Riding Across Abilities: How One Volunteer Increases Access to Equine Activities

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Jen Subin. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Jen Subin, 57, grew up on the east coast but after a meandering, post-college road trip with a friend ended up settling in California. She had fallen in love with Colorado during the previous summer, but her friend didn’t want to be landlocked, so they drove on until they hit the Pacific. It was there that Jen began her lifelong work helping children. 

She started out teaching special education and preschool before going back to school and taking on the role of a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. When COVID hit, everything changed, and she returned to a preschool classroom. 

Eight years ago, Jen began volunteering at Halleck Creek Ranch and has worked her way up to the role of volunteer team leader. Today, she spends 15-20 hours a week after school and Saturday mornings helping people with disabilities ride horses. Throughout the years of rugged trail rides, she’s logged 500-600 miles with riders as young as three and as old as 74 taking the reins.  

Age isn’t a disqualifier. Programs are based on upon ability, goals, needs and how volunteers can support them. Jen even sees the occasional student, merging her volunteer and professional lives with her passion for seeing children and those with different abilities succeed. 

What inspires you to volunteer? 

I have volunteered for as long I can remember. I like contributing to society and to my community in that way. My dad always told us that it didn’t really matter how lucrative your work was as long as it was fulfilling and meaningful and did some good. That’s always been volunteering for me.  

I found out about Halleck Creek from a friend on staff at the preschool. She put me in touch with her friend, an 80-something-year-old friend who has been volunteering there for at least 25 years. I was so excited to get started. One of the things that appealed to me about it was that I was a former special ed teacher, and that is the population they serve. 

I filled out the paperwork on my first visit and have been there about four days a week ever since. I used to take riding lessons, and I rode as a kid. But when I came to Halleck Creek, I hadn’t been around horses in a while. It’s like riding a bike. It comes right back.  

Tell us about your volunteer role with Halleck Creek Ranch. 

New volunteers get orientation and training before starting as a side walker. You support the rider by walking alongside them next to the horse. We do a lot of lessons in our arena, but most of our program is our trail ride that goes through Nicasio Valley.  

There’s more training for each level as you go up–horse handler, horse leader and, eventually, team leader. As a team leader, I can do everything that we need to do with the horses, which includes catching them in the paddocks, grooming and tacking them, getting them ready for the rides and more. I also support the riders and their families. And I help supervise and train new volunteers.  

Most of our riders have been with us for several years, coming once or twice a week. Some of them started riding with us when they were in preschool and are now in their twenties. Our sessions are eight weeks long followed by two-week breaks to give the horses and volunteers a chance to rest. Riders usually ride the same horse with the same volunteer team. We try to keep it as consistent as we possibly can, because that’s really important when working with this population. 

Right now, our herd is around 25 horses, all donated. They have all had other jobs. One worked as a police horse. Some are show horses or endurance trail horses. They’ve all had a had a rich history before coming to us. Then, our staff trains them for this new job, which is not easy for them. It’s difficult to have riders who don’t know how to communicate with them and often don’t sit still. 

How does riding help people?  

You might meet a new rider who’s in a wheelchair and having a hard time holding his or her head up, who looks like they need a lot of support. When you get them on the back of a horse, they might be able to sit up. They eventually learn how to hold on to the reins, and their muscle tone improves. It can be scary at first, but once they get used to it, they feel pride.  

They might not have realized this was possible for them, and then they realized it is. My favorite part is watching participants become more able and seeing them feel good about something that they’re doing that’s not easy for them. Watching them feel that sense of accomplishment really touches me. 

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about. 

Last weekend, we celebrated the 47th birthday of the ranch. We do movie nights for the kids. There’s a big fundraiser in September that I always look forward to. We have potlucks and barbecues throughout the year, and we do big Halloween and Christmas parties.  

Someone generously donated a 20-acre neighboring facility called Rock Rose Ranch, which we now call Halleck Creek Ranch at Rock Roads. We’re still figuring out the best way to utilize the space. It has a beautiful barn and house that we’re planning on using for fundraising events in the future.  

We’ve also developed a program there for people unable to ride. They can participate by doing groundwork, learning how to be around the horses and groom them without actually riding.  

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

Get involved in whatever way you can. Volunteering is an amazing way to touch people’s lives and to grow at the same time. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Jen? Find local volunteer opportunities.