There is always plenty of paperwork to do at an event - and coffee (or is that red wine) to drink
It doesn’t matter what sport you are involved in or where you live in the world, sport could not happen without the help of thousands, probably millions of volunteers.
Eventing needs a variety of volunteers from people who are willing to help out with catering or paperwork to the Technical Delegates who make sure our events run within the rules, with the best interests of the horse a priority.
Nearly every week the call goes out from events for cross country judges and this week it is the turn of the team from Eventing Equestriad to ask for a bit of help.
Michelle Hasibar, who is responsible for organising helpers for all the various Equestriad events, is keen to get as many people enjoying the experience as possible.
“At this event we clash with some other things, including Father's Day so I’m hoping that riders can convince Dad that his Father's Day would be really enjoyable sitting on a cross country jump or picking up show jump poles? Equestriad has always run as ‘the Event run by the Riders for the Riders’, so I am confident we can fill our shortfall of helpers from within our own ranks – but that said we would love to hear from anyone who would just like to come along and help in anyway possible.”
The event’s President, Shane Rose, has certainly proved it is possible to compete successfully whilst running an event, as have many other committee members. It is quite common to see these members running from filling up the toilets with necessary supplies before jumping on their horse!
Shane Rose - the human dynamo - manages to ride, help and smile
“I did a quick calculation and roughly estimated that it takes 900 man-hours to run an event of this size. This equates to almost two hours per horse. Luckily, we do have dressage judges, officials and other helpers to cut this number down a bit. However, if each rider could contribute some time to assist us that would ensure we can continue to run these large events,” said Michelle.
For those riders who are able to help out at Equestriad Michelle has asked if they can let her know before the draw goes out. “I know everyone seems to want to see the draw before they volunteer, but it really works much better if I know who is going to help and we can adjust the draw accordingly. We do try to bend over backwards to ensure everyone gets plenty of time to enjoy the event. Most of the places we need help are actually quite fun ... watching showjumping or cross country - even pencilling is a very educational experience. We want everyone to enjoy every level of Equestriad and I think anyone would find it very satisfying to be involved in more than one side of this event.”
Making sure the arenas are straight
Equestriad CNC takes place on 1/2 September 2012
Please contact Michelle Hasibar on [email protected] for more details
