People Helping Horses Volunteer FAQ
Q: Where is People Helping Horses located?
A: People Helping Horses is located in Arlington, Washington, approximately 45 minutes north of Seattle.
Q: How do I become a volunteer?
A: (1)Attend a volunteer orientation.
*Therapeutic riding volunteer orientations generally occur on the first Saturday and third Monday of the month. See our calendar for more detailed information
*PHH barn volunteer orientations occur on the last Saturday and second Tuesday of the month
*If you would like to attend a barn volunteer orientation please sign up by emailing which orientation you would like to attend to info@peoplehelpinghorses.org. If you would like to attend a therapeutic riding volunteer orientation please email laurie@legupforkids.org
(2) Commit a month in advance to a minimum of four hours of volunteer time per month.
Please consider this requirement carefully. We ask volunteers before the start of each month to sign up and commit to the day and time they will volunteer that month. When you commit to a time we are counting on you.
*After you have completed your first 24 hours of volunteer service you will be eligible to sign up for our Horsemanship 101 class, which must be completed along with a demonstration of what you have learned to our resident trainer, before working with any rescue horses.
Q: What will I be doing as a volunteer?
A: As a Therapeutic Riding volunteer you will be helping to get the horses ready for lessons, help assist the riders doing the lessons and putting the horses away after the lessons. All you'll need to know to be a therapeutic riding volunteer you will learn at the orientation. Orientation dates and times are posted under the calendar section of this website. For additional information you can go to www.legupforkids.org
A: As a barn volunteer there are many different ways to help. Some daily chores you might help with are filling and cleaning water buckets, gardening, washing blankets, sweeping, or dusting. Our more "handy" volunteers like to help with maintenance such as repairing fencing, mowing the lawn, or pressure washing stalls.
After completing 24 hours of preliminary volunteer work and going through our Horsemanship classes volunteers also have the opportunity to work with horses directly by grooming, hand walking, blanketing, and bathing.
We also have administrative and creative endeavors that we'd appreciate help with, so if you have an area of expertise please indicate that on your volunteer application.
Q: How old do you have to be to volunteer?
A: We accept volunteers of all ages. However, we do ask that for barn volunteering those under the age of 16 are always accompanied by an adult. For therapeutic riding volunteering those 15 and older can volunteer with the program. Volunteers must be at least eight years of age to work with horses.
For volunteers that have taken the 101 class and are eligible work with horses we have categorized them so as to help match you with horses based on your skill level.
Easy: A volunteer who has gone through and can demonstrate horsemanship 101 can handle these horses. They can be quietly led, cross-tied, front-tied, groomed, sprayed with coat conditioner and/or fly spray, hooves can be picked up with no trouble, and blankets go on and off with little trouble.
Medium: For a volunteers with more horse experience and who have completed Horsemanship 101 (and eventually 201 - more details on 201 will be given in the future). Medium horses may be be more "spooky" or pushy when being led or groomed, they may squirm more in the cross ties, hooves may be more difficult to pick up, and blankets may be more difficult to put on if they are pushy or scared of it.
Hard: Volunteers must have significant experience with horses and discussion with a staff member must take place before handling these horses. Hard horses may get spooked easily, or be very pushy, may not cross tie and be difficult to lead. They might not pick up their hooves yet or be comfortable with different people. Most likely they cannot be sprayed or blanketed easily.
Q: Are any of my expenses related to volunteering tax deductible?
A: Volunteer travel expenses such as transportation (actual expenses or 14c/mile), meals, and lodging for qualifying charities may be deductible if there is not a significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel. See your personal tax advisor for more details about your specific situation.
To request further information please email info@peoplehelpinghorses.org.
Download the volunteer forms here!
Liability Release Form
Volunteer Application
Photo Release Form
Background Check Form