«Return to Blog ListingThoughts From Our Intern Colin

Our volunteer intern, Colin Holmes, is a great ambassador for NMCTR. He has been a student/rider in our program for many years, and has become an accomplished horseman. Fulfilling his job duties as intern, Colin has learned a great deal about taking care of our horses, and has a special relationship with many of them. In the last year, on two occasions, Colin also has spoken to groups of our donors/supporters about his experiences with NMCTR and horses. He wrote his speech from the heart, and his delightful personality is evident in his words. I am happy to have the opportunity to share his thoughts here:

“Hi, my name is Colin Holmes. I have been in the NMCTR riding program for a long time now, since before it even got that name. My family has always loved horses. My grandfather rode his horse to school. I know he would be proud of me because now I am working as an intern with Ashley and Karen at NMCTR. I work at cleaning the stables to keep the horses healthy and to have a nice place for them to live. I will be learning more about horses as well, including getting them to be bathed and brushed and look good and give them love – just like cats and dogs. You have to be careful around horses, get to know each one, and see what mood they are in that day. You don’t want them to step on your foot by accident because they weigh a thousand pounds. We all have feelings like happy, sad, mad, and horses have the same feelings like we do. I help with nursing them when they get hurt, like a kick or a bite from another horse. I also help with some of the students that come to ride, especially the ones who are deaf, because I speak sign language pretty well. When I ride a horse I turn with my hands right and left, and keep my hands at my hips – not up. You can tell them with your body to go, go faster, slow down, turn, and stop. Some kids in the program have problems with their legs and walking, but the horse can lend them four extra legs, so that’s cool. When you ride, it feels like freedom, and movement. Horses are the symbol of freedom.  Ashley offers me some events to be in at the state fair that I have ridden and won first, fourth, and third places in albuquerque, and I got the prizes to go with it.  I see horses in movies, and wild ones when Indians rode on them, and they put designs and paint on horses. We paint our horses too at the party we have at the end of the NMCTR program. Horses are symbols of freedom and beauty, and also when you hear thunderclaps in the dark clouds its like hearing horses galloping across the sky. What I feel like riding on a horse is I feel like I am riding a winged horse in the clouds and its the feeling of movement and freedom. So now you know about horses, and people.

Thank you.”