Hello
Hello everyone!
...Or at this point no one but here is my first blog post! This blog is going to be all about therapeutic horsemanship. From therapeutic riding lesson ideas to volunteer management, I’m going to interview and discuss topics relevant to those working in the therapeutic horsemanship field.
Let’s start with my experience with therapeutic horsemanship. I discovered this AWESOME field as a freshman at West Virginia University when my best friend from high school was doing research for her high school senior project. She was going to visit a local therapeutic riding program to interview the founder and I tagged along. (Crazy young girl obsessed with horses growing up: yep, that was me!)
While at the center, the director of the center mentioned she also taught an introduction to Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies class at WVU. I took part one of her class in the fall of 2010 and quickly signed up for part 2 the next spring. As the spring semester was winding down, I volunteered to work at the center over the summer. I quickly fell in love with the EAAT (Equine Assisted Activities & Therapies) field after experiencing how horses could literally change peoples’ lives!
My first summer helping at the center I assisted with therapeutic riding lessons as a side walker and horse leader. I would also muck stalls, feed, clean tack, and groom horses. I continued helping through the fall until the center closed due to the time change and approaching winter weather since they did not have an indoor arena. I came back in the spring and as my time as a volunteer grew, I was given more administrative responsibilities such as volunteer management. My undergrad degree was Agribusiness Management so I enjoyed the behind the scenes work of managing a center too. Every day spent at the center was a great day!
I interned at Equest in Wylie, Texas from January through April of 2013. One of the largest, oldest, and best known therapeutic horsemanship centers in the world! (Another future blog post about this amazing center to come!) I became a Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor through PATH Intl. in 2014 and started teaching lessons as well as helping with hippotherapy lessons.
I completed a Master’s Ag at WVU in 2014 tailored to therapeutic horsemanship since at the time there were no other Master’s degrees in this field. I took classes in disability studies, grant writing, program development, program evaluation, and horse care. I graduated and became the center’s first official employee - Program Director. However, this job was short lived when I realized I couldn’t afford to pay my bills and was forced to take a corporate job with higher pay. It was heart breaking to realize I could not make a living doing what I loved. However, I still kept up on the industry and volunteered in my spare time at other centers closer to my new home.
Phew that was a lot but at least it gives you an idea where I am coming from! I may not be able to be physically at a center in this chapter of my life but I can build a blog where other instructors and volunteers can come for resources and inspiration. I am not an expert but I hope to use this blog as a means to help grow this wonderful industry. My goal is to update weekly so if you have topics you’d like to read about please let me know!
...Or at this point no one but here is my first blog post! This blog is going to be all about therapeutic horsemanship. From therapeutic riding lesson ideas to volunteer management, I’m going to interview and discuss topics relevant to those working in the therapeutic horsemanship field.
Let’s start with my experience with therapeutic horsemanship. I discovered this AWESOME field as a freshman at West Virginia University when my best friend from high school was doing research for her high school senior project. She was going to visit a local therapeutic riding program to interview the founder and I tagged along. (Crazy young girl obsessed with horses growing up: yep, that was me!)
While at the center, the director of the center mentioned she also taught an introduction to Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies class at WVU. I took part one of her class in the fall of 2010 and quickly signed up for part 2 the next spring. As the spring semester was winding down, I volunteered to work at the center over the summer. I quickly fell in love with the EAAT (Equine Assisted Activities & Therapies) field after experiencing how horses could literally change peoples’ lives!
My first summer helping at the center I assisted with therapeutic riding lessons as a side walker and horse leader. I would also muck stalls, feed, clean tack, and groom horses. I continued helping through the fall until the center closed due to the time change and approaching winter weather since they did not have an indoor arena. I came back in the spring and as my time as a volunteer grew, I was given more administrative responsibilities such as volunteer management. My undergrad degree was Agribusiness Management so I enjoyed the behind the scenes work of managing a center too. Every day spent at the center was a great day!
I interned at Equest in Wylie, Texas from January through April of 2013. One of the largest, oldest, and best known therapeutic horsemanship centers in the world! (Another future blog post about this amazing center to come!) I became a Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor through PATH Intl. in 2014 and started teaching lessons as well as helping with hippotherapy lessons.
I completed a Master’s Ag at WVU in 2014 tailored to therapeutic horsemanship since at the time there were no other Master’s degrees in this field. I took classes in disability studies, grant writing, program development, program evaluation, and horse care. I graduated and became the center’s first official employee - Program Director. However, this job was short lived when I realized I couldn’t afford to pay my bills and was forced to take a corporate job with higher pay. It was heart breaking to realize I could not make a living doing what I loved. However, I still kept up on the industry and volunteered in my spare time at other centers closer to my new home.
Phew that was a lot but at least it gives you an idea where I am coming from! I may not be able to be physically at a center in this chapter of my life but I can build a blog where other instructors and volunteers can come for resources and inspiration. I am not an expert but I hope to use this blog as a means to help grow this wonderful industry. My goal is to update weekly so if you have topics you’d like to read about please let me know!
Comments
Post a Comment