United States Eventing Association

The VIP Volunteer: Rebecca Proetto Keeps Things Running Smoothly at the MARS Maryland 5 Star

Scattered among the eventers and horses at the MARS Maryland 5 Star horse inspection in October were volunteers dressed smartly in matching red shirts. While all eyes were on the athletes, they worked behind the scenes, ensuring the event ran smoothly. The event was particularly special for volunteer Rebecca Proetto, who kept records and guided the athletes at the end of the jog strip.

Volunteering at Maryland is a full circle moment for Proetto, who’s been riding and volunteering at the Fair Hill venue in Elkton where it’s held since she was a child. “We would do our Pony Club rallies here for eventing as kids, and then I did the lower levels here as well,” she said.

Proetto volunteers with the events at Fair Hill International alongside her sister, Rachel Courtney. “We've always helped with the Fair Hill international events they had on the other side, and still do that. And then when they moved to the Maryland 5 Star—my older sister's one of the volunteer leads, so I tagged along. And then I've known volunteers Ed and Leanne [Barnett] through Pony Club and friends. So, Leanne asked me to help with jogs.”

At 35 years old, Proetto balances volunteering with a demanding career as a financial advisor. She manages to continue volunteering but limits herself to the weekends, although she did take Friday off specifically so she could volunteer at the five-star. While she grew up with ponies in her backyard, she had to give up riding as she got older. Currently living near Philadelphia, there just isn't enough time in the day to ride as much as she did growing up. Volunteering is how she stays connected to the horse community.

“My relaxation is getting out, seeing the horses, and riding. So, it's nice to be back here, especially to this property, which has so many memories, and see what's going on,” she said. “To see the names you read about on all the different websites and blogs in person and what they're doing—it's just nice to feel connected to that.”

Like many young professionals, time is a limited resource for Proetto. But she says dedicating some of her time to volunteering isn’t much of a sacrifice. “From a time perspective, I sit in an office all day. So, it's really nice to have the opportunity to be outside, typically in a beautiful venue, watching beautiful animals do something they love to do. It's just a fun experience. It’s something everyone should do,” she said.

Proetto has particularly fond memories of competing in the events at Fair Hill International with her favorite horse growing up, Tribby. “I had a horse that I got through a free lease, through Pony Club, that was very talented,” she said. “He was bred to be an upper-level event horse for Bruce Davidson Sr., and then just didn't have the conformation for the upper levels. I was given the opportunity to ride him, which was the nicest horse we could have ever gotten as kids. He took me to the highest levels of anything that I won. I only went up to Prelim, but we did that. We did tons of Pony Club stuff, tons of trail riding, and it was just a really wonderful experience.”

Volunteering doesn’t just keep Proetto connected to her childhood memories and love of horses, it also allows her to peek into parts of events that few people get to see. “I think getting to see behind-the-scenes stuff is definitely my favorite part of volunteering,” Proetto said. “With jogs and with stabling, you get to see riders, grooms, and horses all interact and what they go through to put it all together outside of the ring, right? Some of the behind-the-scenes things are really interesting, and you don't always get to see it.”

Events are always looking for more volunteers to fulfill essential roles, like fence judging, helping in the vet box, stabling, driving golf carts, decorating fences, and much more. Many volunteers are retirees who discovered a passion for volunteering later on in life. It’s rare to see someone still working who also finds the time to volunteer. Proetto says that making time in her busy schedule for volunteering is more than worth it.

“I think one of the neat things is that you get to meet people from all different walks of life,” she said. “Everyone has this common thread that brings them together, and everyone's happy to talk about what they do and why they love the sport. A lot of people do horses in some way. A lot of times it's not eventers. So it's kind of neat to talk to people who may be jumpers or trail riders primarily; people with a different background and experience with horses.”

In Proetto’s opinion, people are hesitant to volunteer because they believe they don’t have the experience necessary to volunteer at an equestrian event. “There's a lot of opportunities to volunteer in areas where you don't need a lot of experience, or you can talk to whatever coordinator and ask them, ‘What do I need to know?’ All the coordinators are happy to educate and teach people. Especially if you're at an FEI level and have a question, you have access to the Technical Delegates or someone like that who can explain things,” Proetto said. “There's a huge amount of knowledge to share. There's no reason to feel like you don’t know enough to do it.”

If you’re interested in volunteering at an event near you, check out eventingvolunteers.com.

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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 ten 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.