Staff and Volunteers Induction 

Introduction:

Please be aware of the risks of handling horses, and never take them for granted. They can kick, bite, strike or run you over or tread on you. They are normally not being aggressive when doing these things but are responding to something which upsets or frightens them. Please be aware of the risks of handling horses, and never take them for granted.

You must wear protective equipment when around horses: boots, hats and sunscreen, and helmets when riding. Keep a water bottle close by.

Please: 

  • Ask questions anytime you are unsure or don’t understand something. We don’t mind showing you something many times until you are confident you are able to complete a task safely and well.
  • Report any injury or accident to management and complete an accident report 
  • Identify and report any hazard or dangerous objects or act to manage the hazard – eg: gate half open, loose horse, children in the wrong places.

Please remember that chatting and texting with friends and taking extended breaks are not what you are at Hills and Hollows to do. Work ethic is very important to us – look for ways to be helpful. Can you put things away, can you clean a water trough, some manure or the tack shed? Can you groom some horses, treat their skin conditions or hooves, clean the Gator or feed room etc.?

Skills include:

  1. Preparing feed buckets – minimise feed loss on floor and waste
  2. Cleaning yards or stables (picking up manure)
  3. Catching and leading horses or leading horses to water or grass
  4. Rugging and un-rugging
  5. Grooming and Saddling up 
  6. Hosing, sponging & washing horses
  7. Cleaning of saddles, bridles, tack room and equipment
  8. Cleaning water troughs 
  9. Collecting and cleaning buckets
  10. Picking weeds with the root ball attached
  11. Riding,  working and handling horses on the ground
  12. First aid to horses, including assisting professionals (vet, farrier etc.)
  13. Weed management and planting or mulching trees
  14. Land Management and Trail Management
  15. Arena set up
  16. Fencing

Our expectations:

Responsibilities:

  1. Be polite to staff and clients at all times 
  2. Being on time, signing daily sign in sheet, ensure you have a current disclaimer
  3. Report any hazard you notice, any accident or injury to management
  4. Minimise texting or phone calls during work time
  5. Work and be working during nominated work hours
  6. Put equipment back where it belongs when you are finished with it, and in the same condition also look to help others with putting things back in their rightful place. (Notify management of damaged equipment)
  7. Remove manure from all arenas, driveways and pathways.
  8. Looking for equipment and things to put away and keep tidy always