Volunteers Program

All staff and volunteers must have an understanding that horses are unpredictable and can be dangerous!

Follow ABCD – Always Be Careful: Horses are unpredictable and can be Dangerous.

Levels of Volunteers:

Level 1: Level 1 volunteers have over 5 years experience and have a high level of maturity to lead riders in hand during a class and assist with leading the group as a horse leader or offer assistant instruction.  They can also help in horse welfare by giving horses water when they come back from a ride, offer them a pick at grass if they have been standing in the sand arena for a long time without grass, check that the horses are in shade when it’s hot or in shelter when it’s raining. They can identify jobs that need doing around Hills and Hollows like picking up manure and keeping the tacking up area and tack shed clean and do them, they can also oversee the volunteers or ask a volunteer to help them. They can clean tack and make sure everything’s put away where it needs to be. If they identify something that need fixing or the attention of a staff member they must let them know. Level 1 volunteers can make feeds and can do it with a level 1 or 2 volunteer, remembering the limit of 2 people in the feed shed making feeds. They can also co supervise level 2 & 3 volunteers and co instruct or help teach kids with an official instructor. There should never be more than 6 kids per official instructor but there can be many volunteer assistants.

Level 2: Level 2 volunteers have more than 8 terms of experience at HH and can can lead riders in hand during a class and lead a group on horse back during a class. They can help with horse welfare by giving horses water when standing still, also giving them a pick at grass if they have been standing in the sand arena for a long time without grass. They can check that the horses are in shade when it’s hot or in shelter when it’s raining. They can do jobs around Hills and Hollows like picking up manure and keeping the tacking up area and the tack shed clean, also making sure all the grooming gear goes back into the tack box, they can clean tack and make sure everything’s put away where it needs to be. They can collect buckets and take them up to the feed shed. They can also give a Level 1 volunteer assistance in making feeds, remembering that only 2 people in the feed shed making feeds.

Level 3: Level 3 includes all other volunteers over 10. They are to be supervised by the staff or level 1 volunteers. They are to be instructed by staff in the ratio 1:6.