From June 24-June 27th Virginia Polo hosted a group of Starr Hill Pathways campers at the polo center as part of their “Vet Tech Pathway.” The graphic below gives a brief description of the Starr Hill Pathways program, continue reading below it to learn more about how Virginia Polo added value to these students’ lives this summer and hopefully to their future plans as well.
Designed around the theme of a vet tech pathway we crafted a plan for the four days that would expose the kids to a variety of career paths similar to veterinary technician and related to horses. In addition to the professional side of things, we also gave the kids a chance to enjoy the great outdoors and the great facility at Va Polo. Each morning they thoroughly enjoyed grooming the ponies, leading them with ever increasing proficiency, and turning them out. They also had time to challenge themselves to swinging the mallet off the wooden horse in the hitting cage and running around the indoor arena with foot mallets.
We were lucky to have three wonderful guest speakers beginning with Billy Baldwin who kindly came and told the kids about his career as an estate manager. Along with explaining the variety of tasks within his days, he also told them of all the people he hires to help run the estates, and explained the benefits of outdoor work and the importance of loving what you do. He gave a great talk on how to seed and maintain the polo field and the machinery needed on farms. The highlight for many of the kids was getting to start the tractor and getting the chance to maneuver the scoop.
Billy Baldwin shows a camper how to run the mower used to keep the polo field smooth
Our much-loved vet, Dr. Susanna Charland from Blue Ridge Equine Clinic, enthralled the campers with a learning and doing experience in equine veterinary medicine. They watched as she sedated a pony and treated a wound on her back leg, narrating as she went on what steps she was taking, how it had healed so far, and what she was applying to it to continue healing. The kids showed their interest with their thoughtful questions. Dr. Charland then amazed her student audience by showing them inside the pony’s mouth, many of the students bravely took turns putting their hands inside Terri’s mouth, held open by a speculum, and feeling her tongue and teeth. Dr. Charland later did a lameness examine and helped the students understand what she was seeing when observing a lame horse and helped them decipher how to identify in which leg it had discomfort. She was an excellent presenter and had many students expressing interest in becoming a vet in her audience.
Pathways camper Emily is first to reach into Terri’s mouth to feel her teeth and tongue
On the campers’ final day at Virginia Polo they met our farrier of 20+ years John Digney who demonstrated and explained his profession as a farrier. John addressed an abcess in a pony, trimmed and demonstrated shoeing and trimming on healthy hooves, and brought his iPad with a wealth of before and after photos of abnormal hooves and issues to show the kids. Along with his demos, John did an excellent job of describing the up sides of being a farrier, including making your own schedule, spending time with clients, and working independently. While many of the kids were familiar with careers in veterinary medicine, for most this was their first exposure to option of becoming a farrier.
On Tuesday we gave them the Virginia Polo experience, telling them how our gorgeous and impressive facility was built from donations from our generous alumni, parents, and friends, and giving them the opportunity to get to know ponies and how to care for them. They brushed, hoof picked, braided tails, watched wrapping demonstrations, were shown how to tack up, and the UVA summer crew even played a 2 on 2 chukker for them (the ponies’ first chukker of the summer). Afterwards the kids enjoyed getting to bathe the ponies and take them out to their pasture and turn them out.
UVA players Megan & Shang teach the campers how to bathe the horses
The campers thoroughly enjoyed the 4-day experience, and we hope to have broadened their horizons on career paths they can explore. Year 2 with Starr Hill Pathways was a fun success!
