May 2022: Judy Sophianopolous
Judy Sophianopolous
Judy Sophianopolous, our Volunteer of the Month, is no stranger to Little Creek Horse Farm and Stride Ahead. She was one of the first volunteers when Stride Ahead was established by founder Anne Preston in 2010. She tells us the best part of volunteering is that something so much fun is also helpful and useful to other people. Additionally, it provides the community with the invaluable opportunity to have horses as friends.
Always willing to volunteer, in addition to being a side walker for Stride Ahead, Judy used to put sweet Zan’s supplements together and on occasion helped administer them. Recently the barn supervisor asked if anyone would be willing to take soil samples to help Little Creek know more about the soil and how we can make the pastures better for the horses. Sure enough, Judy volunteered and could be found on hands and knees digging up soil samples in the grass.
Judy is the proud owner of Panda, a 20-year-old black and white mare. Panda was a neglect case and living at the state equine impound center where Judy worked as a volunteer. The center held auctions to find homes for the horses which is where Judy first saw Panda, bid on her and now they’ve been together for many years and at Little Creek since 2002.
Judy rode as a child and always loved horses. As a teenager she only rode occasionally, and as she began to raise a family and build a career she didn’t have time for riding. However, when Judy reached 70 she decided it was time to get back in the saddle, a dressage saddle.
She says that as a child she never heard of dressage. After all, John Wayne and Roy Rogers didn’t ride dressage so why should she? But she took it up and continued to ride, including competitively, until COVID shut down the barn and left her confined to her retirement community. By then she was 88 and had been riding for 18 years.
While she no longer rides, at 90 Judy is as active as ever, tutoring students in afterschool programs and coming to the barn when she can.
When asked about a memory or experience while working with Stride Ahead, Judy says it was a delight and inspiration to see the bond of affection and trust that developed between Stride’s wonderful horse, Zan, and a young man who was a patient of the Shepherd Center. The young man had been injured in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. During his time working with Zan he not only learned to ride but he learned to stand up leaning against Zan while grooming her, which was quite an achievement.
Thank you, Judy!
If you would like to make a donation in honor of Judy and all of our wonderful volunteers who make Stride happen, thank you.
