Gibsonville Elementary

On April 14, 2007 I accompanied Kopper Top to Gibsonville Elementary School along with Amelia, Kaitlin, Sara, and Kelsey and even though it was absolutely torturous to stand out in that cold wind for so many hours, it was most definitely worth it to interact with these kids (and parents)! The school was having a fundraiser with little carnival games and bounce houses and best of all, horse rides. We got there a little early to set up and then about ten minutes after we were settled and just waiting for the fair to start, a young girl with braces on her legs, eagerly ran towards the helmet table ready to ride. It turned out that she was a past client of Kopper Top’s but unfortunately had to stop going because of a severe allergy to horses that arose when she spent a prolonged amount of time with them or got their hair on her face or in her eyes. So she rode twice and her dad told her that was it for the day, but believe me it was enough to brighten her for hours, it was as if she had a permanent ear-to-ear grin stamped on her face and the world could do her no wrong, and it was awesome feeling to know that we were all partially responsible for that. Throughout the morning and afternoon, loads of kids came, most came more than once and they were all absolutely precious in the way that they interacted with us whether they were in line of talking to the volunteer leading their horse, they were just so full of life and excited to be there. One family that stood out in particular was a family with three young boys and an infant boy and these boys were adorable and completely friendly and willing to engage with us instantly. All of a sudden, they’re father who was a very tall thick, overall large man, decided he wanted to ride a horse because he never had and if there was ever a time it was now. While it was a very entertaining site to see this full grown man on this horse among children who were mostly under the age of ten, it was also incredibly inspiring because it really made me aware that while I knew it affected the disabled children who made up our cliental and it affected this school children who were just fascinated by the animals, I was taken a back by this man’s commitment to something he wanted to do. He wanted to try something new and to do it with his children and that was truly awe-inspiring to see our work connect a family in such a way. Finally the day came to an end and it was a joy to see the abundance of fair tickets that we had earned throughout the day.