One of the greatest ways to gain experience and build contacts is to volunteer. In the equine industry there are many different initiatives that you can volunteer for. Some you will need experience for, others it’s all about availability and enthusiasm! And many offer training if you’re going to volunteer your time. So let’s take a look at 3 equine initiatives you can volunteer for.
- Horse riding organisations and businesses. There are many places that are happy to provide you with training – maybe even riding lessons – if you volunteer your time and energy. Your local riding school may be up for this!
In Australia, Riding for the Disabled runs on volunteers. As a 17 year old, I spent 1 day a month volunteering my time to help groom, tack up and lead ponies for young disabled riders. It was an incredible experience and a great way to help out. - The Equitarian Initiative. Equus Education has explored this incredible setup. As someone who knows horses and particularly has skills regarding their health, you can volunteer your time and knowledge for third world countries.
For locations that often make their livelihood from their horses, their health is important. Ignorance and poverty can detrimentally affect how horses, donkeys and mules are cared for.
This setup focuses on visiting third world countries, educating owners and caring for the equines under their care. Consider farriery work, worming, vaccinations, dental work, bandaging and managing parasites. All of these areas and more are covered depending on the experience of the volunteers involved. - Horse events. In Australia we have a massive horse event known as Equitana. There are many different events relating to horses throughout the world. They may focus on horse riding, clothing, education, health care or something else.
Many of these events run on volunteers. This may involve accepting entry tickets, directing people, moving horses between locations, manning stalls or even serving food. Perhaps a volunteer needs to coordinate everyone else who is volunteering their time and skills!
So there you have it. 3 equine initiatives you can volunteer for. If you make yourself aware of all the equine volunteering possibilities locally and even overseas, this will help you to determine what you may be able to do to build your horse resume and skills. Just think of the experience you’ll gain and the contacts you will make!
Want to explore other possibilities? Check out the volunteer category of posts on this site.
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