About Me
Who am I?
Hi! My name is Sitara Veerabagu, and I am currently an ambassador with troop 1127 in Anderson, South Carolina. I have been a Girl Scout for eleven years and counting. I have completed my Gold Award, the highest award earned by a Girl Scout, through this project, “Healing through Horses” . It is a unique and fun patch program that I have created for Girl Scouts nationwide to earn while learning about Equine Therapy and its varied benefits.
Since my Daisy days I grew up through Girl Scouts, I enjoyed a high level of troop camaraderie while completing diverse journeys and patch projects. The patches ironed into my vests and jackets serve as a memory wall of my lifetime growing up as a Girl Scout in my community and state.
Due to the Covid pandemic (in 2020-2022) my years and activities as a Girl Scout were temporarily curtailed. However, following the "trailblazer" and role model like Juliet Gordon Lowe I learnt never to take "NO" for an answer. We found ways to make our troop meetings and activities happen either in small groups, gathering outdoors while doing Girl Scouts activities or through zoom meetings trying out projects online.
During the pandemic's no contact period I earned my silver award for Girl Scouts. I learned and built a website from scratch for the Equine Therapy Barn where I volunteered several years prior to (eleven year old me) and during the pandemic. I continue to volunteer there today. On that foundation I built my Go Gold project - Awareness of Healing through Horses.
Girl Scout troop activities before and after Covid, include but are not limited to: selling cookies outside Lowes & other grocery stores, overnight trips to Juliet Gordon Low's original residence in Savannah, Georgia, and early morning first aid sessions that included certification at Clemson University Fire & Medical Emergency Services. We enjoyed: group hikes, outdoor scavenger hunts, learning the basics of coding online, and completing a lunch & learn site visit at BMW's Automobile manufacturing facility in Greer, SC, engaging in multi-media art projects, researching women's health and empowerment issues, cleaning hometown roadways, partnering with the Lot Project to plant gardens in downtown Anderson's neglected communities, participating in community lunch drives for the underprivileged in our local communities, singing Christmas Carols to the veterans at, Richard Campbell, nursing home, learning to play the oboe, competing in a pageant, and learning about the farm to table concept.
The beautiful part of being a Girl Scout is that the activities done outside of Girl Scouts are considered for earning patches. In order to meet patch requirements, a Girl Scout has to step outside of her comfort zone and add additional activities plus put extra work in to earn these patches. The patches & activities I gave examples of above, are just some of the experiences shared with me by so many wonderfully different people, just so I can be shaped to be the best version of me! I want to add a new one, a piece I experience everyday, that's what this project is about. In these eleven years, I have learned so much and grown up to be a well rounded human by simply being a Girl Scout.
Each patch reminds me of a fond memory of our troop working together, partnering with other troops, and being a role model to younger members of my troop.
Where my love of horses and Equine Therapy came from:
My passion for this project started years ago, as I have ridden horses since I was seven years of age. I started by working at the barn (mucking stalls, sweeping floors, assisting riders in pony birthday parties, and helping at horse camps) to earn lessons. While growing up at different barns, I learned a lot about Equine Therapy programs.
Horses are very intuitive and sensitive animals that can teach people many skills just by spending time with them. Some examples of these skills include confidence building, compassion, trust, empathy, boundary setting, leadership skills, problem solving, social skills, and emotional awareness. Not to mention the physical benefits of exercising and being with nature that releases much needed bodily endorphins.
Barns where I grew up working had programs where people of all ages and different levels of aptitude could work with these gentle giants. Some were individuals with special abilities, disabilities, and suffering from mental illnesses, while others just loved to be with animals and enjoyed the outdoors. For some it was the reason to get up each morning. Caring for their horse(s) gave them a sense of purpose in life.
These equine oriented activities have been found to be therapeutic and calming. Additionally, we humans can enjoy these health benefits that are uniquely different than traditional forms of physical and mental therapies.
Connecting Back
I ride horses competitively on local circuits and through an organization called International Equestrian Association, also known as IEA, all throughout my middle and high school years in Junior Varsity and Varsity levels. I am outside with the horses five to six days a week, taking care of their needs and training competitively. I find working with horses to be a stress reliever and outlet. The life skills I've learned are numerous.
There have been so many real-world applications whether for relationships or confidence building. Working with horses teaches me patience, mutual trust, persistence, unconditional love, and most importantly, who I am and how to grow as a person.
My horse and I work together to learn something new each day. Together we work through thick or thin to accomplish goals. As the saying goes, “it’s the journey that matters,” and my horse and I enjoy our journey together each and every day. Some days it’s just a stress reliever - lunging, grooming, cleaning and bathing my best friend.
Some practices are technically challenging and the mutual trust and bond that has been established through horsemanship (working on the ground with him to build trust) helps me to continue to work with my horse. Even though sometimes I fall off, flat on the ground, my unconditional love for my horse and my ever-developing persistence helps me accomplish what has been set forth before me. At the end of these hard training sessions, I get a feeling of satisfaction in knowing that we did this together. Me and the team of people who support me can laugh and smile at what 'I was so worried about', as I have a new perspective. I learn how to be a better human through the life lessons horses teach me everyday.
I want to share that same feeling I experience with as many people as possible, while also educating them on the benefits and goals of this unique form of therapy.