Volunteer Training- From the Rider’s Perspective
Presented by: Chris Baxter
PATH Region 2 Conference- March 17, 2013
All PATH centers need to perform ongoing training in regards to safety and
emergency protocols for their volunteer staff. This training presents a
perspective that volunteers haven’t ever experienced; that of riding a horse with
challenges.
Goals of this Training:
 For volunteers to experience a “adaptive therapeutic riding lesson” as the
rider
 To increase volunteers awareness of different disabilities
 To increase volunteers sensitivity of riders needs
 To increase the volunteers skills level to become better assistants in the
ATR lesson
 To show volunteers the importance of their work
 To show how important the small things they do make a difference to the
riders
 For volunteer staff to bond as a team
Physical and cognitive disabilities are simulated using various techniques.
Volunteers act as riders and can act as leaders and sidewalkers to each other if
other staff is not available. I also had volunteers mount the riders so they
understand what an instructor needs to do while mounting.
Materials Needed:
 Foam ear plugs- can be found in drugstore
 Wheelchair (s)
 Goggles covered with Vaseline
 Sleep masks- (found in dollar store)
 Sweatshirt with one arm pinned to front
 Knee immobilizer
 Latex therapy bands
 Very thick mittens
 Brown & Grey “Walk on & Whoa” signs with words written in Wind dings or
other font that doesn’t look like real letters.

Grey

Brown
1
Volunteer Training- From the Rider’s Perspective
Presented by: Chris Baxter
PATH Region 2 Conference- March 17, 2013
Materials Con’t:
 Wooden Sticks with different disabilities written on them
Visually impaired
Traumatic brain
Injury
Cerebral Palsy





Container for sticks
Grooming tools for horses
Horses and designated tack
Horses
Helmets for riders
Procedure:
 Break volunteers into groups depending on how many horses you have.
 Have volunteers cooperatively groom horses and tack up horses
exchanging different disabilities
o Blindfolds, wheelchair, mittens…
 Each person picks a “disability” from the container that they will have for
riding. They had to keep what they picked because people don’t get to
pick their disabilities in real life but they were given the opportunity to try
another disability when everyone else had their turn. This is especially
helpful if they assist a rider with a particular disability.
 1st Designated rider “puts on” the disability picked from container
 Mounts onto horse
If you have the staff available, allow them to be the leaders and sidewalkers and
have them do the following faux pas:
 Carry on conversations over the horse during the lesson
 Not pay attention to rider/lesson
 Have leader lead horse opposite way that rider is steering horse while
weaving cones/poles
 Have both sidewalkers and leader prompting rider all at the same time
without processing time.
2
Volunteer Training- From the Rider’s Perspective
Presented by: Chris Baxter
PATH Region 2 Conference- March 17, 2013

Have leader start/stop horse on instructors command not waiting for riders
prompting the horse.
If staff is not available to lead and sidewalk the volunteers enjoyed helping each
other understand the important role volunteers play by being “naughty” during the
lesson. This was a powerful team building activity.
Disability and Simulation Techniques:
 Cerebral Palsy- Tight heal cords & low fine motor
o Belt with exercise bands
o Large thick mittens
 Traumatic Brain Injury/ Stroke- Limited use of one side of body
o Sweatshirt w/ immobilized arm
o Knee immobilizer
 ADD- Headphones with music playing. It works best if it’s not their music. I
had Irish music playing in the ears because I have a lot of teenage
volunteers.
 Blindness- Total loss of vision
o Blindfold
 Visual Impairment- legally blind with some limited sight
o Goggles covered with Vaseline
 Hearing impairment
o Ear Plugs
 Wheelchair boundo Wheelchair
All riders will get to experience:
 Processing disordero Instructor will give directions using ‘Pig Latin’; this is when it’s
important for sidewalkers and the leader, who shouldn’t be
assisting the rider anyway, to all at once keep prompting the rider to
complete the task.
 Color Blind, Unable to read and /or doesn’t know colors
o Riders will play “Walk On & Whoa” using grey and brown signs
written in Wingdings font.
This is a powerful volunteer training. A year later a volunteer will refer to it and I’ll
hear them say how great it was. Then the other volunteers chime in.
It also gives those volunteers that need topics for college applications a unique
topic to write about.
If you have any further questions please contact me at:
volunteers@ridingwithheart.org
3
Volunteer Training- From the Rider’s Perspective
Presented by: Chris Baxter
PATH Region 2 Conference- March 17, 2013
4