Meet Our Volunteers ~ Maggie Flansbury
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Meet Our Volunteers ~ Maggie Flansbury |
Sometimes mishaps create miracles - that is the way our Personal ponies came into our lives. When my daughter was 9 years old, she participated in a little horse show at the barn where she had lessons. When the pony she rode saw his nemesis ahead of him, he started to gallop, a move Katie had not done before. I watched helplessly as she clung to the pony as he circled repeatedly around the ring, eventually flinging her off his back. Her head hit hard against a fence post and she was briefly knocked out despite wearing a helmet. After a visit to the ER where she was declared ok, Katie found she did not enjoy riding as much again. The following spring, she told me she loved horses and ponies yet wanted a break from riding them. I understood — she had experienced first hand the dangers of riding. Two weeks later, I saw an article about the Personal Pony program in the local paper of the neighboring town. The article excited me because I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for Katie to be with the creatures she adores without the need to ride them and for me to participate in an exciting volunteer program. I emailed the state director, Gail Schumann, to volunteer our services. Needless to say, three years later and countless visits to Gail's farm, we changed our land, got a small barn and now host Leah and Klover on our two-acre property.
Leah and Klover are incredible treasures and we are so grateful that the Personal Pony program is letting us love them and share them with our community. They are our miracles — we do believe!
You can contact Leigh at 603-472-5244 or
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THE ROAD TO PPL
Leah and Klover are gentle and patient learners and teachers. In our role as promoters in the program, my daughter and I take the ponies to such places as nursing homes, schools and hospitals. Also we have set up our property so that neighbors and families with differently-abled children can visit our magical friends. Visitors can develop a deep and lasting relationship with the ponies. We also offer community service opportunities for young people and other kinds of volunteer experiences for anyone who is interested. We hope to share the ponies in local parades and fairs in the years to come.
