Spirit Ride Therapeutic Riding Center hosted a unique fundraiser recently at the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve in Blowing Rock. Clinician Robbie Potter, conducted a two-day horsemanship clinic to benefit this popular therapeutic riding program located in Banner Elk. Attendees from as far away as Georgia traveled to the clinic to improve their equestrian skills, but left with much, much more.
Having spent years in the classroom as a middle school English teacher, one of Robbie Potter’s greatest gifts is communication. “He can explain things in a way that truly resonates with me,” said Mareisa Johnson of Blowing Rock. Patty Adams, Executive Director of Spirit Ride Therapeutic Riding Center in Banner Elk, agrees, “Robbie is a teacher, a storyteller, a gifted horseman, and a good man.” Adams explained that Mr. Potter contacted the center last year after researching the program and offered to help. Due to the pandemic, the center had to cancel their annual Derby Party fundraiser that typically would cover operating costs. Robbie offered to donate 100% of the proceeds from the clinic to Spirit Ride. “Needless to say,” continued Adams, “we were thrilled.”
Horsemanship clinics by Robbie Potter are widely attended in North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. But the secret is out and horsemen and women across the nation are anxious to learn what Robbie calls the ‘key to unlocking extraordinary equine relationships’. He recently conducted a clinic in California and will be holding a two-day clinic in Arizona this Fall. One of the things that separate Robbie Potter from other clinicians is that he is not afraid to completely disagree with popular current methods. More importantly, he can support everything he says by returning to these two words: trust and respect. There are life lessons in both his words and actions…and the riders, volunteers, and families at Spirit Ride are grateful for his thoughtful and giving spirit.
Special thanks to the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show Foundation for providing the use of the facility and to Publix Super Markets in Boone for providing lunch. For more information on Robbie Potter, visit his website at RobbiePotterHorsemanship.com. To learn about Spirit Ride, visit SpiritRideNC.org
Photos by Taya Lambert
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