Our Volunteers

Does working outdoors with horses and children appeal to you? As a non-profit organization, the Saddle Light Center relies heavily on volunteers. Each year, over 100 volunteers from all walks of life provide critical assistance in all areas of operations, including:

Rider assistance by spotting and side walking

Horse care & barn chores

Administrative assistance Photography Computer and Technology

Assistance with special events Fundraising and Marketing

We always welcome help. Volunteers who are at least 17 years old may assist with riders and learn to work with the horses. Volunteers 16 and older may assist with barn chores, grounds keeping and tack maintenance, as well as a variety of other tasks. Volunteers under 18 years old must have parental or guardian consent and our liability insurance carrier does not allow volunteers under 16.

Most volunteers choose to assist one evening per week for between 2-5 hours throughout a riding session (please see the riding calendar on our Home page). Consistency is beneficial to our riders, horses and the service we provide. As a result of volunteers, we are able to provide therapy for 50-60 riders each week.

Experience working with kids and horses is NOT needed. Volunteers receive both formal and on-the-job training to ensure they are assigned tasks best suited for them. New volunteers are asked to participate in a mandatory half-day training session at the beginning of each quarterly riding session.

Many of our best volunteers come to us with no previous horse experience. Successful volunteers possess a willingness to help and a desire to be part of a team, along with respect for animals and others. Our volunteers care for our horses and enjoy meeting and assisting our riders and their families.

In return, we support our volunteers through training, encouragement to further their knowledge of horses, assisting the disabled, and a real desire to help meet their expectations as volunteers. We value our volunteers and appreciate the very personal donation of their time.

In addition to our individual volunteers, we have formal connections to the volunteer service staffs of many local corporations and organizations:

United Way USAA Valero Diamond Shamrock Frost Bank SBC San Antonio Community College UTSA

To learn more about volunteer opportunities, or to sign up for volunteer training, please contact us at 210-651-9574 or e-mail us

Post Comments on the Volunteer Coordinator's New Blog Here I am new at this so any suggestions are most welcome!

"We're proud members of the Super Duper Pooper Scooper team for the Saddle Light Center. Suzanne Benavides and I report for duty every Saturday morning and have the privilege of cleaning the outside pens. It is a blessing! Working outside in the fresh air and sunshine is enjoyable ... and the little bit of manual labor feels so good! (Soul-satisfying, is how Suzanne describes it!) Plus, at the end of the morning we have the privilege of giving -- and getting -- some love from our 4-legged friends. If you're looking for a way to help a wonderful organization ... please consider joining us!"

Terrie Carter and Suzanne Benavides

"The horse I owned for 26 years, Rusty, passed away in 2000. He was my mental therapist all those years so I knew the fabulous potential horses have in that regard but did not know about the physical therapy benefits. After two years of "horse withdrawal" in 2002, I found The Saddle Light Center in the phone book and have been volunteering ever since. The progressive benefits the riders receive from these amazing horses under the professional and individual care of Kerstin is awesome to witness and be a part of. The fresh air and exercise is a major plus for me as well as interaction with the other volunteers, riders and horses. Check it out for yourself!"

Amy Rodriguez

FieldStone Homes employees pick up hammer, saw and paintbrush to help Saddle Light Center

More than 40 FieldStone Homes employees gathered at Saddle Light Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship October 22 not to ride, but to spend the day painting, cleaning, hammering and sawing. This is the second time that FieldStone Homes employees volunteered at Saddle Light Center.

"FieldStone Homes partnered with the center back in 2005 and we were delighted when the decision was made to help again this year," said Kerstin Fosdick, LPT, Saddle Light executive director. This year, FieldStone employees painted, cleaned saddles and tack, trimmed trees and built a new wheelchair ramp that will help children who are confined to a wheelchair to be able to mount their horse.

"Our employees enjoyed the day immensely! A couple of our construction managers said it was the best volunteer day ever!" said Catherine Mocniak, Fieldstone executive assistant.

"The Saddle Light Center is a wonderful organization and we're proud to partner with them in San Antonio," said Fred Wyborski, FieldStone San Antonio Division president. "Children, teenagers and adults with neurological, orthopedic, learning, emotional or other disabilities can benefit from equestrian therapy. It inspires riders to accomplish goals previously considered beyond their goals."

The Saddle Light Center is a non-profit organization created in 1991 to help people reach their full potential. The Saddle Light Center is committed to improving the self-esteem and quality of life of disabled individuals of all ages in San Antonio. Click on picture to enlarge:

♥ Honorary Member of the Saddle Club♥
Awarded to Nathan Eric Lutich
By the Board Members of The Saddle Light Center
June 2006