Shumbashaba
Reflection
On Thursday March 13, 2014 my volunteered
service at Shumbashaba included saddling a horse. The horse, Veritas, was in a
secure stable. I greeted him, stroked his head, and then began the steps to
saddle him. I gathered the saddle, blanket, pad, brush, and currycomb that were
hanging on the wall in the stable. I groomed the horse with the currycomb and
the brush to remove dirt and mud, so that the saddle, blanket, and pad wouldn’t
cause sores from rubbing. I stood near
the horse’s neck to put the pad on first. Then, I put the blanket on Veritas. I
made sure it was straight and even in the middle of his back so it was covering
the pad. Next, I put the saddle on the back of Veritas. I centered the saddle
on the pad, so that the saddle wouldn’t rub him. I ensured that the blanket was
even on all sides to prevent it from bunching up under the saddle, which could
leave sore spots. The cinches were pulled tightly. I adjusted the straps under
the belly and readjusted on my trial walk with him.
I have never saddled a horse. This was a whole
new learning experience for me and skill that I partook in, along with the
terminology that was used for the equipment such as cinches. I was vey pleased
that the horse was patient with me. I must say that these are the most well
trained gentle horses I have ever been around. I thoroughly enjoyed this
learning process and can’t wait for the next challenge that awaits me. I know
that this procedure of saddling the horse brought me joy and is going to bring the
horse joy when one of the therapy students rides him. I feel all of this came
natural to me, because I have a great interest in animals and love being around
them in anything that I’m doing.
One of the limitations that I encountered is
that I am 5’1” and that is on the short side. So, it made the challenge a bit
difficult. For future reference I might ask for a little step stool. In
conjunction, another challenge I faced was the weight of the saddle. I had to
lift it above my head to put it on the horse, so I know with constant saddling
of the various horses at Shumbashaba my strength in my arms will increase.
Therefore, making the task manageable.
My relatable moment that I could measure this
to is when I had the opportunity at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hartsbeesport, South
Africa to physically brush, walk, and ride an elephant. Upon sitting on the
elephant there too was a saddle that lay on his back. I found great enjoyment
in this gentle giant.
There were no conflicts of me that arose during
this beautiful day. My future goals are to continue volunteering at Shumbashaba
and interacting with the horses and people. I hope to take on new challenges
and learn new things. I want to continue my Shumbashaba visits through my
senior year and absorb all the knowledge and experience that I can.
