Make a difference, Volunteer.
Session Helper
Leader | Side Walker
General Support
Events | Maintainence
Young Volunteers
Duke of Edinburgh | Work Experience
Volunteer Roles
None of the amazing work we do could be achieved without our incredible volunteer team!
We are a friendly yard with a friendly volunteer team, who do what they can, when they can; not all can commit to a weekly session but attend when their time allows.
We believe there is something for everyone! Teamwork is at the heart of what we do but some volunteers would rather not work with the ponies or the participants but are happy to help out with the many other jobs that need doing on the yard including poo picking and tack cleaning. Others are happy to make cakes for our various events throughout the year!
Don’t be shy, come and visit us – we hold several Volunteer Open Mornings or find out more about our upcoming events.
Session Helper
Leader
Leading the horses and ponies is a key role. The leader is responsible for helping direct the horse around the arena or out in the countryside during a session.
Side Walker
Side walkers help many RDA riders to get the most out of their session, providing varying levels of support. From understanding instructions to being on hand should the rider become unbalanced.
We run a variety of sessions throughout the week at Broadlands. All of which require a team of friendly volunteers to help deliver them.
Preparation of sessions – most of our sessions require a range of equipment and tools to deliver a lesson plan and most importantly to ensure the participants have fun! Our coaches discuss with volunteers the equipment they need and as a team we can lay it out in the arena. The horses and ponies also need grooming and tacking up. There is always plenty of grooming to be done!
All volunteers are expected to have a full DBS check (Disclosure & Barring Service Check).
General Support
Events
In order to raise awareness of our great work, recruit new volunteers and to raise much needed funds, we regularly organise fund-raising events and attend local fetes and shows. We have two miniature Shetland ponies, Whiskey and Kingsley, that we take with us when we can. They are always very popular! We rely on volunteers to come and help out, setting up the stand, talking to the public and generally promoting our Charity.
We hold regular fund-raising events including an annual quiz night, wine-tasting, Open Mornings and we regularly need lots of help with raffles, cake-making, jam making etc.
All volunteers are expected to have a full DBS check (Disclosure & Barring Service Check)
Maintenance
At Broadlands, we have a large indoor school, 12 stables, two barns, office, equipment and 21 acres of grounds.
This all requires a significant amount of upkeep, and we have a team of volunteers who meet once or twice a week to complete grounds work maintenance and repair tasks, they also undertake facility improvement projects. Recent projects range from creating a new car parking area, building a mezzanine floor in the hay barn and clearing the local by-way! They are a great team, who are always looking for any new willing volunteers to join them.
All volunteers are expected to have a full DBS check (Disclosure & Barring Service Check)
Young Volunteers
Young Volunteer
We welcome students from School/College who are keen to work with horses or in a charity setting. As we are a small yard we can generally only take one student at a time. All students will need the full support of their school/college. (small text change) Hours would be from 9.00 – 12.30, Monday to Friday. Please contact the office for information on how to apply.
Duke Of Edinburgh
We fully support the DoE Scheme and welcome applications from students wishing to spend time with us for their volunteering section. Please contact the office for information on how to apply.
Useful Documents for volunteers
Still have questions? Check out our volunteer FAQ's here.
Download our Health & Safety Policy
Download our Safeguarding Policy
For each applicant over 18 we need to complete a DBS. To help with our costs, please consider donating for your DBS check for just £10.
Simply click the box and pay online.
Thank you.
