Hoe Down at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center, Old Lyme, CT

High Hopes is a magical place.  You start to feel it as soon as you turn into the approaching drive and catch a glimpse of the gray wood building that houses office, stables and world class riding arena.  There is a wide expanse of paddocks that seems to go on forever at the 120 acre equestrian and instructor training center. The stop sign at the beginning of the parking lot says "Whoa"!  The Hoe Down fund raiser on November 10th with 65 vendors filling the riding arena with their beautiful wares and tasty treats was lots of fun and great Christmas shopping on a beautiful fall day.  There was fun music to shop by , horses to see and even a horse drawn wagon ride.  When I arrived before 1PM to work the "raffle table", there were already 500 cars parked in the paddock.

The day to day atmosphere at High Hopes is cheerful, friendly and well organized.   The building is welcoming, fits in naturally in the country setting and is extremely well designed to contain stables, the riding arena, a reception area and lobby where you can watch the riders, offices and a kitchen.  It is full of amazing people, amazing horses, kindness, compassion, continuous activity, heartwarming moments and lots of smiles.  I have been volunteering as a "sidewalker" now since September and really look foward to it.  When I started out and had more free time, I would sub in for other "sidewalkers" as often as I could, meeting various participants, horses and other volunteers.  Sidewalking is also a great workout - "free gym", it's been called.  Our Volunteer Coordinator mentioned this aspect during the 3 hour training required of new volunteers.   Now I just get to "sidewalk" once a week, when I leave the office on Friday - from 5:30 - 6:30 PM.  It is a highlight of my week, especially now that sailing season is over.  I really look foward to seeing my student every week and help him have a great ride.  The relationships that develop between the volunteers, staff and their students and families is very special.  These friendships are enhanced by the healing power of the horses and the beauty of the surroundings. 

For last night's session there was a full moon.  What a joyful experience to be walking along the horse and my student with a couple high school student volunteers out in the crisp night air on the way to the lighted out door ring to do some more exercises.   My student was a bit agitated last night when he first arrived, but after about 10 minutes on the horse, he relaxed into his riding session and was able to follow most of the instructor's and our requests.  It was fun to see him enjoying so much the outdoor part of the session, he reminded me of a professional jockey or young cowboy as he sat so proud on the horse.  He even smiled as he watched the Canadian geese take flight and a lone deer grazing nonchanantly on the grass close by.

Although volunteers are not told the participant's diagnosis, only what skills they are working on; I can tell you from experience with my 9 year old nephew with autism, that my student has a disability on the severely autistic scale.  At age 12, he is really non-verbal, but it is a big thrill when his parents get him to whisper "bye bye" to me when it's time for him to leave.  One of his major strengths is in trotting and posting!  His posting skills are excellent.   One of the first times I worked with him, he stood up in his stirrups for 1 1/2 times around the arena, long after the horse had stopped trotting.  It seemed like he could have kept going longer too, but the 3 of us volunteers convinced him to sit down on the saddle and prepare to dismount.   His balance is amazing!  The biggest task I have with him is to keep reminding him to keep his hands on the saddle, as they continue to "fly up", almost though they have a life of their own.  Sometimes he might get a little agitated and then we have him trot which always helps him focus and calms him down.   Working with him brings out the best in me after sitting at a desk and working in customer service all week.   Besides sailing, I've loved horses since childhood so it's really refreshing to be around horses and "horse people".  It's incredibly rewarding to know that the horses, other volunteers, staff and myself are all helping to develop the self esteem, confidence and skills in our students that will serve them well in their future.

There are over 600 active volunteer staff and a very small professional staff who keep keep the busy schedule humming for the more than 250 child and adult participants at this world renowned equestrian and instructor training center.  There are 25 horses of all varieties from quarter horse to hunter to draft horse to miniature horse.  These horses must be so smart, so good, so kind and so well trained that out of every 100 or so horses offerred to High Hopes for donation, only 1 or maybe 2 are suitable.

One of my aunts, who is a world class horsewoman and riding instructor, said that "horses are a great way to connect people".   This is certainly true at High Hopes.  More information can be found at:  www.highhopestr.org .