United States Eventing Association

Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, horses were far out of Barb Bennett’s reach. She made do by begging her parents for pony rides at local carnivals and daydreaming about a horse of her very own.

“I was one of these people who loved horses and wanted a horse for as long as I can remember, but we lived where I couldn't have one,” Bennett said.

Then, in 2001, Bennett finally had the chance to make her life-long dream come true. “I moved to Maryland. and my husband bought me lessons,” Bennett said. “I took lessons at the barn, and I saw that people who had full-time jobs had horses there.”

After moving to Maryland, Bennett launched a career in the federal sector, diving headfirst into the hustle and bustle of government life. Noticing that there were other government workers at her barn was an eye-opening moment for her.

“Horses were always something I thought you had to really be rich to do,” Bennett said. “To see that there were other federal people at my barn that had horses, I was kind of like, ‘Oh, I can do this after all,’ because they weren't wealthy.”

Bennett purchased April Fool Out Alibi, a middle-aged horse with a heart of gold who had been competing in dressage with his previous rider. Nicknamed “Ali,” the Quarter Horse was born on April Fool’s Day.

“I was older, and I never was a good rider,” Bennett said. “I was very timid. Half of it was the fun of spending time and riding him, and the other half was learning about horses’ personalities. I learned a lot from owning him for 12 years, and I enjoyed the groundwork, the grooming. I would still pick his stall, even though he was at a boarding barn. Spending time and realizing that they are all different was the hook.”

Over the following decade, Bennett and Ali developed a close relationship. “Ali knew who I was. If I drove in, he'd run to the gate in his turnout field. This would sound so silly to people that were around him all the time, but things like they like to roll in the dirt, get up, and run. They have friends. I did not realize that they had such personalities. A dog knows its owner, but a horse does too, right?”

When life called her away from Maryland, Bennett returned Ali to his previous owner and moved to North Carolina. Though newly horseless, Bennett said she was in no rush to get another horse, but still wanted to stay connected to the community. After a friend convinced her to volunteer at a local competition, Bennett found a new way to enjoy horses without the financial burden.

“I helped out at little local shows at a saddle club in far western North Carolina,” Bennett said. “They tried to introduce dressage, they tried to introduce eventing, but eventually it ended up becoming a rodeo or a barrel racing club. But I volunteered there, and that was fun.”

“And I thought, ‘Hey, you know, I like being around horses, and now I don't have to worry about them,” Bennett continued. “They go home, and I don't have to worry about the bills.”

In 2017, she made the move to volunteering for the eventing discipline and hasn’t looked back since. Living in North Carolina has given her plenty of opportunities to volunteer, with beautiful venues like the Tryon International Equestrian Center, Carolina Horse Park, and Stable View to choose from, among others.

“Part of what's interesting to me with eventing is it's beautiful to watch the teamwork between the rider and the horse, especially during my favorite phase, cross-country,” Bennett said. “But then I've also gotten to see the teamwork between the rider and the horse and the grooms, right? Even a rider that's riding multiple horses, you can see that they get along with each other in different ways. It’s really interesting for me to spectate as I volunteer and watch that camaraderie between rider and handler and horse.”

Often referred to as the triathlon of equestrian sports, eventing requires a significant degree of fitness from both rider and horse. This is an aspect of the sport that Bennett could really appreciate, as she used to be a long-distance runner.

“The other thing I really love about eventing—I used to run distance, you know, marathons, half marathons—and the preparation isn’t the same as cross-country, but I can appreciate the stamina required,” Bennett said. “How do you prepare the horse for that? They're going up and down terrain and things. It requires dedication. That's not even the word—It's almost like a little bit of craziness to go out and keep doing it. I think when I realized, ‘Hey, they're out there for five minutes, 10 minutes.’ There's a lot of work that goes into that, and I think that's why I like being out there too, is to see all that work that goes into just that phase, but then they also have to do the other two.”

Bennett has also found a community through volunteering. “There is a camaraderie,” Bennett said. “I always look forward to seeing, ‘Oh yes, so this person's organizing again, or this person is a volunteer coordinator again.’ The same people come back, and we try to, especially at Tryon, we text each other and try to get together for warm up.”

While she has volunteered in a variety of positions—from score running to working at the in-gate, her favorite way to volunteer is to work as a jump judge.

“What I really love about jump judging is watching how each rider approaches the job differently, not just the riding capability, but the line on the ground, because it's really interesting how some people will make sharp turns and some people are right way out of their way,” Bennett said. “That all has to do with their experience and the horse and knowing what they can do and all of that. I really like to look at that and watch how they approach the jumps, how the different strides are between jumps.”

An avid sports fan, particularly when it comes to golf, Bennett is also simply a fan of the sport. “I will take my score sheets home, and I like to go on EventEntries to see how people did,” Bennett said. “It's not just to go out and do this, do the job, and go home. I'll look up and see how many people rode in this show. You can see who signed up, what classes.”

Known for its positive attitude and inclusive nature, eventing is one of those few sports where the community welcomes most anyone with open arms. Bennett has been lucky enough to experience that firsthand.

“Being able to follow people in the sport and then see that sometimes they succeed, or they start to really excel and then sometimes actually seeing them on the course, and they'll say, ‘Hello,’ ” Bennett said. “Wow, where else can you run into Simone Biles and say hi to her, right? It’s an international sport, but a person that does not have a big background in it, like myself, can be out there with people that are riding at the highest levels.”

When asked what motivates her to continue volunteering, Bennett replied, “Friendship is part of it, but then there's also the feeling that you’re making the show possible.”

One of the highlights of Bennett’s volunteering career was working at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at Tryon in 2018.

“I was fortunate enough to be selected to be a jump judge for the World Equestrian Games,” Bennett said. “I volunteered for all kinds of stuff. But the cross-country part was very unique in that you actually had a practice day just to make sure everything worked right, and I worked with a team.”

Not only has Bennett made unforgettable memories of her own by volunteering at horse trials, but she’s also played a big role in the memorable moments of others, like the mother of a rider tackling her first CCI1*.

“It’s fun to meet the people that just come up to you,” Bennett said. “A mom came up and said that it was her daughter’s first FEI show. She's riding in the one-star. I said, ‘Hey, who are you looking for? I’ve got the radio, so you know where they're at.’ Once I told the mom that her daughter finished, she started crying.”

Bennett’s aforementioned feeling that she’s making the show possible is correct. Whether it’s a local schooling show or the World Equestrian Games, horse trials require hard-working volunteers in order to run. Not only has volunteering allowed Bennett a front-row seat to one of her favorite sports, the volunteer hours she’s put in have also allowed countless riders to achieve their goals and make priceless memories, whether it’s tackling their first CCI1* or simply crossing the finish line.

About the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our sport—the unsung heroes, and the people who make it possible to keep eventing alive. In efforts to recognize the dedication, commitment, and hard work that volunteers put into eventing, the USEA formed the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) in 2015. In 2017, an online management portal was designed for volunteers, organizers, and volunteer coordinators at EventingVolunteers.com, which is also available as an app for iOS and Android.

Volunteer incentives include national and area recognition, year-end awards, a top-10 USEA Volunteer leaderboard, and a Volunteer of the Year award which is given to the volunteer who accumulates the most volunteer hours on EventingVolunteers.com at recognized events throughout the USEA competition year. Click here to learn more about the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program.

The USEA would like to thank Horse Illustrated for their support of the Volunteer Incentive Program.