Without our valuable volunteers the Saddle Light Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship cannot function; therefore, we are always looking for volunteers to help with both our weekday therapy sessions and weekend horse care.
If you have a passion for horses, kids, and helping those in need, then we want you to come and be a part of the Saddle Light Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship Volunteer Team – no experience with horses or disabled persons is required!
Our Need for Volunteers
Therapy sessions start at 4 pm and finish at 8 pm every Monday-Friday. All of our riders require a horse handler who leads the horse during the session and one or two side walkers who walk next to and support the rider during the session. We serve 60+ riders a week, and plan on expanding our number to 80 within the next year. This means that with each rider requiring at least two volunteers to assist them during our sessions, we MUST have a minimum of 100 volunteers to keep our program running.
Please email our Volunteer Coordinator at volcoor@sbcglobal.net with any questions about volunteering.
Shifts
- There is one afternoon and one evening shift available every Monday-Friday to help with our therapy sessions.
- There are both morning and afternoon shifts available Saturdays and Sundays to take care of the horses on our barn manager’s days off.
Our current high need volunteer shifts are:
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30-9:30 am | 7-11 am | |||||
| 3:30-5:30 pm | 3-6 pm | 3-6 pm | 3-6 pm | 3-6 pm | 3-6 pm | 4-6 pm |
| 6-9 pm | 6-9 pm | 6-9 pm | 6-9 pm | 6-9 pm |
Qualities of Our Volunteers
Due to the nature of our organization, we require volunteers who are able to come on a CONSISTENT basis, as this is critical to the progress and improvement of our riders and for our horses’ peace of mind. We ask that each volunteer pick a day and shift that they are able to reliably commit to for the entirety of the season.
If you are looking for a once in a while volunteer opportunity, then this is not the volunteer choice for you.
Duties
- Volunteer duties for our weekday shifts include feeding and cleaning up after horses, leading horses to and from their paddocks, assisting with preparing the horses for the therapy sessions, and either leading the horse or supporting the rider during the therapy sessions.
- Volunteer duties for our weekend horse care shifts include feeding and cleaning up after horses, leading horses to and from their paddocks, and cleaning up the barn.
- Volunteering during our therapy sessions and weekend horse care requires a lot of walking and activity so please be prepared to be physically active!
Volunteer Requirements:
- Must be AT LEAST 16 years of age to work around the horses (weekend shifts ONLY)
- Must be AT LEAST 17 years of age to work around the riders
- Must be able to volunteer for a shift CONSISTENTLY for AT LEAST 3 MONTHSI
- Must fill out a Volunteer Authorization and Release form and attend an orientation and training session BEFORE starting to volunteer at SLC
Since the Saddle Light Center (SLC) needs a large number of volunteers, training sessions are held at the Retama Equestrian Center on a monthly basis. For more information or questions, please email our Volunteer Coordinator at volcoor@sbcglobal.net.
Volunteer hours are logged by our Volunteer Coordinator weekly, so if your school/work/organization/etc. requires paperwork or letters stating volunteer hours and duties, SLC is happy to fill out/provide paperwork/letters for you!
New Volunteer Training Information
If you are interested in volunteering, you will need to attend one of our training sessions.
Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volcoor@sbcglobal.net to let us know you will be attending.
New Volunteer Training
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| December 14, 2024 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| February 15, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| March 8, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| April 12, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| May 17, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| June 14, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| July 12, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| August 16, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| September 13, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| October 18, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| November 15, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
| December 13, 2025 | 10 am – 1 pm |
Apply to be a Volunteer
Please complete the Volunteer Authorization and Release form below. You can either email the completed and signed documents to the Volunteer Coordinator (volcoor@sbcglobal.net), or print out the completed form, sign it and bring it with youFill it out to the volunteer training session. If you have any questions, please email the Volunteer Coordinator at volcoor@sbcglobal.net.
Download Volunteer Authorization and Release Form:
