We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Mulder. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.
Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Growing up, I was an incredibly shy kid. I struggled to make new friends, was very uncomfortable meeting new people, and had a lot of anxiety in public places. I wanted to go to community college so that I could stay home, but my parents encouraged me to go to a university two hours away on the others side of the state. At first, I was incredibly upset about moving away from my family and going to such a large school, but it ended up being the greatest decision that they ever helped me make. Not only did I develop a greater sense of independence and meet more people, but I started volunteering at a local non=profit organization that would change my life.
My parents taught me so many incredible life lessons throughout my younger years. They supported me in every possible way, showed me the importance of hard work and determination, and demonstrated the value in being kind and respectful towards others. These are all attributes that I strive to emulate in my personal and professional lives.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Sara and I am the Development Coordinator for Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Rockford, Michigan. I started volunteering at Equest during my first year at college. I was lonely, looking for experience in the field that I was studying, and wanted an opportunity to connect with animals. Having plenty of horse experience from when I was younger, I felt that Equest would be a good fit for me, so I went to an orientation and fell absolutely in love with Equest Center’s mission to improve quality of life for individuals with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities through equine-assisted therapy programs. I helped lead the horses in class, sidewalked with the riders for their safety, kept the barn clean, and got the horses ready for lessons. In 2018, about a year after I started volunteering, I applied to become a Barn Staff member. I remember being so excited when I got the job and loved every second that I got to care for the hard-working therapy horses. Shortly after I came on staff, I was asked to become the Volunteer Coordinator, a job that also promoted me to Equest’s management team. I supervised the recruitment, scheduling, and retention of Equest’s volunteers for four years before coming on full-time as the Development Coordinator. When I first started at Equest, I had just planned on volunteering once or twice a week to get me more active in the community and hopefully get some helpful experience working with kids and adults with disabilities. Little did I know that this Thursday night volunteer opportunity with complete strangers would blossom into a career filled with friendships and memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding’s story is full of inspiration, transformation, and growth. Since its humble beginnings in 1990 on 7 acres of land with 5 horses, a handful of volunteers, and a belief that the lives of individuals with disabilities could be improved through interactions with horses, Equest has grown into an industry-leading therapeutic riding center. Today, the center serves over 200 individuals ages 2 through over 100 with physical, mental, and social/emotional challenges each week. Their facility has expanded to 35 acres of land with 34 horses and a dedicated crew of over 650 volunteers – many of whom volunteer weekly to assist with unique and specialized programs. There is always a waiting list for services. Participants in the Horses for Heroes program, a program that allows Equest to give back to those veterans that have served, and in the vocational volunteer program, a program that allows individuals with disabilities to improve on their social skills and helps them with job training, also make up this number. There are many more programs including Horses as Healers, Minis on a Mission, and a new adaptive carriage driving program that is in the works to provide those that aren’t able to ride the chance to benefit from equine therapy.
Equest Center is a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International Member Center. Their instructors have undergone extensive training and have all of the qualifications to instruct classes for those with disabilities. Another vital aspect to the therapeutic riding team is the horses. Thanks to the generosity of so many in the equine world, Equest has 34 exceptional therapy horses that have been donated to their program over the years. These horses come in all shapes and sizes and are fitted with a variety of specialized, adaptive riding equipment in order to make sure that they can find a comfortable fit for each of the clients. The extra costs and medical bills that so many of Equest’s clients are burdened with have led to a firm policy to never turn anyone away due to an inability to pay. Many of Equest’s clients would not be able to participate in their programs and receive the life-changing benefits of equine-assisted therapy were it not for Equest’s rider scholarship fund, which is generously funded by donations from individuals, businesses, foundations, and more. Every donation, no matter how big or small, can help to keep one of Equest’s riders in the saddle and on the path to hope, happiness, and healing.
This job has changed my life in so many ways, as it has for many others that walk through Equest’s doors. I have greater confidence and creativity, improved leadership and communication skills, and a new sense of pride and purpose to be apart of something that has such a positive impact on so many. I have been blessed with the opportunity to watch firsthand as volunteers develop new friendships, discover their own passion for helping others, and sometimes even overcome their own anxieties. It is also so incredible to see all of the clients learn, grow, and discover what they are capable of doing. Too often, individuals with disabilities are overlooked and told what they CANNOT do. At Equest, we show them and everyone else what they CAN do. Not only do they gain physical strength with equine therapy, but they improve their independence, develop a positive self-image, and have a lot of fun while doing it. It is truly something remarkable to witness and is such a powerful form of therapy for so many with disabilities.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding is located on 35 acres of serene, peaceful land at the end of a dead-end road in Rockford, Michigan. As a result, there aren’t many people that just happen to stumble upon us. The most effective strategy that we have found for growing our clientele is through word of mouth. Whether we have current clients/volunteers/donors chatting about their Equest stories with others, our partners sharing our flyers and social media posts, or getting information out on the news and in magazines, all has proven incredibly helpful.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
I was previously the Volunteer Coordinator for Equest, so I was responsible for managing and maintaining high morale for all of Equest’s volunteers. One thing that I found incredibly powerful, yet often overlooked, was the impact that saying “thank you” has on our volunteers. They give so much to us and a simple acknowledgment of all that they do goes a long way. Sometimes that is in the form of a hand-written note or a small gift of appreciation. Other times, I would host a volunteer appreciation party and invite all of the volunteers to get together and give them an experience that they could all enjoy together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://equestcenter.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equestcenter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EquestCenter/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equest-center-for-therapeutic-riding-inc
- Twitter: https://x.com/EQ4TR
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kathyryan3057
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@equest_center
