Mackenzie Zahara's Biography

I love animals. I remember when I was little and my dream job was to be the owner of a Zoo. I have now grown out of that job and I am looking toward reality. I started horseback riding when I was 10. The second I was mounted on my horse I was in love. Who would have thought that you could sit on a horse and tell them to walk, trot, canter or gallop (all the while having a blast) and call it a sport? My world revolved around ponies and horses for about 1-½ years after that. Horseback riding was the one thing I could always look forward to. But one day when I was about 12, my friend who happens to be the daughter of my riding instructor, told me that my beloved horse Aaron had had a seizure. He had broken through a fence at full speed and gone running into the boarder’s house leaving a dent where he had hit. She then went on to tell me that if I wanted to take the risk and ride him we would have to take the precaution of signing a liability form. I was heartbroken. I looked up what a seizure was in a medical book at home. I then learned that they are not only violent in animals… but in humans too. From then on I had a different outlook on what some people have to go through everyday. Not only that, but what their family members and loved ones, like I was to Aaron, also had to go through.

This whole incident put a damper on my horseback riding for a while. I started volunteering at a cat shelter. I also started babysitting to fill my other love of little children. Every time I went to the cat shelter I was amazed at what the feeling of giving something to my community felt like. So now, with a better outlook on life, I started horseback riding again with a little more confidence. My love of horses came flying back at me and hit me in the face so hard that I was amazed I had stayed away from it for so long. A few weeks later my mom’s friend pointed out an article in the paper knowing I love ponies and horses. The article explained that a barn needed volunteers to come help out a bit. The barn just so happened to be 2 minutes from my house! It was a non-profit organization run completely on volunteer effort. What they did was train Shetland ponies for differently able children who needed a friend. The ponies were given away on a lifetime loan free of charge. The barn was called Haberlin's Hope Farm. The organization was called Personal Ponies. And just like that, my life was changed forever.

I invited my best friend Kaitlyn who had gotten me into horses in the 1st place to join me in this volunteer effort. She agreed with more enthusiasm then I could have ever hoped for. The two of us set a date to go meet the ponies and the state director, Gineane Haberlin. Little did I know that Gineane would soon be one of my best friends. We went and I had a blast. As I look back upon that day now… something is terribly wrong. I had gone home that day with this thought in my mind: “Oh boy! Another chance to be around ponies! Am I not the luckiest girl alive?” Why was this the incorrect thought? You’ll find out.

Gineane invited us to come every Thursday from then on. The next time I went, a very happy Gineane greeted me. She offered Kaitlyn and me a once in a lifetime opportunity for a 12-year-old girl. She wanted us to be on T.V. that night with one of the ponies and her! I accepted right away... but Kaitlyn was later VERY upset to find that she had already made plans for the night and wouldn't be able to attend with us. Being on T.V. was fun! That was all I could think about afterwards. Which was again… the wrong thought. I continued going to the barn ever Thursday and actually even more! Kaitlyn and I would take over just about every time a different volunteer was unable to make it. There were some weeks we ended up going maybe 5 days in a row! I was amazed at how quickly Personal Ponies had become the biggest thing in my life. I was even more amazed when Gineane placed a certificate of appreciation in my hands and asked me if I would like to be State Coordinator. As I said in the beginning of this piece, I was honored. That’s when everything clicked. I noticed why my thoughts were wrong. This program wasn’t here for me to be around the most adorable ponies in the world! This wasn’t just some thing I could go and do whenever I pleased!

People were counting on me to help! This wasn’t about me! This was about the people! The ponies aren’t here just to be cute! They have a job! Every volunteer and staff member for Personal Ponies knows that! We need to get our message out! Our message is that even a Shetland pony can make a difference in some differently able child’s life! Ponies are here for anyone who needs one!

Not only do the ponies have a job but I have a job too! I now see that Personal Ponies in no way revolves around me or any other one person! This program revolves around the differently able children of the world! With my newest outlook on life, I pushed everything I had into Personal Ponies. I now wake up every morning and think about the Personal Ponies of MA slogan: “Have you hugged your Personal Pony today?” If I haven’t yet then my day isn’t done until I do. The program helps many people think like that. And as I have been told, it is all worth it to see a differently able child’s eyes light up as they wrap their arms around a Personal Pony.

"Bringing smiles, shining moments, and a little magic one pony at a time!”

-Mackenzie Zahara
Haberlin's Hope Farm
Massachusetts