One of Thamar Draper’s favorite things about Galway Downs volunteering is the friendly atmosphere. It’s had that vibe since Thamar competed here in the 1990s and it still does.
While working the Grand Prix Arena in-gate at a recent event, Thamar was happy to receive a nice greeting from Tamie Smith as the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky champ waited her turn. “You might think, ‘Well, they’re an upper-level rider, why would they want to talk to me?’ but, everybody is very inclusive around here.”
A Way-Back Galway Girl
Thamar and Tamie actually go way back. When Thamar moved to the States from the United Kingdom, she continued her amateur riding track with trainer Kim Scheid. Tamie was training with Kim then, too. Thamar remembers Tamie’s daughter, Kaylawna, playing near the ring – sitting in a big pile of sand with a jump cup as a toy.
Kaylawna Smith-Cook, of course, is an accomplished professional now. And while Thamar has retired from riding, she still loves being part of the scene as a volunteer.
“Kim Scheid recommended volunteering when I first started riding over here,” Thamar explains. “It was about giving back to the sport and as an educational opportunity. Whether scribing for dressage judges or being a cross-country jump judge, you could learn a lot from seeing how a judge looked at things, or how different riders approached the jumps.
“I was a neurotic adult rider and the education I got from volunteering really helped me gain confidence,” the French Valley resident continues. “Above all, on cross-country, I learned to trust the horses – that they clearly know what they are doing.”
While juggling a full-time career in information technology, Thamar competed two horses through Training Level. One of them, Ire Lark, enjoys retirement now and is still the “sweetest horse ever.”
First-Hand Experience
Despite frequent traveling for work, Thamar competed often at Galway Downs, Woodside and in Arizona. Work won out over equestrian competition around 2013, and Thamar then stayed connected to the sport by volunteering when she could. She’s a good friend of some of Galway’s veteran volunteer coordinators, including Bernie Law, Jerri Lance and Laura Jaeger. When word got out that she had retired in 2021, “The call came to say, ‘Hey, you’re retired, now you can come to all the shows!’ Which has been great, actually.”
Volunteers at Galway Downs have always been well cared for and appreciated, Thamar notes. That’s even more true now as the coordinators have taken things to new levels in supporting volunteers and as the incentives now include cool Galway Downs swag that’s a great option for those who don’t need entry fee vouchers.
She often volunteers with friends from her Kim Scheid days. And even when she’s solo, new friends are always nearby. “The Galway team does a really good job of including everybody and introducing everybody and everybody is super friendly.”
Volunteer Sweet Spots
Jump judging and dressage scribing continue to be Thamar’s favorite volunteer roles. Both provide more opportunities to think about various horsemanship questions and to discuss what she learned or witnessed with fellow horse fanatics. “Volunteers come from all walks of life, but they all want to talk about horses!”
Retired life is busy, Thamar reports with a laugh. Scuba diving and travel take up a lot of her time now. Even so Galway volunteering remains a regular calendar commitment.
She hopes to be part of the Eventing Championships in November. While Galway’s friendly atmosphere is the same as it’s always been, the operation itself is considerably bigger, Thamar says. Growth and positive changes set the stage for showing off the venue and the Galway team’s capabilities to riders and horses coming from throughout North America. (Read all about the Eventing Championships at Galway Downs here.)
As a volunteer, Thamar plans to have a front row seat for all of that and to be one of the many needed to ensure a great competition.