After School: Joyrider

“The day she sat on her first horse, it was uncanny,” recalls Patty Ball, owner of Hunterville Stables in Penryn and a hunter/jumper trainer. “She is just one of those people who was born for horses.”

Joyrider

By Amy Crelly

Haley Webster loves horses. The Orangevale teen has been riding for five years now and competing—quite impressively—in equestrian events for almost as long. In fact, she spends most of her days at Hunterville Stables in Penryn. “I ride every day except for Monday,” says Haley. “I usually get out around 8 in the morning and usually leave around 1 in the afternoon.” (Haley’s homeschooling schedule allows this.)

     When she’s not riding, studying, hanging out with friends, or modeling with Ford to help pay for her horses, Haley volunteers with UCP’s Saddle Pals, a program that helps children with disabilities discover the benefits of therapeutic riding and other equine-assisted activities.

     She cleans stalls and tack at the therapeutic riding center, grooms the ponies and horses, and, just months ago, Haley got to start assisting kids directly. We chatted about how she sticks to that disciplined riding schedule and what she gets from giving back.

SP:  How did you get started horseback riding?
HW: My mom used to ride with Patty Ball, and mentioned she had a little girl who really loved horses and wanted to ride—I was always begging her to take me to ride.

Do you ever have to make yourself practice?
Never. I love going out there. In fact, even when I’m sick, my mom will be like, “you should probably stay home,” but I’m like, “No—I have to go!’” 

What’s it like competing in equestrian events? 
Competing is really fun. You get to go to shows and meet new people, watch professionals ride… It’s kind of like a reward for all the practice you’ve done.  

So, you don’t get nervous?
No, not really.

What’s it like volunteering at Saddle Pals?
It’s really fun. I really like getting to work with the horses and help the kids. They’ve helped me realize how lucky I am. It’s just a really good atmosphere there.

Is it tough brushing the horses, cleaning stalls and doing all those “horsey” chores?
I love doing it… Sometimes I do have to make myself do stuff like sweeping or cleaning the water buckets, but I love all the stuff with the horses.

What’s your favorite part of working with the kids?
When they’re having a hard time learning something, and then they finally get it, they just give you this look, and it makes me feel really good… I think it has made a big difference for them.

(c) 2010 Amy Crelly

Amy is Editor for Sacramento Parent magazine, The Source Book and the Sacramento edition of Dandelion. Her favorite extracurricular activities include dance, yoga and riding bikes. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it