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Submitted by: Bill Thomas and Dak

VOLUNTEERS

Many will be shocked to find

When the day of judgement nears

That there's a special place in heaven

Set aside for volunteers.

Furnished with big recliners,

Satin couches and footstools,

Where there's no committee chairman,

No eager team that needs a coach,

No bazaar and no bake sale.

There will be nothing to staple,

Not one thing to fold or mail.

Telephone lists will be outlawed,

But a finger snap will bring

Cool drinks and gourmet dinners,

And rare treats fit for a king.

You ask, "Who'll serve these privileged few

And work for all their worth?'

Why, all those reaped the benefits

And not once volunteered on earth.

author unknown

At the Flesherton Ride I was asked often: "Why aren’t you riding?". My answer was that once a year, (at least) all riders should work a ride; be a volunteer.

Many riders do volunteer, however the majority do not. We need to be conscious of all who volunteer and we need to remember that without volunteers, we wouldn't have an OCTRA or any rides. I feel that you gain a new perspective of ride volunteers if you yourself have been one.

This new perspective can and does help when dealing with the ride volunteers.

Our volunteers, like all others are not paid and yet they keep coming back. If our sport is to continue we must all be willing to sacrifice some of our riding time to further our sport; to volunteer otherwise we won't succeed.

Finally we must always remember to respect our volunteers at all times because if we don't, we won't have any volunteers. I include in my loose

definition of volunteers, all of the various and sundry jobs of the OCTRA executive and committees (President, VP, etc.), ride managers, secretaries, and the indispensable assistance of the day personnel, i.e. timers, P & R teams, vet recorders etc.

On close inspection, it takes a lot to be a volunteer at a OCTRA ride. The ride Managers (volunteers themselves) usually want you to be there before the first rider is ready to have his horse vetted and you're usually there until the last horse has completed and the last bit of food has been eaten. A long busy day for volunteers.

Some volunteers put in many hours to make the ride happen, i.e.: the trail marker and secretary to name but two. Others spend money to volunteer; gas, food and accommodation in some cases.

WHO BENEFITS ?????

Riders are the most obvious beneficiaries of volunteers. As I have stated earlier, without volunteers, there would be no rides. This is not rhetoric or platitudes, it is the plain and simple truth. An OCTRA sanctioned ride could not be put on (at the cost we pay now) without volunteers. The SPORT benefits There are always volunteers who see a more efficient and less onerous ways of getting thing done and have the time to follow through with their ideas. Of course the rides are made more economical by the use of volunteers. Lastly, thankfully, volunteers benefit from being at our rides.

One of the important facets of volunteerism is that the volunteer should feel that they benefit from the experience. In our sport, this is an absolute. Anyone who has done P & R's, recorded for a vet or watched the trot outs of 50 horses couldn't fail to learn a great deal. How often do you have a veterinarian available all day to ask all those questions you always wanted to ask? How many pulses do you need to take until you are extremely adept? What does a healthy heart sound like and what is the resting pulse of a fit horse?

Work a ride and these important skills and knowledge and more are readily available. A volunteer to our rides accepts challenges and also responsibilities, which are beneficial to them and crucial to the ride's success.

What happens when we fail our volunteers? They stop volunteering. And they may pass on to other potential workers that working a ride is a unsatisfactory experience. Hence the pool of workers grows smaller and the willing ones feel pressured and "used". Riders need to understand that most workers are picked for their competence in what ever job they are doing. They also must realise that rider workers are simply doing what they can with what they have. None of the workers involved with a ride wish to do anything but a good job. Criticism of a worker is never acceptable. If there is a problem it should be reported to a ride manager--preferably in writing.

So, to all of our past and present volunteers, from a rider, THANKS. And to those of you who haven't worked an OCTRA ride: accept the challenge--you will be glad you did.

VOLUNTEERING FOR OCTRA IS GOOD FOR YOU AND OUR SPORT.