The Volunteer Team

The volunteer team is what makes therapeutic riding possible for many riders. Without a volunteer team, many of our students would not be able to participate. Leaders and sidewalkers form a team to support their rider during a lesson. Consequently, the quality of the volunteers directly affects the quality of the lesson. We are thankful for all of our volunteer teams and the oportunities they provide for our riders. Characteristics of a Good Volunteer

• • Reliability: regular attendance and/or advance notice of absences is a must!

  • Punctuality: late arrival can be very frustrating for a student who has looked forward to their weekly ride. Tardiness will affect the whole day, not just one rider.

  • Physical Fitness: please know your physical limitations and stay within them. Notify staff if they affect your volunteer duties.

  • Be Relaxed: an anxious volunteer contributes to a nervous rider and a tense mount/dismount.

  • Alertness: despite your outward relaxation, always anticipate an unexpected emergency.

  • Empathy: avoid false sentimentality. It is important to have genuine empathy and regard for riders.

  • Patience: endless patience is necessary to adjust to the often painfully slow movements and reactions of riders with special needs, as well as to delayed learning and challenging behaviors.

• Safety First, Common Sense Always!

Scheduling

When you attend Volunteer Training, your available times, skills, and interests will be confirmed, and then you will be assigned volunteer duties based on your schedule and our needs. Continuity is very important for our students, and we hope that you will fulfill your assigned volunteer duties consistently once the session begins.

We do understand that there will be times when you will have to miss your scheduled volunteer duties. If you know in advance, please inform staff as soon as you know you will be missing your assigned volunteer time(s), for reasons such as vacations, school commitments, or other scheduled events. Please use your Google Apps for Business Calendar to mark off time in advance for these kinds of planned absences, so we have time to make sure your scheduled volunteer duties are covered. Also, leverage our Volunteers Group Shared Mailbox, so that others may volunteer to cover for you.

In the event you are unable to come at the last minute to to illness or family emergency, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can try to find some to fill in for you, by phoning or texting our Volunteer Manager. If the Volunteer Manager is unavailable, contact the Instructor. If phoning and there is no answer, please make sure to leave a voice message.

If any parts of the schedule with Heaven's Gait must be canceled for any reason, you will be contacted by phone, text and/or email as early as possible. Please make sure we have current contact numbers where you can be reached at the last minute. Your hgtrinc.com email address will certainly be used to contact you, but if there are last minute cancellations, phone or text may be a better way to reach you.

Arrival Notification and Recording Hours

Please notify the instructor you're scheduled to volunteer with immediately upon arrival at Alpha Equestrian for your scheduled activities. Our collective Google Calendars will be kept up-to-date, so that any substitutions of volunteers will be current as of scheduled lesson times. These also then serve as a way to record what hours are volunteered by each team member. The calendar will record the student, instructor, volunteers, and horse to be used per lesson, and serves as the System Of Record for these activities -- keep up with your calendar!

What To Wear

Volunteering at an equestrian center is dirty work, so please don't wear your fancy sweater or designer jeans! Dress sensibly, wearing clothing that allows free movement, such as bending and stretching to support your rider, lead the horse, or work in the barn. We encourage you to wear branded clothing provided to you if possible -- this identifies you as part of the Alpha Equestrian/Heaven's Gait team for participants and visitors to our facilities.

For safety as well as comfort, volunteers should not wear loose, floppy clothing that could get caught and tangled with equipment. Please zip jackets, and secure any loose items. Dress in layers that you can shed as you exercise, especially during cooler months. Bring a jacket, even if you don't need it in town, as it can be cooler at the barn than you may think. During the summer, be sure you dress cooly, and you may want to wear a hat that will not fly off. Sunglasses are a big plus in the sunny months, and sunscreen and bug spray might be a good idea. Avoid dangling earrings, necklaces and bracelets that can hamper your movements, get pulled by a rider, or distract a horse.

You will be doing a lot of walking and possibly some jogging on uneven surfaces, so comfortable shoes are important. It hurts when a horse steps on your foot, so make sure your footwear has closed toes and backs, and is sturdy. High heels, sandals, and open heel shoes such as Crocs or clogs are not safe footwear around horses, so they will not be allowed. The best bets are boots or athletic shoes.