One of our best volunteers has been coming to our center for the past 10 years. There can never be enough horse time!

I recently saw Wendy at an event in Westfield. I again thanked her for all the time her daughter, Grace, puts in as a volunteer at Centaur Stride. She smiled, then laughed and with a bit of light sarcasm said, “Yeah, and to think it all started when she won a free riding lesson at a raffle when she was 7.” She said it was pony love ever since. She also said “We never again had to wonder what to buy her for birthdays and Christmas. Everyone just got her gift certificates for riding lessons!” Six years later, when Grace turned 13, she signed up to be a volunteer and brought her best friend Maleri.

I let out a sigh and thought to myself, “If only there was a Centaur Stride when my kids were 7!”

My love for horses started at the Erie County Fair in the 1960s. My mom would take me, my two older brothers, and as many of the neighborhood kids who would fit in our station wagon, and drop us off at the Fair for the day. The 4-H exhibits and animals were my favorites. I spent most of the day in those buildings.

Then in 1987, there was an article in the paper for a 4-H Horse Club starting in Westfield. It said you didn’t need to own a horse to join. I was traveling for college at that time and my husband had to watch our two kids while I was in school. I thought 4-H would be a fun and exciting activity for them. They were 8 and 11. (Living vicariously through my children, I would have loved that opportunity as a kid!)

Sandy Devlin and Cindy Norton were amazing 4-H leaders. The projects were fun, and they arranged clinics for free lessons. We watched the others, who all had horses. The leaders found local people who agreed to let us practice on their horses. We were introduced to Al and Joyce Wainwright, who had two beautiful horses, Pal and Lady. The horses were in their 20s and were perfect! I would take the kids to their small farm 2-3 times a week to groom and ride the horses. Al would even transport the horses to the clinics.

He was happy the horses were getting some additional “kid time”, and he frequently joined us to help teach my kids what they needed to know! I complained to my husband that I didn’t have enough time to stay with the kids while they worked with the horses. I was hoping (and even suggested) that he would take them without me.

I was still in school and usually exhausted by the time I got home, with homework and housework still waiting to be done.

What that conversation translated to him was “we should get our own horses”.

And so it began, our acquisition of horses and trial and error learning experiences. Horses are amazing animals, and we loved them. However, unlike dogs and cats, horses are a lot of work and it seemed that doing all the chores all the time was not anybody’s idea of fun! When I suggested 4 years later that we sell the horses because it was too much work, the whole family protested. My husband suggested we start a Therapeutic Riding Center. He did not give up on the idea. The chores, responsibilities and time investment grew exponentially, but Centaur Stride did and still does provide a needed service for so many people, and the horses seem to love it. Centaur Stride is a not-for-profit corporation started in 1993.

So, I just smiled at Wendy, thinking, “You have no idea how much time, responsibility and money Centaur Stride has saved you!”

Riding lessons and gift certificates are only $35. Volunteering is free and we train you.

Please help us to continue to help others. Send donations to: Centaur Stride, Inc., PO Box 174, Westfield, NY 14787; call to volunteer (716) 326-4318. Visit our website at: www.centaurstride.org and please like and follow our Facebook page: Centaur Stride Therapeutic Horseback Riding facility. Gift certificates available.

Thank you for your support!