PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The staff of Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness and Integration Organization Detachment 3, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, paid a visit Nov. 30 to a local therapeutic horse riding center tackling several maintenance and housekeeping projects.
The detachment’s 12 military and civilian Airmen spent the afternoon at the Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center. They were joined by 13 Airmen from the 10th Force Support Squadron, which is located at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
“Anytime you can have a positive change in your community it’s a good thing,” said Col. Jennifer McGonigle, the Detachment 3 commander, of her team’s time working at the riding center.
The volunteer day was driven by Staff Sgt. Nikolaus Rouse, a readiness management specialist serving on full-time orders at the detachment who is also a traditional reservist at the 380th Space Control Squadron. Rouse, along with his fiancé, Senior Airman Gabrielle Leora, an active-duty career development technician at the 10th Force Support Squadron, have given up part of each Saturday since October to volunteer at the riding center.
The center, located in nearby Elbert, Colorado, is a non-profit that provides a variety of therapeutic services that center around caring for and riding horses. Rouse and Leora have worked with the same eight-year-old child every week, helping him learn to ride and care for a horse and, in the process, strengthen the muscles in his core and hips.
The couple got involved when they were looking to put volunteerism in their lives. Rouse, who attended a nearby high school as a teenager, had heard good things about the program from friends. Leora, who is from Texas but has been stationed in Colorado Springs for four years, did some research online, found out there was an upcoming new-volunteer orientation and signed them up.
While Rouse had spent time working on a horse ranch during high school, Leora said she had not ridden a horses since she was a young child and was anxious about being around them. The orientation calmed her fears and the couple was soon helping a young child grow stronger.
In addition to supporting the patient as he rides, the two Airmen help teach him about grooming the animals, play games with him and perform various other therapy actions, as directed by the therapist who is also present during their sessions. After a couple weeks of this, Rouse and Leora asked if there was anything the riding center needed help with, since it is largely volunteer-run organization. They took the list they were given back to their respective organizations and asked if they could get a group together to help out at the center.
The Detachment 3 commander was already planning to implement a quarterly group-volunteer activity, so Rouse’s proposal was a perfect fit, said McGonigle.
The morning of the 30th was a cold one and McGonigle said she thought the group would freeze working at the partially-outdoor riding center. But by midday, the weather was 50 degrees and sunny.
During the three-hour window the group of Airmen was at the center, they were able to complete all of the projects they were assigned, said Leora. They spread fresh dirt around an outdoor corral that needed to be resurfaced, cleaned the tack room where the riding equipment is stored, and filled in holes caused by erosion. They also helped decorate the center for the holidays.
McGonigle said the time her detachment spent together volunteering was a great way to build teamwork and pride in the organization, adding that shoveling dirt with someone really creates a bond.
HQ RIO is responsible for managing more than 7,200 Individual Reservists who are assigned to augment active-component organizations and government agencies. The Individual Reserve population is made up of Individual Mobilization Augmentees and Participating Individual Ready Reservists. Detachment 3 is located at Peterson Air Force Base and is one of seven HQ RIO detachments. It is responsible for IMAs assigned to Air Force Space Command, North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Global Strike Command, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and U.S. Cyber Command.