How horses have helped me to make sense of my life.
I've always been drawn to horses for as long as I can remember. Growing up, we always had some kind of pet from cats and dogs, to birds, fish, gerbils and hamsters. As a child I always looked forward to visiting family, not because I felt close to them and enjoyed their company, no, because almost all of them had horses. I would sit patiently until one of them would ask me if I wanted to go to the barn and groom and feed the horses. Well, of course, I was out the door before the entire sentence was said. As the years have gone by, friends, children and others have gone their seperate ways, the one constant in my life has been a love for horses. I had thought about it for years until finally one day, I decided to just do it. So I went to the local horse rescue and applied to be a volunteer. My family said, "Oh yea, I can see you, scooping horse poop and getting stepped on or even getting bitten!" Needless to say, I went for it anyway, even recruiting my husband and daughters along for the ride. Well, what a ride it's been! I've floundered for years trying to make sense of my life, things like, why did I marry that jerk, or why didn't I go to college, to just what does this life mean... well, I think I finally figured it out! I've been volunteering for the horse rescue for 4 years now and haven't looked back since. I've seen all kinds of cases come in, all look so sad, like they've done something wrong and they are being punished. Some are victims of abuse and neglect, while others are just another unfortunate victim of our fading economy. These wonderful creatures are here by no fault of their own and we as humans are obligated to give them everything they deserve. While I've never had the opportunity to have a horse of my own, for the time that I spend at the rescue barn, every horse there belongs to me. They come up to me for a pat or a scratch in that "special spot". They search my pockets for a treat and they seem genuinely glad to see me. They don't care if my hair is not combed or if my pants may be torn in a spot or two. It all makes sense to me now. I was put here for them, every moment I spend there makes up for all the floundering times in my life. Because of those times is what brought me to this place, with the rescue horses. I've recently been voted on to the board of directors, I send out correspondence to potential and regular donors. I organize and help out with fundraising events. I manage our website, take photographs, making flyers, networking with other rescue groups. I do alot for the horses, and I love every minute of everything I do for them. Yes, it finally makes sense!
Our horse rescue is Appalachian Horse Help and Rescue and our website is http://www.ahhr911.iwarp.com/