Volunteer
Spotlight: Katie McCully
Katie has been
volunteering with Free Rein for 2 years now. She started right after we made
the move to Westar Ranch. She started because she knows one of our instructors,
Andrea Scalici. She heard about us, she likes people and she likes horses, so
she decided she wanted to volunteer.
Katie works
full-time and is an avid horseback rider herself, riding since she was two and
participating in 4-H shows as she grew up, but she fits us in. She is one of our “schooling masters” who
helps keep the horses “trained” and she volunteers during classes a couple of
times a week. She always steps up when
needed. Loki is her favorite horse because
as she says, “I like challenges”.
Katie is a trained
phlebotomist but doesn’t do that for a living. She says she doesn’t think she
could now. I know I couldn’t; the sight of blood makes me faint. Her goal is to
become an Occupational Therapist and a certified riding instructor.
Katie’s most
memorable experience with Free Rein has been working with the same rider all of
this time. When Katie first started, her
rider couldn’t even ride for 30 minutes. It was just too much and too hard.
Katie has seen her rider progress through many types of tack and has watched
her strength improve. Her rider can now
ride for an hour and, “to see how much she has improved is inspiring” says
Katie.
Something you
might not know about Katie is that she loves to travel. She has recently made
quite a few trips to the Lone Star state.
Her favorite part
of Free Rein is the people, both riders and volunteers. She likes that there is no drama.
If you are
interested in getting involved with Free Rein Katie says, “come out and watch a
class”. I agree. I bet you will be hooked.
Thank you so much,
Katie for all of the time and dedicated service you give to Free Rein!
