Retired from Your Career?

It’s Time to Horse Around!

Now that you’re retired, what experiences are you planning for this new chapter of your life? Whether you’ve made very specific plans on how you wish to spend your retirement years, or you’re just going to play it by ear and enjoy whatever each day brings, there is one life-changing experience you’re going to want to include in your life now – volunteering at a horse farm. While all horse farms can always use extra help, horse farms that are sanctuaries for rescued horses and horse farms that offer therapy programs for children with special needs and for veterans are, in particular, always in need of dependable and well-rounded volunteers.

To volunteer at a local horse farm, you don’t have to own a horse, have ever been on a horse, or know little more about horses beyond the fact that they are truly majestic and beautiful creatures. Whether you are highly knowledgeable about all-things-equine-related or it’s your first time on a horse farm, the farm’s owners or managers will walk you through exactly what you will be doing and train you on how to do it – so don’t let your lack of experience stop you from volunteering.
Here are some ways you can share your skills, expertise, and interests volunteering at a horse farm:

Barn Chores

While some horses on a farm can be found grazing the grass 24/7, others stay in stalls in the evenings and are led out during the day to run in an arena or enjoy exploring the pastures. If you would like to be close to horses, you might volunteer to do barn chores. Some of these responsibilities include feeding the horses, cleaning and filling up their water buckets, mucking the stalls, and cleaning paddocks and barn aisleways’.

Equine Care

If you prefer to interact directly with horses, you could volunteer to wash the horses in the barn’s shower, groom the horses and detangle their tails and manes, and lead the horses to and from arenas, pastures, and their stalls.

Help Sidewalking with Therapeutic Horses

Sidewalkers are the instructor’s eyes and ears during the lesson and keep clients on and around the horse. Sidewalkers are physical and emotional support for clients and clients often look forward to seeing “their” sidewalkers every lesson. Participating as a sidewalker in equine therapy plays a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness of the therapy while fostering the physical, emotional, and cognitive growth of the individuals involved. It’s truly a transformative and humbling experience that can bring about profound positive changes in their lives.

Farm Operations & Maintenance

Handy with tools? Great at repairing beams, fences, gates, and doors? Mechanically inclined and love to keep equipment in pristine condition? Why not volunteer to do farm operations and maintenance projects at your local horse farm? Every horse farm needs consistent upkeep and preventive maintenance to ensure the property is fully functional, well-maintained, and all the horses, staff, horse owners, and visitors are safe. Perhaps consider volunteering to do landscaping, gardening, mowing, and weed whacking. No horse boarder wants to find their horse grazing in 2 feet of buttercups! Offer your expertise for electrical repairs, plumbing projects, framing, roofing, or painting!

Education Programs

If you enjoy teaching others and giving presentations, you might offer to lead educational experiences at the farm. You can lead tours for school field trips to the farm, provide hands-on lessons for other volunteers, or escort horse owners looking to peruse the property before boarding their horse there. If your local horse farm doesn’t offer an education program – volunteer to start one!

Community Outreach

If your local horse farm offers horse therapy for children with special needs or veterans, or other unique special programs and services, consider representing the horse farm at various events, including: booths at expos, trade shows, local festivals, and other community outreach locations. If you enjoy promoting something you believe in and would love to talk one-on-one with individuals from the general public about the farm and its programs for veterans and children with special needs, this may be the perfect volunteer experience for you!

Administrative Support

If you’re organized and enjoy data entry, filing, answering phones, responding to emails, and maintaining databases, you might consider volunteering at your local horse farm doing administrative support work. Every horse farm strives to keep track of boarding payments, scheduling of special programs, details of when the farriers and veterinarians are coming out, and a detailed inventory of stock, feed, and supplies. Working in administrative support enables you to contribute to the continued success of the farm without being in physical contact with the horses (unless you want to be).
Working directly with or around horses instantly brings peace and serenity to one’s life. Volunteering at a rescue horse farm or at a farm that provides horse therapy for children with special needs and for veterans will make you wonder why you didn’t retire sooner or why you didn’t start volunteering yesterday! Contact ReachoutAmerica.com and let us help you find the perfect opportunity! Don’t let another day in this new chapter of your life go by without contacting your local horse farm.

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