With Summer Volunteer Spots Filled, SPUR Taking Names For The Fall

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LINCROFT, New Jersey – After a long career as an Internal Revenue Service agent, Les Neiman, 62, of Belford, decided it was time for something different.
“I retired and was looking for some fun things to do,” he said, “I was searching for things that I had never had the chance to try in my life.”
Neiman discovered riding lessons for people 55-years-old and older at the county’s Sunnyside Recreation Area facility in Lincroft. “I was not a great rider, but I had a good time.” He attended a volunteer workshop, an orientation for incoming volunteers to the SPUR program, which stands for Special People United to Ride, and fell in love with working in a horse barn.
He is not alone. Volunteering for SPUR is so popular that the 25 spots for the June 30 volunteer workshop have already filled, and reservations are being taken for the Sept. 12. The fall and spring workshops accept a total of 35 volunteers each season.
Some people sign up and attend workshops because they are eager to work with horses. Others join because they are seeking the opportunity to work with individuals with special needs.
“If you want to work with the horses, you eventually form a bond with the students and if you want to work with the students, you build a bond with the horses,” Neiman said. “You feel great at the end of the day when you come home from such a great environment where you are helping students.”
No horse experience is necessary to become a volunteer, said Pat Bernstein, the Equestrian Volunteer Coordinator. “We are looking for people with the willingness to help, to keep an open mind, and to learn the way we do things here at SPUR,” Bernstein said. “We need people who are reliable and will come at their designated times for lessons.”
The only requirements needed are to be at least 14 years of age, to be able to walk for an hour, and to be able to jog for short periods of time.
People may have qualms regarding safety in the presence of such large animals, ranging from 14 to 16 hands and 900-1300 pounds. But these horses are calm, and were specifically selected to serve as therapeutic riding animals for handicapped individuals based on factors such as their demeanor, size and age.
The instructors and staff offer professional advice for those newcomers who have not been around horses. “If you are trained to do the right thing in the right way, you will not be intimidated by the size of the animals you are working with,” Neiman noted. “I had no horse experience before I signed up for the riding lessons here and I feel confident and safe through the guidance of the instructors.”
Volunteers typically dress in SPUR volunteer shirts with their nametag and dress appropriately for the weather. Upon arriving for a lesson, the volunteer signs in, checks what is needed for the horse and student and collects those necessary items from the tack room. The volunteer grooms and prepares the horse, leads the readied mount to the ring, and begins to hand walk the animal 10 to 15 minutes before the lesson begins.
“After years of being an IRS agent, people are finally happy to see me,” Neiman joked.
 Since the spring of 2013, Neiman has already volunteered over 600 hours with the SPUR program.
For more information about the Sept. 12 volunteer workshop, visit spuronline.org or call 732-224-1367.
– By James Romano