The Volunteer Paddock

• Gain hands-on practical experience working with and around horses
• Help out with the little farm tasks that make a big difference in the lives of the Great Strides clients, staff, volunteers, and horses.
• Receive SSL hours for your hard work
• Be a part of the rewarding and meaningful work that keeps Great Strides a beautiful and safe healing environment for everyone who steps foot on the farm
• Participate in Conscious Riding Lessons that are offered to our active volunteers

What do Great Strides volunteers do?

• Children younger than 12 must come with a family member who is 12 or older
• This position offers the chance to work with horses! No previous experience is necessary.
• Responsibilities may include leading horses to or from the barn, grooming, cleaning buckets, feeding and giving hay, mucking (go poop troop!), filling water troughs, cleaning tack, weeding fence lines or gardens, and other farm work or horse care tasks.
• Barn Workers typically come weekly

• Must be 16 or older
• Leaders and Sidewalkers will assist with grooming and tacking horses as well as arena setup before therapeutic riding lesson and will untack, groom, and assist in arena cleanup after lesson.
  
• Leaders hold horse still during mount and dismount, lead horse as needed during lesson, and assume responsibility for the horse at all times while leading.
  
• Sidewalkers may assist with mount and dismount, walk beside the client to provide stability assistance as needed, and assume responsibility for the stability of the client in the saddle at all times when sidewalking.
  
• Leaders and Sidewalkers must attend the basic Volunteer Training as well as a separate Leader/Sidewalker Training and must be able to commit to a regular assignment.
  

Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, Laura Favin