Volunteering at the Barn

We have opportunities for current students to get more hands-on experience with the horses and equestrian business.  We feel these opportunities are an important part of the development of confident and capable equestrians.  

These opportunities are available for current students that have at minimum completed our 10-week Introductory Program, or, similar number of hours of instruction in camps or other programs.  This is because we need students to have a certain understanding for safety.  When students first start volunteering, staff do spend quite of bit time with students, making sure that they comfortable with their tasks and capable of doing them safely.   These tasks might include catching horses, grooming and tacking the horses up, leading horses in birthdays, picking poop, cleaning stalls, sweeping, cleaning tack and feeding horses grain and medicines. 

We do offer current* students a free practice ride for every 6 hours of volunteer hours accumulated.  Practice rides can also be used for  fun events like jump nights, polocrosse or other fun events priced at the practice ride rate (currently $54).  Students are on the honor system for keeping track of their hours. Students can contact the office to book a practice ride or fun event once they have enough hours and have approval from their coach.  Please note, in order to redeem volunteer hours for fun events or practice rides, students need to be enrolled in the current EDP session and have permission from their coach to do the fun event or practice ride.  Students can accumulate hours and use them in another session if they are not currently enrolled.

*Special rate for winter holiday experience volunteering: every 2 pony ride shifts earn a practice ride or fun event
*Special rate for summer camps: 2 groups lessons during the week of volunteering
*Current means the student has taken a program/session or camp within the past 3 months.  If a student has not taken a program or session with the barn in the past 3 months, their safety training may be out of date and we ask that you put a pause on volunteering until you are able to enroll again.
*Students with many accumulated volunteer hours cannot do more than 2 practice rides between lessons

Coach Mentorship Program

We have a coach training program for ages 14 to 55 who want to become a coach in the equestrian industry!  This work experience program includes hands on weekly lesson planning and supervised coaching experience, with the potential to be hired once you are completed!  See our Coach Mentorship Program page for more details!

Coach Mentorship Program

Sagehill Young Leaders Program

 For those students in our EDP Program ages 12 to 30  that want to contribute to their barn community, learn to be well rounded horse caretakers and equestrians, and learn about different aspects of the equestrian industry.  This extension of our volunteer program aims to rewards those who contributing to the barn in meaningful ways.  Instead of just using using volunteer hours towards practice rides or fun events, 6 volunteer hours under this program can be used towards group lessons (these lessons are in additional to their EDP lessons). 

In order to qualify to be part of the Sagehill Young Leaders Program, volunteers must:​

• Have a recommendation from their coach
• Contribute at minimum 12 hours per month
• Contribute hours in the approximate ratio throughout the year:
  • 1/3 hours of chores (includes cleaning, mucking stalls, feeding hay and water, ect.)
  • 1/3 hours of horse care (includes feeding horses, grooming or ground work, first-aid, ect.)
  • 1/3 hours of assisting in birthdays, events, shows or lessons (helping with birthdays or assisting with the lesson program including helping students, catching horses, care of tack, sweeping and barn cleaning as needed)

All hours need to be supervised/approved by a staff member and to use hours towards group lessons they must be used in the session following the hours were completed (i.e., next session; or else they can be used as regular volunteer hours for practice rides or fun events at any time).  Those wanting to be part of the Young Leaders Program will have a monthly team meeting to discuss schedule needs, how and where they can help at the barn in the upcoming month, and receive feedback on their work performance.  In order to allow flexibility for students of various ages and schedules to participate, students can choose to accumulate hours on weekends, or pick a day of the week they are needed most based on the schedule.  Email [email protected] to ask if you can join the Program!

Volunteer Expectations and Rules

All volunteers and their parents are expected to read and sign our Junior Coach and Volunteer  Professionalism and Expectations guidelines, in order to ensure clear understanding of what is expected by volunteers and the barn for volunteer opportunities.  The fillable PDF can be emailed to us at [email protected].

junior_coach___volunteer_professionalism_and_expectations.pdf
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