As I stood there in the stall, a breeze came through bringing in the pine smell from the pine trees surrounding Fox Lake Farms.

 Looking over the stall gate, I am reminded of the amazing nature that I can see for miles. A horse is guided into the stall that I am standing in and I gently scrape my hand across the soft brown hair of the horse's mane that is blowing in the wind. The sound of the owner placing the chains around the latch on the gate of the stall rings in my ear for a few seconds.

I lazily stumble over to select a stiff bristled brush to groom the horse. I brush from right to left and feel the burn in the muscles in my forearms.

After about ten minutes of grooming, I begin to perspire, tasting the salty sweat as it drips down my face.

Volunteering at Fox Lake Farms and working with horses and farm equipment reminds me of hiking. When I think of hiking, I think of being in the wilderness,

 just as I was when I was volunteering with Fox Lake Farms. As I stood there in the stalls, I smell the earthy smells, from dirt to the grass as you would if you were hiking. As I swept the stalls in the heat of the day,

I felt as though I was walking or climbing up a treacherous path. Later on, I was taught how to groom a horse using a stiff bristled brush. As I took the brush and groomed the horse, the strain on my muscles became almost unbearable. Imagine a person hiking up a mountain,

 the ascending would cause for muscle strains just as I felt as I was grooming the horses. Hiking and volunteering can relate greatly.

As I was cleaning the stalls and sweeping them out, I notice a horse roaming free.

  A few thoughts enter my mind. One, the possibility of someone, maybe myself, left the gate to the horse's stall open and failed to lock the gate securely.

 Another way is that this particular horse has a very rambunctious personality and possibly jumped over the gate or even broke the lock on the gate. Also, this horse might have even escaped before me and others herded the horses into their stalls. All of which could have led to the random horse roaming lonesome. As a result of the horse roaming free, I begin to feel guilty about not being as responsible as I potentially could have. Also, the free horse might have damaged equipment while wandering around.

And another big result could be me possibly being kicked out of volunteering at Fox Lake Farms.

Patience is a trait that many would love to acquire but just don't.

 Many people who possess the quality of patience have the ability to bear annoyance and without any complaint whatsoever. Those of you who can't seem to be patient with most things in life, wouldn't you like to learn to be patient? One way in which an individual can become patient is volunteering to assist in a therapeutic exercise known as hippotherapy.

 Being involved with hippotherapy can greatly improve one's patience by handling the children or teenagers who have a disability or have difficulty functioning whether that is physically or emotionally. Volunteers walk along side the horse

 and must be prepared for any incident or movement that may occur. This job takes patience. Also, waiting for the results of visible improvement from the clients requires a sufficient amount of patience. Patience is guaranteed when working with these children.

As I took the stiff-bristled brush

 and used short flicking strokes to groom the horse, I was inspired by how the horses can benefit and improve the lives of young children through a therapeutic exercise known as hippotherapy.

 I took the brush and grazed over the legs of the horse and realized that these are the most important features the horse uses in order to improve many functions of the patient using rhythm. I realized that me grooming a horse promotes the horse's health which then led me to the realization that horses boost the function ability of their patients. Grooming the horse takes time and effort as does the therapy sessions the patient undergoes incorporating the horse and the horse's movements. As I combed the mane,

 I saw that with each stroke, the mane of the horse improved just as each movement the horse makes slowly benefits the patient.