Our Featured Volunteer of the month is Robert Grant!

Robert is a wonderful volunteer in our Therapeutic Riding Program, and he is also a Lancer Alumni! Robert started riding at Lancers in the early 1970s with his brother and sister. After many years away, last year Robert and his sister attended our Alumni ride where they learned about the volunteer opportunity with Therapeutic Riding, Robert signed up right away and has jumped into all of the opportunities he can to help out with the horses and riders. “ It’s a fantastic program, amazing riders/instructor/volunteers and I enjoy being back around horses. I look forward to every session and seeing the riders develop their equestrian skills.”

When Robert rode at Lancers in the 70’s he said “It was an amazing experience, and a unique sport to be involved in.” One of Robert’s favourite memories from then was travelling to Ontario with his instructor to purchase horses for Lancers. “We purchased several black horses (All Lancers horses had to be black at that time) and a horse for me. We built stalls in a box car and traveled with the horses by train back to Halifax. While in Ontario we went to the Queen’s Plate and went through the stables to see the race horses”. As Robert went on to become more involved with horses he bred his thoroughbred mare to a Thoroughbred/Hanoverian stallion (see photo of the filly above), and went on to compete in Horse trials and even built a cross country course at his family farm where they held some Horse Trials in the 1980s.

We are grateful that Robert has come back to Lancers and brought his wealth of knowledge and love for the horses and the sport to help our mission to Build Better Lives through Horses every day.