«Return to Blog ListingMessage from NMCTR Executive Director

As we step into Memorial Day weekend, I wish you a weekend full of enjoying whatever way it is that you celebrate (or not) Memorial Day. I will be thinking of those who I’ve known and who have passed – people who I’ve loved and people who I’ve known and have given (and often sacrificed) so much of their selves in service to others, an idea or a cause. I’ll be thinking, with both hope and sorrow, of the families and communities who have been so devastated by the wildfires – people who have lost so much – and the community that has risen up to care for one another and our animals. 

This creation of new community speaks to the beauty that can often come from devastation – getting to know a fellow neighbor more intimately and hearing their story of a land owned and loved by generations of the same family; witnessing people from far and wide setting up systems to help provide shelter, food, water and some sense of security to others previously unknown to them; beholding strangers and community organizations offering their sparse resources to ensure that wildfire-affected family’s horses, dogs, and cats have a safe place to land and be protected and cared for.  This creation of new communities is remarkable.

When I think of these new communities and the remembrance of those who give and have given so much of themselves to something dear and important to them, I also think about our own community here at NMCTR. In my five months of being on staff, I have seen passion for the care of people with special needs and the care of horses, and the inner drive and hard work of our volunteers, staff, and Board. All of these people giving of themselves to make the world a better place – for a child with special needs to reach a goal and feel a sense of accomplishment and independence, for a horse that had been deemed “no longer of any use” to shine in their work and caring for of our riders, for an adult rider with MS who credits NMCTR for getting them from a rollator walker, to forearm braces, to walking mostly unaided, and for the many others served by NMCTR’s community. I am amazed every day at the passion and the dedication that I witness. And I am grateful to be a part of this exceptional community.

Thanks to the hard work of our NMCTR community, we’ve done a lot since our last newsletter. Since we started our first riding session of the year, we have seen great successes with our riders making headway in attaining their goals; hired a new and fantastic Herd Manager, Siv, who comes with so many amazing skills, passion and enthusiasm; brought on two wonderful new horses (Misty and Maina) who have become tremendous additions to our herd; and we are creating our first agency video (so that we can tell more people about NMCTR and the transformational work happening here!); engaged more new volunteers eager to help the riders and our horses; experienced great grant successes (see our News section), radio/podcast interviews, and community partnerships; and, well, I could go on and on but I’ll let you read more about some of these items in our newsletter. 

Needless to say, if you would like to become part of our community, we welcome you! Whether it is volunteering, a donation of money or in-kind services or items, or helping spread the word about New Mexico Center for Therapeutic Riding – YOU are a part of our community. And in being a part of our community, I’ll be thinking about you this weekend and feeling gratitude for your commitment to NMCTR’s life-transforming work. Thank you for all that you do!

~Sarah

NMCTR Executive Director, Sarah Spearman, with horse, Maina