Our Featured Volunteer of the Month for July is Rickey Osmond
We’re excited that this month we get to profile Rickey Osmond, a volunteer who dedicates so much of his time to Lancers but often works “behind the scenes” or rather, behind the lens, as a photographer! Rickey is at many of our events and captures great photographs and even some videos.
Rickey has been a Lancer volunteer for the past decade; his daughter Jillian is in ride 2 and his other daughter Miranda also rode at Lancers until she aged out in 2015. He started out fixing fence posts for the barn but then got into photography and has since taken thousands of photos of Lancers. Rickey points out that, particularly at Musical Ride events and shows, he endeavours to capture a snap of each rider. The job isn’t easy and not only for the fact that Rickey is often away on weekend and works overtime as a Safety and Environmental Inspector for the Department of National Defence (he retired from the Navy) but also because he knows he has some thoughtful critics: “I try not to include photos where the horses legs aren’t cut off etc. because I know the kids won’t like it”!
Although Rickey has spent countless hours at the barn over the years, he isn’t a rider and has only been on a horse once or twice! When asked about his favourite horse, Rickey honestly pointed out that the only horse he could always identify was Jake (our smallest pony) so he opted for Jill’s favourite horse, Oliver. For him, the best part about Lancers is the riders. “I see what it instills in the kids - great personal skills, responsibility - and the location of the barn has always been a big priority for me”.
Jill only has one more year at Lancers as a junior rider and if she moves on to different pastures for school, we might lose Rickey too! We’ll be sad to see the Osmond family go! Looking back on what Rickey called “the best volunteering experience without a doubt”, he says he will remember all the shows and musical ride performances, “with the kid getting dressed up and preparing their horses - and all the smiles. It’s a very fun experience”.
When not photographing Lancers or editing countless photos, Rickey is an avid guitar player! He has done a great service to Lancers over the years. We try to share his photos as much as possible but if you want to see more, make sure to check out his Facebook page (RickeyG Photography or @Rickeygphotography). Thank you, Rickey, for not only capturing such special moments in our riders’ (and horses’) lives but for always showing your support of Lancers! Here are some of Rickey’s photos capturing special events this year!
