HORSES OFFER HELP FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Tom Blake. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Tom Blake rode horses a bit growing up. But even he had no idea how much of a role they’d play well into his seventies.

When Tom and his wife retired, the duo got an RV and traveled around the country, taking a horse ride in every national park that offered the opportunity. A frequent volunteer ever since he graduated from college, Tom had recently settled into a new home in a community for active adults and was looking to get involved in the area. He didn’t have to look far. Right across the street, he found ManeGait, an organization that allows children and adults with disabilities to move beyond their boundaries through the healing power of horses.

In January of 2024, Tom started volunteering with the organization as a sidewalker, or the person who walks along the side of the horse that maintains safety awareness and supports the rider as they trot along. Quickly, his role began to expand. A veritable jack of all trades, Tom tackles a variety of tasks on the ManeGait property, and he does them with a smile. Tom’s duties include everything from driving riders and staff around the 24-acre ManeGait property, which is currently undergoing a massive renovation, to assisting the CEO and president of ManeGait with the annual financial audit. He even subs in to clean the barns so each horse can have the type of home they deserve. He averages over 30 hours a week of volunteering at ManeGait, sometimes clocking in over 40.

In just 18 months, Tom has dedicated over 1,000 volunteer hours to the organization, which he refers to as “his happy place.” One of Tom’s most recent endeavors for ManeGait is initiating a donation campaign in his neighborhood to raise $2,500 for the annual care and feeding of Calvin, a member of the therapeutic horse herd. Tom raised a total of $5,450, which will be matched by a ManeGait sponsor for a total of $10,900.

While Tom didn’t start volunteering at ManeGait until he was 77, he wants to make it clear that there’s no age limit on helping others. His journey as a volunteer should inspire the rest of us to embrace our potential to help others on a daily basis.

Tell us about your volunteer role with ManeGait.

I initially started as a sidewalker. Physically, you may have to support their back or hold on to their heel if they’re gripping the horse too tightly. Because of the construction that’s going on there at ManeGait due to the expansion, it’s unsafe for people to be walking around the job site, so I was asked to be a driver. I drive the riders, volunteers and staff around the site to keep everything as safe as we can. Then, before the holidays last year, I became qualified as a barn buddy. A barn buddy takes care of the stalls and the barn, refilling water buckets, putting in new hay and just other general barn duties. In January of this year, the CEO asked me if I would help her with the financial audit since I’m a retired CPA. I am also a volunteer for the finance committee and I do photography.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

When I first moved to Prosper, I was looking for a place to help others. We had moved from Richardson, Texas, which is about 45 minutes from here, to a 55-and-over community. We were looking for a place to get involved and get immersed in the new community, and ManeGait was across the street, and my love for horses drew me in. What I didn’t expect was how quickly it would become such an important part of my life. The ability to work with the horses as a sidewalker and be involved with the riders is very, very special. Some of them have cognitive disabilities, some have physical disabilities and some have both. The staff over there is probably the best group of people that I have ever been around.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

The best I can tell you about my goals over there is to serve the ManeGait staff, riders and volunteers to the best of my ability and just try and make their day a little better. That staff is an amazing group of people, and I try to make their day a little easier. For example, if they forget their water bottle, I’ll go back and get it for them.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

I’ve got a lot of individual memories of things over there that have been rewarding, but ManeGait is my happy place. When I drive through the gate over there, the outside world just fades away. It doesn’t exist. You drive in there and you smell the pastures and you see the horses grazing, and you start getting around the riders and it’s pretty special. The volunteers are there for the same reason I am. They’re just trying to make the riders and the staff enjoy their day more.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve become a little more flexible and patient than I used to be. When I first started, my class was supposed to begin at 10 o’clock. Well, the class doesn’t always begin at 10 o’clock. All the riders might not be there just yet, or they might not be organized. Maybe they had trouble with a horse. I quickly learned that it doesn’t run like an airplane schedule. Because the daily challenges are so complex, you’ve got to be flexible.

The light-hearted moments that you have with the volunteers and the riders are the things that make the day. The staff is so committed to the riders’ safety and progress. Are they improving? Are they able to ride better today than they did six weeks ago? They have goals set for the riders and they’re measuring against those goals all the time.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

I’ve been reminded that volunteering is one of the most rewarding things that you can do. I think volunteering helps others, strengthens communities and enriches your own life.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

I would say you’re never too old. I started over at ManeGait when I was 77 years old, and I’m having the time of my life. There’s always something that you can be passionate about, and you should find out what it is and share it, because when you share that passion, you do make an impact.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Through your efforts as a volunteer, you will never understand the impact that you make. I get feedback from time to time from the kids who make me feel good with what they say about me. It’s kind of a funny feeling, but it is so rewarding. You don’t think about it, but then you hear about it and you realize how important it is to those children. The more positive things that you can do to help them, the better lives they’re going to have.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Tom? Find local volunteer opportunities.