VOLUNTEER
At Help on Hooves, our volunteers are an essential part of making our hippotherapy sessions possible. Whether you're leading a horse, side walking during occupational therapy sessions, grooming and caring for our horses, helping set up and clean up for sessions, or welcoming children and families to the farm, you'll become an important member of the Help on Hooves team.
Our volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and interests. Whether you're passionate about horses, occupational therapy, special education, healthcare, or simply want to make a difference in a child's life, we'd love to have you join us!
Volunteers must be at least 14 years old. To ensure everyone feels confident and prepared, our onboarding process includes an online volunteer application, review of our volunteer manual, completion of a volunteer knowledge quiz, and a hands-on training session covering horse behavior, safety, grooming, tacking, leading, side walking, and emergency procedures. Once these steps are complete, you'll be ready to join our volunteer team!
How to Become a Volunteer
Joining our volunteer team is easy! Simply follow the steps below, and we'll guide you through the rest of the process.
Step 1: Complete the Volunteer Application
Fill out our online volunteer application to tell us a little about yourself and your interests.
Step 2: Review the Volunteer Manual
Our volunteer manual introduces you to Help on Hooves, explains volunteer expectations, safety procedures, horse handling, and the responsibilities of horse leaders and side walkers.
Step 3: Complete the Volunteer Manual Quiz
After reviewing the manual, complete the short quiz to reinforce the information before attending training.
Step 4: Attend Hands-on Training
Once you've completed the application, reviewed the manual, and passed the quiz, we'll email you with upcoming volunteer training dates and times. During training, you'll gain hands-on experience with horse handling, grooming, tacking, leading, side walking, safety procedures, emergency responses, and volunteer responsibilities.
Step 5: Start Volunteering!
After successfully completing training, you're officially part of the Help on Hooves team! We'll work with your availability to schedule volunteer opportunities and continue supporting you as you grow in your role.
We are happy to sign off on community service hours for school requirements, Bright Futures, college applications, occupational therapy school applications, and other volunteer service requirements. We also provide letters of recommendation for employment and educational opportunities. As a small token of our appreciation, each volunteer will receive a Help on Hooves volunteer appreciation package.
Thank you for helping us make a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve. We can't wait to welcome you to the Help on Hooves family!