Starting from the Ground-Up

Chronicles of a Stable Owner are real-life stories about caring for horses and their people
Written by Dr. Gwen Donohoe, Owner/Manager at Sagehill Stables

​It seems to be a common theme in the equestrian industry (and other animal businesses too for that matter) that volunteering and volunteer programs are pretty common, and expected even.  And there is good reason for it.  There is only so much time in a weekly lesson, and to get good at something or master something, you really need daily practice.  Taking lessons more than once a week is often cost-prohibitive for many families, so what options are there for students to get that extra experience?  The answer is volunteering.

Unless you have horses in your back-yard, volunteering is an essential part of the development of confident and capable equestrians.  Unlike other sports, you can't really practice in your backyard, or even at your neighbourhood playground or park.  For those that have their own horse at home, youth still have a hard time getting lots of quality, safe supervised hours in if mom and dad are busy. Spending those extra hours at the barn are just as important as taking the lessons themselves.

​This past week we've been featuring our coaches on social media!  A common theme throughout the coach profiles is that most of them started by volunteering and doing barn chores...

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