeutic riding lessons. This job still includes interaction with the rider but also requires attention to and control of the horse, which has allowed me to develop my passion for the understanding and care of horses. I am extremely grateful for my experience volunteering at Herds of Hope and will never take for granted the healing powers horses give to me and my ability to share that with other members of my community. My core values include selflessness, empathy, advocacy, and understanding. Volunteering has allowed me to improve all of these skills and more. To continue and increase the joy that volunteering with horses has brought me, I hope to study equine studies and equine therapy in college to continue to pursue my passion for bringing healing to others as well as spreading the power of horses. My goal in life is to leave a positive impact on this earth and I believe my volunteering is already beginning to help me achieve that. I believe my career will not only fulfill me but also allow me to contribute to my core beliefs each day, helping others and in turn increasing my understanding of the world.