United States Eventing Association

The VIP Volunteer: Cathy Hale Has A Thirst for Adventure and a Love for Volunteering

With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country.

Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.

Perhaps the best way to describe Hale’s thirst for both adventure and volunteering is the story of how she met her husband. “I met my husband [Richard Pillsbury], who was living on a sailboat, through the Coast Guard Auxiliary. That’s why I bought a sailboat and lived on it myself for seven years. We dated for 10 years and eventually got engaged in the cockpit of a flight to London on the Concorde, which I won through a contest held by British Airways,” Hale said.

While owning a horse has been a dream of hers since she was a child, Hale gets her horse fix by volunteering at a variety of equestrian events. “I’m still unhappy with Santa for never bringing me a pony,” Hale said. “I even asked for a barn one year, since Mom said that was the reason [why we couldn’t get a pony].”

After growing up in Ohio and living on the West Coast, Hale was introduced to eventing in 2016 when she moved to Florida from San Diego, where she had lived on her sailboat. Though there was a period of culture shock, she quickly found new ways to learn more about horses through volunteering.

“Eventing was new to me, and I enjoyed all aspects of it,” Hale said. “It’s hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to, I would say scribing has given me the greatest opportunity to learn and try to develop an ‘eye,’ which has been difficult as an armchair enthusiast. Sitting next to such knowledgeable judges who are willing to share their perspectives has been incredibly rewarding! I think about how much I’ve paid for clinics where I had very little access to the true experts and what the value of these one-on-one lessons that last a full day would add up to if I had to pay for their time.”

Not limiting herself to just eventing venues, Hale volunteers all across Area III and enjoys working at the combined driving events at Grand Oaks (Weirsdale, Florida). Hale says it’s too difficult to choose a favorite venue.

“I honestly do not have a favorite venue,” Hale said. “I frequent such places as Rocking Horse and Majestic Oaks and Three Lakes and Barnstaple, as well as the Florida Horse Park. Of course, volunteering at the World Equestrian Center [in Ocala] is quite an experience, especially. It’s an opportunity to meet and work more closely with international judges and even practice my Swedish with a few competitors.”

Hale says she’s drawn to volunteering at equestrian venues, not only because of the horses, but because of the people.

“What I love about it is the environment of being out in nature around horses, and dogs, and those people that focus their lives on them,” she said. “I love meeting all the international competitors and judges and continuing to soak up new information. They are very special people who open their hearts to you and are so generous when sharing their knowledge. I learn something every single time I volunteer, and it makes me so happy to be able to do that.

“The people I have met at each of the venues have become my new family,” she continued. “They are gracious and caring, and the time I spend at their beautiful facilities is something I always cherish. I like to arrive early to see the sun rising with the Spanish moss on the trees and the mist on the ground and blanketed horses getting their first walk of the day. That brings me almost as much joy as sitting on a horse.”

Hale’s riding background is as varied as her passport. From natural horsemanship to endurance to Thoroughbreds, she has experience in a diverse array of equestrian disciplines, despite the fact that she rarely gets to ride herself.

“Horses didn’t really enter my life until a client invited me to groom her Belgians. That led to meeting other horse people, and I ended up involved with OTTB rescue, therapeutic riding programs, crew chief for American Endurance Ride Conference teams, and volunteering for Extreme Mustang Makeover, Road to the Horse, Project Cowboy, and Legacy of Legends,” Hale said.

Instead of being driven by a passion for one discipline in particular, Hale says that she wants to understand the psychology of the equine brain and how to use that understanding to build trusting partnerships with any horse. “Bill and Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and Buck Brannaman have formed the foundation of my beliefs, but many other clinicians and trainers have expanded my perspectives. I never tire of learning new perspectives regarding horse training.”

Hale says that volunteering has made the horse world accessible to her, removing barriers like finances and ability to travel. “My husband teases me that my favorite breed are ‘OP Horses,’ meaning ‘Other People’s,’ ” Hale quipped. “That’s perfect because everyone with horses seems to gratefully accept extra help grooming, exercising, and looking after their horses, so I can get my scratch-and-sniff time in. But I’m still free to enjoy travel without the burden of veterinary, farrier, and feed bills.”

As for getting a horse of her own, she says that when she decides to slow down her travel calendar and stay in one spot, she may find herself a mustang. As Hale puts it, “Eventually, when I stop traveling and have more time, I would love to participate in mustang gentling programs. I’m sure I’ll find it much less expensive than paying for a therapist!”

Hale has been volunteering in one way or another since she was 14 years old and helped the American Red Cross look after children in temporary shelters during the blizzard of 1978. Since then, she has volunteered with an ambulance, joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary, sat on the American Red Cross Board of Directors, and worked with United Way.

“I have always believed that getting involved with volunteer organizations was the best way to meet new people and instantly have a network of friends. Besides my horse activities, I also volunteer during elections, and I am cochairing the International Women’s Day event, which will be held on March 7 in The Villages,” Hale said.

Looking back on her volunteering career over the years, Hale said 2024 may finally be the year she forgives Santa for failing to put a horse under her Christmas as a child. “It may even be possible to forgive Santa for not bringing me a horse because I probably would change my mind every year about which breed I should have and why,” Hale said. “Or I would’ve ended up with a herd of 50 by now!”

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 Mrs. Pastures Cookies for Horses for their support of the Volunteer Incentive Program.