New Beginnings asks for volunteers

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- You probably see horses all over Kentucky. But have you ever seen a therapeutic horse?

Since 1997, New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding in Bowling Green encourages anyone with disabilities to work with horses. These could be behavioral, emotional, mental or physical disabilities. 

Since August of last year, 15-year-old Delaney Belcher has been coming to ride every week. She doesn’t know what she would do without it. 

“I like working with horses because I was raised with them since I was little. My grandpa was a horseback rider so I just enjoy that, doing it for him. Because he passed away,” said Belcher.  

And Belcher wouldn’t be able to ride without the help of volunteers. New Beginnings is asking the community to consider volunteering, helping with grooming, walking the horses and helping the riders. 

“All of those areas of volunteering are very essential to keep the program running smoothly. And especially for the students being able to ride. Because if we don’t have enough volunteers like side walkers or horse leaders or grooms, then that means that a student potentially wouldn’t be able to ride that day,” said Volunteer Coordinator and Instructor Jonlyn Conway. 

The students gain so many useful skills through riding. 

“Just having that recreation activity to where they can be able to sit on top of a thousand pound animal and being able to learn something totally different that they probably would never learn would be something that we would want everyone to achieve,” said executive director Michele Vise. 

And Belcher says she has learned so much from the program. 

“I learned how to work with horses more and it’s made me more confident,” said Belcher. 

If you want to volunteer, you can visit their website. There is a volunteer orientation every month, with the next one 9 a.m.  Saturday.