At the BTRC, volunteers truly make the world go round. We serve anywhere from 165 to 190 riders each week. Each of those riders requires one to three volunteers – so clearly, we really rely on the hard work and dedication of our volunteers!
The BTRC's volunteers provide invaluable help in a broad range of areas each year. We train volunteers to groom and tack horses, lead horses, and walk along-side participants, helping to support and stabilize them. Volunteers also participate in caring for and schooling horses; maintaining our facility; helping with numerous administrative tasks; and assisting with special events and fundraisers.
BTRC volunteers can learn about disabilities, develop or hone horse handling skills and learn about the power of the human-animal bond. We also offer the opportunity to increase physical fitness and to enjoy the social benefits of volunteering.
When you volunteer at the BTRC you have the opportunity to become an important part of the lives of our phenomenal riders. For many of our riders, their time with their volunteers and their horse is the most significant part of their week. By volunteering with us you are helping to ensure that our riders will continue to benefit from the life enriching power and potential of therapeutic riding.
The BTRC offers site visits and training for new program volunteers throughout the year. If you are interested in volunteering you can contact us at BECandBTRC@aol.com or complete and submit the volunteer application, found at the bottom of the page.
Job Title: Volunteer
Supervised By: Program Director
Description of Duties:
Leader:
- Must be 15 years or older.
- Responsible for tacking up horse.
- Responsible for the horse and may only assist rider if there is no sidewalker.
- Must be able to effectively lead horse in the riding and keep at a safe distance when there are other horses in the ring.
- Communicate with instructor and follow instruction given.
- Must show endurance and strength.
- Must be reliable and available at regular scheduled times.
Sidewalker:
- Must be 15 years or older.
- Responsible for the rider.
- Pay attention to rider during lesson and give verbal cue to instructor and leader if there is a problem.
- Offer physical help if needed by rider.
- Assist rider with commands given by instructor.
- Encourage independent riding, taking into account the individual abilities and safety of the rider.
Our mandatory volunteer training will be Monday April 26, 2010 from 6:30-8:30PM. If you cannot make this training please notify us as soon as possible! Food will be served at 6:30PM for those of you that need to come directly from work. We highly value your participation and could not function without you! Additional volunteer training will be held as needed.
* Before completing the volunteer application, check out the 2010 BTRC Schedule *
 The Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center New Volunteer Application
(The application form is in PDF format. If you cannot open the form, click here to get Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
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