Our Featured Volunteer of the month is JC Cormier!

JC started volunteering at Lancers 5 years ago when his wife Sandra, started in the adult membership. He tells a great story of how he got involved with horses.

“I first rode when I was 13 years old in Ontario. I had to pick an extracurricular activity for school, and I thought horseback riding was a good choice.

Tuesday afternoon came, first day, first ride ever, and I get to ride Rainbow: an Apaloosa pony mare, widely regarded as the best horse for a rank beginner. 15 minutes into the ride, after she tried to roll over on top of me the second time, my instructor wisely decided I'd had enough and sent me back to the barn to groom the old Shetland pony, who proceeded to try to kick the living daylight out of me.

The following Tuesday, I joined the Chess Club.

Fast forward 15 years, to where an older (and obviously not wiser) me decided that falling for a girl who was "into horses" was a good idea. First trip to the barn, as horse girls do, they sat around the tack room gossiping, while I decided to be helpful and went to retrieve Sandra's horse (Special, a 5 year old Thoroughbred mare) from the far paddock, a mere 200 yards away. How hard could this be?

"Where's JC?"

"He went to get your horse."

"What?!? He's terrified of horses, and I don't even want to go get that crazy mare!"

As is often the case when young men, in the presence of young women, do things that, in hindsight, may have been less than prudent, Mother Nature (and, to a lesser extent, Special) took pity on me that day and I made it back alive.

Fast forward 30 years, and here I am, still being dragged to the barn by the same pretty girl, although now a bit older, a bit wiser, and (for the most part) a bit more prudent.

I haven't ridden since that day 45 years ago.

If memory serves, I started volunteering at Lancers the day Sandra started riding at Lancers.

I sweep aisles and shovel manure, occasionally I get to fix something.

Happy wife, happy life.

And horses are very special creatures indeed.

My favourite horse is always whichever horse Sandra is riding at the moment (no divided loyalties permitted) - currently, that's Ollie, although I do have a soft spot for Chevy (I always sneak him some of Ollie's treats when nobody is watching).”

We are so grateful for the time JC spends at Lancers, he does a lot more than sweeping and picking up poop! We hope he contimnues to volunteer at Lancers’ for a long time to come!