ÉCOLE D’ÉQUITATION

 School of Riding, Education for Horses

 

 

Social Time

The best way to meet other students and make new “horse crazy” friends is over some saddle soap, snack (provided), and once the tack is clean, watch a horsey movie.  This happens every 1st Saturday of each month. People can start coming around noon. Cleaning goes on until about 2:30 when we start the movie.  Ending time depends on the length of the movie, usually around 4:00.  There are always things to do at the barn, so staying a little longer after that is definitely allowed.

Volunteer opportunities, year round

So much work is needed in order to keep a barn up and running; a little help is always welcome. It can be as easy as taking a walk around the paddocks and mentioning if the fence looks weak or broke, or if one of the horses doesn’t look his usual. Those issues might need attention as quickly as possible, so being the first one noticing and reporting a problem can make a big difference in the outcome.

More official or regular volunteering opportunities at this point include bi-weekly paddock cleaning, and the occasional booth keeping or set-up/strike for events like the Horse Expo (last weekend in April), or the Horse Crazy Market (first weekend in December). Kids have to be at least 13 to participate in either of those. Having a person or two around during beginner classes, especially for the first few weeks of a new session, might turn out very helpful as well.  A minimum of 3rd Gallop level is needed for this.

Volunteers in summer

Summer is always extra busy.  So when a whole group of beginners starts a weeklong camp, requiring extra support and attention, having more than one pair of hands is a must. Beginners will also look up to almost same age peers who can show the way around the barn, and get hints and tips they won’t notice coming from an adult. A minimum of 3rd Gallop level is needed, as well as a good knowledge of where everything is, and a very good understanding of all the horse’s parts, coat colors, etc.