When Garry Stauber joined DreamPower, a nonprofit therapeutic horsemanship organization, he didn’t think he was cut out for it. After his first few lessons teaching autistic children to interact and ride horses, Stauber didn’t think he was qualified and quit—several times. But week after week, Stauber found himself returning to help those with special needs heal with horses.
Fast forward 11 years and Stauber still doesn’t think he’s the man for the job, but said he can’t imagine doing anything else. The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) recognized Stauber’s passion and commitment by naming him the 2014 Region 11 Certified Professional of the Year—one of three awards given to DreamPower this year.
“A lot of programs like this are certainly for people who have special needs or disabilities—whatever you might label or put them in categories—but volunteers like myself gain from it also,” Stauber said, fighting back tears as he sat overlooking the horse training arenas. “It gives you purpose and you have a reason to get up.”
DreamPower’s Terry Stinson was named the 2014 PATH Intl. Region 11 Volunteer of the Year and a 17-year-old registered American Paint Horse named Pete claimed the 2014 PATH Intl. Region 11 Horse of the Year title. DreamPower, which offers equine assisted activities and therapies such as psychotherapy, learning and therapeutic riding, is a member of PATH Intl.’s Region 11. It includes California, Nevada and Hawaii and consists of 73 programs.
This was the first year DreamPower founder Martha McNiel chose to nominate people for the PATH Intl. awards. Prior to this, she had only nominated the horses—including 2011 Region 11 winner Tulips — as she said she didn’t want to single anyone out. The program currently has eight registered riding instructors like Stauber and over 450 volunteers like Stinson. But this year McNiel thought it was better to recognize someone rather than no one.
“I nominated all three of them hoping one would win,” McNiel said. “I know what the criteria are—there’s very strict criteria—so I felt like all three of them had an equally good chance of winning, but I was just hoping that one would win for DreamPower. I was stunned when I got all three letters in the mail.”
Both Stinson and Stauber were humbled by the awards, saying they thought there were candidates who were better suited then themselves. But McNiel disagrees, saying DreamPower wouldn’t be what it is without their contributions.
McNiel founded DreamPower—located at WoodMyst Farms 7460 Crews Road, Gilroy—in 2002 and Stauber was the first riding instructor other than herself when he joined in 2003. The clients, of all ages, are greeted by the horses as they come in to take one of the roughly 16 lessons Stauber teaches a week as DreamPower’s head riding instructor. He is also the chairman of DreamPower’s Board of Directors and started a wilderness program—inspired by volunteering with the U.S. Forest Service—which brings participants on horse camping trips to explore the great outdoors.
But Stauber’s work speaks loudest through his clients, like Karah Silacci who has been in a wheelchair since Nov. 2009. Just over a month ago, Silacci wasn’t sure riding a horse would even be possible for someone who couldn’t use her legs. She was introduced to DreamPower through Operation Freedom Paws—an organization which has provided Silacci with a service dog and where McNiel volunteers—and began taking lessons with Stauber. Though she was nervous at first, Silacci said Stauber quickly made her feel safe and at ease. She’s now working on being able to go horseback riding alongside her daughter Savannah so they could be face-to-face and be on equal ground—and Stauber is helping her achieve that.
“He’s a great instructor. I love it because he explains everything very well, and he makes sure there’s no surprises,” Karah said. “He makes you feel secure. I know that either him or Savannah are right there; they’ll catch me if I start sliding. He looks like a farmer, a rough old farmer, but he’s so soft and encouraging and gentle and warm.”
Stinson has kept DreamPower going behind the scenes, taking on the program’s fundraising. She leads a committee that organizes the program’s fundraising events throughout the year, including the Wine, Dine and Equine event which celebrated it’s sixth anniversary on June 28 at Satori Cellars Winery in Gilroy. The event raised $22,000 this year, bringing in the highest total in the program’s history.
Stinson, the vice president of a property management company, said while her job is demanding, it’s important to her to still make time to volunteer. Having been born with “horse gene” and owning horses since she was 16, she looked for a place that helped both the animals she loved and children, too. She discovered DreamPower in 2007 and since then has made it her mission to keep the organization’s doors open.
“Someone has to focus on keeping it financially going and it’s not always easy,” Stinson said. “There have been times when I’ve come here on a Sunday morning to feed and there are only five bales of hay in the barn and that makes me very nervous. Although I’d rather be working in the program with the kids and with the horses, at this point in my life my focus is to raise funds to keep the program going. Many, many therapeutic riding programs have only lasted two to four years because it’s so difficult to find the finances.”
This year, Stinson shares the spotlight with Pete, who she helped save with her first fundraiser for DreamPower. Pete has Navicular Disease, an incurable degenerative hoof disease. DreamPower didn’t have the money for Pete’s surgery, so Stinson hosted a fundraiser in her backyard. Dr. Bill Seals of Tri-County Veterinary Hospital ended up donating the entire surgery and along with farrier Dale Orr, they were able to save Pete’s life. The funds raised went to Pete’s costly aftercare.
“Pete is my favorite horse in a way because of that and now we both got the award together. It’s kind of cool,” Stinson said.
Pete is one of DreamPower’s 16 horses—four are miniature—is considered one of the “old timers” of the program. He is able to be ridden in an array of lessons including ones with combat veterans or the severely disabled as well as independently and has even attended Stauber’s camping trips.
Along with their nomination forms, each candidate needed four letters of recommendation from specific sources, i.e. a client or instructor. For Pete, there was no shortage of admiration.
“He has a very big fan club,” McNiel said with a beaming smile.
All three winners are now up for national awards, which will be announced at the PATH Intl. Conference Awards Banquet on Oct. 31 in San Diego. But for Stauber, he said the recognition isn’t necessary and that having the opportunity to be with DreamPower is all he needs.
“There’s purpose, there’s family,” he said. “What a great job though to come to work every day and do your passion and help people while you’re doing it—you can’t ask for anything better than that. It’s a good life.”
The Hoofs and Woofs Poker Run 2014 to benefit DreamPower and Operation Freedom Paws will be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 23 at Harley Davidson House of Thunder, 16175 Condit Road, Morgan Hill.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. with first bike out at 10 a.m., last bike at 11:30 a.m. Last bike in at 3 p.m. It cost $25 per ride, $10 per passenger.
For more information visit dreampowerhorsemanship.com.
