Some of my best childhood memories are riding my family’s horses. Most of the time we ride for fun, but we also use our horses to herd cattle. One day while traveling with my family, I came across a therapeutic horseback riding center in a small community. I thought it would be a great idea to bring a similar service project to my community. I met with an organization that serves disabled youth in my community and gained their support for creating a program to provide horseback rides for the youth they serve. I worked with my agricultural education instructor to create an SAE Service Learning Plan to ensure the success and learning potential of my project. In the 18 months since the plan was approved, we have provided therapeutic horse-back rides to more than 35 disabled youth.

I think the most valuable aspect of my SAE is providing a free, safe activity for children who are sometimes left out. A disability does not mean someone is unable to enjoy fun activities. It simply means they do activities a little differ-ently. Therapeutic horseback riding is great for children and families who want to relax and enjoy the outdoors with equine. I also enjoy it because it connects citizens in our community to the agricultural industry. The stories families told about their time with the horses were rewarding for me and the other volunteers.

My SAE began with me as the only volunteer. My parents allowed me to use a few of our horses while I was preparing. Based on my Service Learning Plan, I knew that I would need to learn more about horse training and therapeutic services. My parents taught me to train a couple of our horses to be gentle with kids. I worked with the Learning Disabilities Association of America to learn more about disabilities and caring for children who have them. After the conclusion of the project, other members within our FFA chapter wanted to help. I created a small team of volunteers and taught them everything I learned.

When I prepared for this one-time project, I had no idea the community would show interest to continue the service for a longer period of time. I have always enjoyed serving others, but I never realized the impact I could have by using the resources I already had. My volunteer team and I are looking at the possibility of keeping the project going long-term. This project has opened my eyes to serving others in new ways and I have decided I want to work for a non-prof-it organization after high school.