Caring for our 40 horses takes many hands

Our volunteer Equine Management Team (EMT) plays a vital role in helping manage our herd. Every Wednesday, this group of 20 volunteers arrives eager to help in any way they can. One week it could be bathing the horses, another week it could be fitting saddles or acclimating the horses to a new piece of equipment.

"They are amazing. I don't know what I would do without them!" says Jinene, Equine Director, who started the volunteer team about 25 years ago to serve as an extension of her barn staff.

The team has evolved into something beyond horses, says Kay, who has served as an EMT since the group's inception. "We are a community. Some of my best friends are EMTs or retired EMTs." Over the years they have shared happy times like weddings, engagements and births, but they also have supported each other during the hard times like serious illnesses, deaths and divorce.

On Wednesdays, you see them in action. They all arrive about 15 minutes early to catch up on each other's lives, with little groups congregating in the tack room. Lots of smiles, hugs and laughs. Then it's down to business. Jinene reviews the list of tasks, divides them into groups, and then they are off to work.

The Equine Management Team is just one part of our 200-member volunteer organization whose dedication, enthusiasm and commitment make it possible to serve our 1,000 students each year.