United States Eventing Association

The VIP Volunteers: Family Lost and Family Found for Marji Hines and Robinson Regen

This month’s VIP Volunteers are a mother and daughter duo who have a unique tradition that started over four decades ago: volunteering at the Kentucky Horse Park together. While both Marjorie “Marji” Hines and her daughter, Robinson Regen, have a pleasure riding background, and Hines used to work cattle with her father on the family farm, they knew very little about eventing when they first started volunteering. Hines started volunteering first after she needed something to do while her grandson, Jackson Regen, competed. Robinson found herself pulled into the loop some time later.

“Well, back in ‘78 my mother was at a cocktail party, and she volunteered me to work the [Kentucky Three-Day Event],” Robinson said, laughing. “I had a child who wanted to ride, and we went to the hunter/jumper world, and I was like, I'm not spending my day in the hunter/jumper world, and took him to the Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he said, ‘Mom, this is what I want to do.’ ”

FEI Steward and volunteer coordinator Carolyn Borgert was instrumental in introducing Hines to volunteering. Borgert found Hines back at the barns and asked if she would be willing to volunteer, as they were short-handed. “My husband was a golf official, and he took me to Louisville to the big tournament that was down there, and we held ropes. So, I thought, ‘Oh, gee, I have a wonderful background,’ ” Hines said.

And the rest is history, as they say. The duo was hooked on volunteering. “One thing is to give back to the sport that's been so good to my son, Jackson,” Robinson said. “It paid for a good portion of his academics in college. I’ve found this is the best way to give back to the sport that was so good to him and to us financially.”

Robinson also feels that it’s a great way to meet new people. “I've met some of the most fascinating people while jump judging,” she said. “You can't stay in your bubble. You’ve got to get out there. All day long, you’re meeting incredible folks, broadening your horizons, and watching some of the top riders or future top riders.”

Hines and Robinson now live a couple hours apart. Volunteering at the Kentucky Horse Park is a great excuse to spend time together. “It’s a great opportunity for Robinson to come up here and visit, and we can have at least two hours together, an hour over and an hour back. When Carolyn [Bogert] has enough volunteers, we work together. When she doesn't, then we are separate,” Hines said.

Robinson recommends volunteering to any parent whose child events. “Parents who are fearful of their child riding [should volunteer], whatever the job might be. So, to say, we start the season volunteering at the Kentucky Three-Day Event, and you're out there with those massive jumps and thinking ‘How are they going to make it over?’ And everybody rides clear for the day, and you're just like, ‘Oh, thank you so very much.’ And you take that back to the lower levels, and parents that are like, ‘Oh my gosh, are they going to get over it?’ And it’s just like, ‘Yes!’ But it kind of takes that fear factor away for parents, by volunteering at the upper levels. I just highly encourage anybody that needs to go, to do it.”

Once a year, every year, this duo would become a trio. Hines’ husband and Robinson’s father, Hugh G. Hines Jr., would join them in volunteering at the Kentucky Three-Day Event. “He would be kind of a sidekick,” Robinson said.

“I think he went just to be nice to us, too,” Marji added. “He wanted to see us.”

Sadly, tragedy struck at the 2023 USEA American Eventing Championships when Hugh unexpectedly and suddenly passed away. “Last year, Mom and I were working jumps side by side when I got the call from my brother,” Robinson said. “He was at the University of Kentucky Hospital. I spent the nights with him so mom and my brother could go and have quality sleep and be there during the day.”

Despite the personal loss Robinson was going through, she continued to volunteer at the AEC during the day and would spend each night sleeping in her father’s hospital room. She said spending the days volunteering was a therapeutic distraction for her. “It just shows what animals can do for you, what the outdoors can do for you, when things aren’t going the way they should be,” Robinson said.

This year, volunteering at the AEC was bittersweet. “This year, I don’t have that 15-minute drive to go hang out with my dad, but I have that hour drive in the morning and in the evening to hang out with my mom, so it's just kind of a redirect, you know? It's part of moving forward, I guess,” Robinson said.

Robinson and Marji believe that volunteering has brought their already close family even closer together. “We've been a pretty close family since we were little, so I'm very fortunate on that but [volunteering] just adds another layer of connection,” Robinson said.

“I do [feel it brings us closer] and I really enjoy working with her, because one of us can be the scribe, and the other one can be the radio person,” Marji said.

Despite the loss of one family member, volunteering has helped mother and daughter expand their family into the equestrian world. “It's kind of a nice family to have, that camaraderie of the equine world,” Robinson said. “Some of the folks we saw this past AEC, were like, ‘How are you doing? It’s been a year.’ So, it's family.”

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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.