Hey all!! Due to crazy schedule, have not been able to be around horses...until a few weeks ago!

I am in a animal assisted therapy class (weird right?) and for it we have to visit one animal related site, such as a therapy program, a police K-9 unit, a program that uses animals to support veterans, etc. I wanted to do the k9 or veteran one, but I couldn't make it to one of those so I went to a therapy horse farm that was closer to us then I thought.

Afterwards, I sneakily signed up to volunteer (cause peeps don't think I have enough time to do it, although I do, so I figured if I just start they would be like fiiiiine, you can do it). I went back for volunteer orientation, and then the week afterwards did my first session of volunteering.

It's amazing. I was super nervous because I had no idea what I'd be doing, but the instructor is amazing, and walks the volunteer through the lesson. Due to patient confidentially I can't really explain who we are helping, but I can tell you some things about the lessons.

First, your arms get exhausted. Like seriously, by the end of a lesson they are dead from being in one place for close to an hour. If it is possible that you can switch sides with another side walker, do it when your arms get tired to break up the monotony.

Also, that's what we do, we walk sideways next to the horse, so yeah that is hard too (another job is to lead the horse, but I haven't been able to do that yet).

Second, be prepared to do a lot! Things move pretty quickly, and you have to really pay attention. The day I go (I've only volunteered twice so far) is suuuuuper busy, and it's pretty much one thing after the other. Thursday volunteers are considered special though because they do so much, and are dubbed "The Rangers". I feel so special to be in this exclusive group XD

Oh, and barn work! My last volunteer day I got to do some barn work, which I have wanted to do forever. I am super timid around the horses though, because I don't know the farms methods or how the horses are. Anyways, it went pretty well. I got to watch some people lead, led one horse around a paddock, then got to lead a horse to her paddock. Later on a lady came and was like Hey, can you lead this horse to his stall? He doesn't like to be alone in his paddock. I was like oooookay, but it actually went pretty well because the horse was super chill, I think he almost fell asleep before we reached the stall haha.

Oh, and they use "regular" halters at that farm. I can't stand them. Rope halters are SOOO much easier!! It's funny, because the barn manager agreed with me.

Then I FINNNNALLY got to clean a stall. Okay, you are probably wondering why I am so excited. It's because I've never been able to clean one!! Like, it's a staple of working with horses, and I feel so excluded when I can't even say that I've cleaned one! I admit I wasn't able to finish it because I had to go help in a lesson, but I was almost done, and I think I was doing a decent job.

That's about it for now, this was really just an update on how I am getting my horse fix now that I am so busy. Hopefully I'll be posting more on here in future...

~ Jake Vader Out.