The time I spent at the IHP horse rescue centre at Montaione was among the best and most exhilarating two weeks of my life.
Like any other activity, volunteering needs passion: being a volunteer means dedicating one’s time and energy, taking on responsibilities, respecting rules and sometimes working very hard, but at the same time it means experiencing joy and huge satisfaction. People who, like me, live in large cities, who see horses living their lives shut in stables, cannot help but be astonished by the beauty and the peace of nature where the horses live, at Filicaja. The quiet of the fields, the way the horses move about freely in their groups, helps us to understand just how happy and serene they are there, underlining the unnatural and abnormal nature of the lives they are often forced to live. Only here is it possible to understand their behaviour, the spontaneity of their communication, the way they create their herd dynamics, and the social relationships they need in order to live.
It is said that by helping others we help ourselves; however paradoxical this principle may seem, it cannot be other than true here. Through meeting new people from many different walks of life, there is an exchange of opinions, a recognition of differences, the acquisition of new ideas and the development of one’s personal cultural baggage, out of which grow lasting friendship and respect.
This experience opens your eyes, but also your heart: it teaches you to love and to respect people, horses and other marvelous creatures in nature.
I therefore want to thank the staff of IHP for having given me the chance to take part in this adventure and the hard work they do every day to enable IHP to grow.