Volunteer Descriptions | Stirrups 'n Strides Therapeutic Riding Center

Volunteer orientation is September 23, 2023!!

Volunteers are the heart of Stirrups ‘n Strides! You can make a difference!

Volunteers are needed to do a wide variety of activities. Stirrups ‘n Strides is a Professional Association for Therapeutic Riding (PATH) center. All volunteers, regardless of experience, receive training and a mentor to ensure we are all following PATH guidelines, as well as to be certain each volunteer is comfortable with handling, grooming and tacking horses and working with special needs participants. We want you to be comfortable, have fun and enjoy your volunteer experience!

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>> Volunteer Interest Form

Some of the ways that you can make a difference:

Leading a horse/ horse handler: Each horse taking part in a session, is assigned a trained leader. The leader is responsible for that horse for the duration of the session. For independent riders, the leader works with the rider to groom and tack the horse and in general facilitate the rider’s experience.
Side walking: Some riders require one or two side walkers to walk alongside the rider for safety purposes. Side walkers focus on the special needs rider and rider safety.
Stirrups ‘n Stripes Veterans Program: Our Veterans come to us for equine therapy and a combination of therapeutic riding. This is a flexible program focusing on the horse connection and the best approach each week that will enable Veterans to reach a goal or simply a place of peace. Volunteers are assigned a Veteran/Horse and we try to ensure the same volunteer for the period of weeks that Veteran is coming to us.
Horse care: Horse care can range from bringing in horses to stalls or taking out horses to pastures, grooming, tacking, and bathing. Volunteers are needed to assist with these and other general activities before, during and after each session.
Tack & equipment care: All of our equipment needs upkeep and maintenance. Please let us know if you have interest in helping with this.
Facility maintenance: We are always in need of maintenance for our extensive grounds, barn, arena, fencing, etc. We also can use help preparing the facility for shows. So if you’re handy with a toolbox or equipment and would like to help out, please let us know. Occasional or regular volunteers appreciated!
Horse shows: Don’t have time to volunteer on a regular basis? We can still use your help to prepare for and run horse shows. There is much to do when preparing for horse shows…from tack cleaning, to bathing and trimming horses, food court bake sales, BBQ cookers, registration, painting to spruce things up and setting up arenas. Stirrups ‘n Strides hosts Special Olympics and other shows each year and it is an exciting time to be involved!
Carriage driving: We have some participants who come for therapeutic riding through carriage driving. This requires a certified instructor and two volunteers to help with equipment, gates and be spotters.
In the Office: We are always in need of help with administrative support for our programs, events and fundraisers. Some activities may include filing, data entry, help with registration at events and special projects. We also would surely welcome your technical, web or social media skills!
Fundraising and Events, Public Relations: Volunteers pitch in at fundraising and community events, and volunteer recruitment activities. We are always looking for Grant Writing assistance. We would love to have a skilled PR/fundraiser to join our efforts to support our riders and horses!
Volunteer Appreciation and Recruitment: Our volunteers are nothing short of amazing! We are always looking for new and fun activities and ways to show appreciation and let them know just how important they are. We are also continually recruiting volunteers as our programs grow. If you enjoy getting creative, planning fun events and recruiting, you may like to help out in this area!