Spend any amount of time at a horse trials and you will notice the ant-like armies of volunteers that keep everything running on time–ring stewards, dressage scribes, score runners, jump judges, jump crew, and the list goes on. If it weren’t for the generous hours that volunteers spend in all sorts of conditions, the Omnibus would have far fewer events listed each season.

Volunteers have various reasons for spending their time and energy outside in the hot sun and pouring rain: they want to ride but don’t have a horse; their kids are riding and they want something to do; they like to get out and watch what’s going on; they like to meet new people; they like the parties that organizers sometimes arrange to reward their efforts. The funny thing is, a lot of these people don’t just volunteer once or twice. They do it again and again, year after year.

What is it about eventing that keeps the volunteers coming back? And how do organizers encourage volunteers to repeat their efforts?

Lellie Ward holds two events annually at her Paradise Farm in Aiken, S.C. She and her co-organizer Karen Kelly meet once a week year-round for dinner to hammer out the details of the events.

“Often I lie on the floor in exhaustion and Karen does all the work,” said Ward.

Kelly also scores at Jumping Branch (S.C.) and times and scribes at Pine Top (Ga.). In addition, she has helped at Full Gallop (S.C.) and Sporting Days (S.C.) horse trials.

“Volunteers not only help with the event itself on the day,” said Ward, “but also these people can relieve the organizers of huge mental pressure, and that enables more flow, creativity and general happiness. There are so many details to attend to, there never seems to be enough time; volunteers and great friends are worthy of tremendous praise. It is also all the volunteers who willingly donate their time, machinery and equipment that give support to the organizers when they question whether or not it is worth putting on the event. The teamwork that comes together is truly wonderful and gratifying.”


A Way To Get Involved
Without cross-country jump judges, eventing simply could not exist. It takes a large crew of jump judges willing to come to grips with the basic rules of cross-country and then spend most of a long day sitting in one spot, recording scores for horse after horse.

Retiree Carol Ten Broek, 59, of Columbus, N.C., is a regular fixture at events, volunteering mostly through the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE), a land preserve in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a horse show grounds and cross-country courses through preliminary level. Ten Broek helps with administrative duties at schooling shows and often cross-country jump judges at horse trials. Additionally, she is involved with the local therapeutic riding program, TROT. Ten Broek, who has only been involved with horses for a few years, owns a Paso Fino that she trail rides.

“We’re lucky living in a place like this because there is fabulous scenery; it’s just nice sitting out on the cross-country course for an afternoon. And it’s wonderful how many people I have met volunteering,” she said.

Cross-country judging is not without drama. Ten Broek recalled a fall at her jump last year when the horse rolled over on its rider, pinned her to the ground and broke her ankle. “We were lucky because it was in sight of everyone who needed to know about it, so they were able to act quickly,” she said, admitting, “my heart is in my mouth every time someone comes to my jump.”

Annette and Kelly Murphy have also been regulars at FENCE over the years. Having moved to Landrum, S.C., from West Chester, Pa., more than a decade ago, the couple spent 10 years volunteering at the Radnor Hunt Three-Day Event (Pa.). They continued to make a road trip to Radnor for several years after they moved south.

Annette, 57, recalled Radnor as an especially good venue for volunteering. Kelly agreed: “I think the big thing with volunteers is treating them well and making them feel important. Radnor has been a real success; they need an army of people to put the event on, and they have volunteers standing in line because they treat them so well.”

The highlight of the couple’s volunteering experiences came when they served as stewards at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta; Kelly was also on the organizing committee for eventing.

“That’s something you never forget,” said Annette. “Since Kelly was also on the organizing end, that really made things interesting for us.”

Though Annette, a British expat, com-peted in eventing in her younger years, she never made it to the upper levels. She noted that by helping at events she was made to feel a part of things even though she wasn’t actually riding around the big courses.

“Though I couldn’t compete at that level, I felt included in it by getting involved on the organizational side,” she said.


Volunteering Has To Be Fun
Michael Gallagher, 52, of Hampton, New Brunswick, Canada, was the 2004 Equine Canada Volunteer of the Year. A past competitor at the advanced level, coach up to preliminary level, and a horse show parent, Gallagher still coaches riders and organizes the Evergreen Horse Trials in Hampton, N.B. By profession, he owns a fast food business and designs computer software and hardware for the fast food industry.

He is currently on the Board of Directors of Equine Canada, is director of the Canadian Olympic Committee representing equestrian, was the chef de mission for Canada at the 2006 World Equestrian Games and will be team leader for equestrian at the Pan American Games in 2007.

Asked what keeps him coming back as a volunteer, he joked, “I am crazy!” then added, “no, seriously it is a way to give back to the sport that I participated in for more than 30 years. There are many great people that are fun to work with, and it is a lot of fun to travel to international competitions and watch our teams compete against the best in the world.”

Gallagher said that the biggest thing that event organizers can do to keep volunteers happy is simply to say, “thank you.”

“It seems simple, but lots of organizers forget to do it,” he said. “Also organizers should make sure that volunteers have snacks, drinks, etc., and should encourage competitors to say thank you as well.”

He is adamant that volunteering needs to be fun. “If it is not fun, then why do it?” he asked. “I see many people that are volunteers that seem to ‘work’ at it and are on some sort of personal agenda. To me this is not volunteering. You want to make a difference, but it has to be fun.”


Coordinating Volunteers
Diana Lewis, 55, of Columbus, Ga., has never ridden a horse, but her 24-year-old daughter has been an active eventer for 12 years. Lewis, by day a civil employee working for the U.S. Army in information technology, has become a volunteer coordinator for events at Poplar Place Farm.

Lewis explained that Gary and Donna Stegman, owners of Poplar Place, provide volunteers with a coupon to be used for any of the goods or services at Poplar Place, as well as a ticket to the Saturday evening party at events.

“That’s a big incentive for many,” said Lewis. “Both of these incentives let the volunteers know their time and support are appreciated. The Stegmans also like to have more than one judge at each fence; this provides backup support and also keeps someone from sitting alone all day. All of this makes my job much easier.”

Once a competition starts, Lewis’ job is all about hospitality. “I try to see each volunteer at least three times during the day with drinks and food,” she said. “I’ll stop for a few minutes to chat and make sure the volunteer is as comfortable as we can make them.”

Asked why she keeps volunteering at events despite the long hours and lack of pay, Lewis responded, “The time, effort and resources that any organizer invests are unbelievable. If they can do this much for the sport, giving them our time is the least we can do. I also believe that getting non-horsey parents to volunteer gives them more of a connection to the sport and their child’s hobby and helps to educate them as to the time and effort required and the complexities of the sport.”

As a horse show mother, Lewis recognizes the importance of volunteers to participants in the sport. “Without volunteers the cost to host an event would be out of range for most hobbyists,” she said. “As long as it is affordable, we’ll get to enjoy a weekend with people who are there because they love their horses, love the sport and enjoy being around others with similar interests.”


Learning The Ropes Of Event Management
In 2005, Julie Ryan found a way to combine eventing and college by creating an internship with Wezo Pierson, organizer of the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials (N.Y.). A student in public policy and psychology at Duke University (N.C.), Ryan, 22, was the recipient of the Courtney C. Reeves Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to a young individual who exemplifies sportsmanship and the spirit of eventing, while giving back to the sport.

Ryan, from Rochester, N.Y., has evented since she was 11 and competed up to the intermediate level before starting college. In 2001 she represented Area I at the North American Young Riders Championships CCI*. When she was actively competing she also volunteered as a cross-country jump judge and helped to set up show jumping courses and dressage rings at local events. Since beginning university she has put competing aside to focus on school.

During the internship, in which she donated 350 hours of her time, Ryan learned how things work behind the scenes at an event. She said, “I have found most event riders are appreciative of event organizers and the immense behind-the-scenes work required to put on a horse trial. Working closely with Wezo allowed me to fully understand the extreme detail required of that work and how committed organizers are to making the competition a fun and valuable experience for competitors and horses, sponsors, vendors, and even volunteers.”

Ryan noted that there is always work to be done at every event. “I will continue to volunteer because I love the sport,” she said. “Also, helping at events when work or school prevents me from being competitive is a great way to remain connected to the sport I love.”

She also encouraged other people to get involved. “Event riders are a great group in general, and volunteering is a great way to meet riders from different areas. It is fun to meet people who love the sport you do and then see them at other events.”


Amber Heintzberger