Wednesday was my official day of being a volunteer at OATS. It was 94 degrees when I arrived there! The humidity was miserable and I knew the horses were probably exhausted from the heat. Honesty I thought that my time there was not going to go well....
I arrived there at around 5:45pm and a girl named Sarah came out and greeted me with a big hug. She told me that she was happy that I came. Sarah coming up to me made me feel reassured, and it was nice that everybody was welcoming. Then all the volunteers and the riders went into the barn, mounted their horses, and I was assigned to to a sidewalker for a girl named Maria. I'm not sure what Maria's disability is, but she is smart and was able to converse a little bit with me on the trail ride. We were on the trail for an hour and it was actually enjoyable despite the humidity. Then once we got back to the barn the owner Nancy let me lead a horse for a new rider, for the next session.
The horse that I led is named Rio, and on him was three year old Bobby. It was Bobby's first time at OATS, and his parents told us how excited he was. He especially liked the idea of riding the horse Crocodile. The problem was Crock is a beast and Bobby is not, so it was not a good pair. Therefore Bobby rode Rio. I do not know what Bobby's disability is either, but eventually I would like learn more about the riders. Bobby has a twin brother though with no disability, which I thought was interesting. Bobby is smart, and he talked while we were on the trail as well. His dad said he is a chatter box at home, and was being shy. I did not think he was being to shy considering it was his first time. When Bobby did speak though it made my heart melt, because he is incredibly sweet.
My second time at OATS was actually better than the first. I think I was more comfortable since i had already been there once. The next time I go is saturday. I will meet new volunteers, but it what excites me the most is to meet more kids. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment