If you would like to volunteer, please contact us and we can schedule you for an orientation.  

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What Volunteer Commitment is Needed?

If you are willing to give your time in exchange for a rewarding and fun experience, we would love to have you! Can you make a commitment of at least 4 days per month, 1x a week? This is a general guideline for the minimum amount of time you should be able to commit to.  We need reliable and consistent support so that we can staff all the daily chores we need to complete. It is up to you to determine if you are able to make a consistent commitment. 

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Our needs are every day, year-round! The earliest time we need volunteers is 8:00a.m. and the latest is around 5:00p.m. When completing the volunteer application packet, please be as specific as you can about your availability. 

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Please try to stick to a minimum of 4 hours per visit so that we can plan any projects appropriately.

 

You must be 16 years of age to volunteer. We do accept younger volunteers when accompanied by an adult. If younger than 14, you can organize a drive to collect items from our Wish List.  

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What is covered in the volunteer training orientation sessions?

Barn tour, meet the horses and staff

Volunteer policies and procedures

Safety rules and regulations

Ideally your 4x minimum/month commitment and schedule

Fun!

 

What will I be doing?

If you choose to work with the horses, you will be doing farm chores.  This involves cleaning out stalls, filling water buckets, giving out hay/grain, etc. It’s physical work and it can be demanding.  It’s also extremely rewarding.  We ask you do not handle a horse unless you are supervised.  There is so much to do without exposing you to a 1000 lbs. animal if you are not familiar with them.  There will be some bonding time with the horses as you progress.  Sometimes it’s as simple as socializing a very scared horse, or leading a horse from one place to another.  We do not want you to do any of that until you are familiar with our horses.  

 

Can I ride?

We do not ride the horses at Hi Hopes unless they are deemed safe as lesson horses.  Most of these horses are rescues and we are not familiar with their backgrounds.  If you are a trainer and are interested in volunteering your time training, please send your work qualifications along with your application. 

Community Service Work

We love to have students join us to fulfill community service hours, but this is approved on an individual basis and is dependent on the applicant’s horse experience.  Minors have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.   
 

What other volunteer opportunities are there at Hi Hopes?

Here are some skills that we always need:

Fundraising

Administration

PR & Marketing/Newsletter/Blog

Events

Grant Writing

Quarterly Volunteer Meetings

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We have great opportunities for volunteers all the time. We need your help with our events, organizing our Annual HHTR events, coordinating fundraising, creating communications, and so much more. Volunteers are what make our events possible! You can indicate your areas of interest on the Volunteer Application.

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We look forward to meeting you and hearing about your interests in volunteering. We’ll be in touch with you shortly.

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**Inherent Risk**

Many people who volunteer or have children that want to volunteer may not have any horse experience. There are risks associated with working with any animal and horses are no different. Because of their size, you could potentially be severely hurt if you do not follow all safety rules.  While we are very careful, just being on the property has associated risks.  Horses are generally very peaceful but have a strong “fight or flight” instinct.  Please read and understand all our rules and regulations. Feel free to ask a staff member if you aren’t sure of something.  Never go into a paddock or stall where a horse is without authorization.