volunteer & horse training levels | orientation

Volunteers must work at each level for at least 20 hours before they will be allowed to take the first level test.. Volunteers arriving with horse experience will be evaluated by our Equestrian Specialist and placed accordingly. Only very experienced equestrians are permitted to work with training young/inexperienced horses or riding our horses with behavioral problems. All horses that are ridable, without behavioral issues, and awaiting adoption are ridden by their fostercaretakers. Inexperienced volunteers are not permitted to ride except in volunteer play days.

All our horses wear a color coded marker on their halters to designate their temperment and lack of experience level. The color designation is as follows:

• GREEN - Quiet, well trained, horses with few handling issues that can, in most situations, be easily led or groomed by an inexperience volunteer.
• YELLOW - Horses that require at least an intermediate horse knowledgeable person to lead and groom.
• RED - Horses that require experienced, evaluated. horse personell to handle, lead or groom. (For the safety of our volunteers, red markers are also used on horses that staff have not yet evaluated.)

All our Volunteers wear namebadges based on experience levels as follows:

• PINK - Has not been evaluated by staff as to experience level.
  
• GREEN - Has been evaluated and is capable of working with GREEN Level horses.
  
• YELLOW - Has been evaluated and is capable of working with YELLOW Level horses.
  
• RED - Has been evaluated and is capable of working with RED Level horses.

Below are Days End Farm's Volunteer Job Opportunities: For information about being a part of any of the following jobs, activities or programs please contact Caroline Robertson, Volunteer Coordinator

• Barn Volunteer- Daily from 8 am to 5 pm these volunteers assist staff with the mucking, cleaning, watering, feeding, grooming and management of our horses. No skill is required. Volunteers are given responsibilities according to their level of experience and offered opportunities to grow in their abilities. Volunteers are managed by our barn staff and Farm Manager, Brittney Ochoa.

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• Office Volunteer- Experience preferred but not required in data entry, filing, mailings, etc. Office help is needed daily and is pre-scheduled with by Lea Gilbert, our Office Manager

• Development Committee- From our Director of Development, Sue Mitchell: “One of the many ways in which you can support Days End is to join the Development Committee. The committee’s main goal is to support and grow Days End’s revenue generating programs and special events, as well as explore avenues for future growth. The Committee meets on the second Saturday of each month here at the farm. Meetings last approximately 1 ½ hours and you will more than likely leave with “homework”. When we meet, we laugh a lot, work very hard and eat well. The Committee is always looking to grow and expand. Please email me at Sue Mitchell to chat more about how to become a part of this dynamic group.”

• Farm Operations Committee- The FOC committee is for our volunteers who have an interest or skills in handyman/maintenance-type work. Mowing, gardening/landscaping, repairs, building/construction, painting, etc. are the projects lead and accomplished by this committee. Meetings are scheduled as needed and are lead by Rege Dvorsky and our Director of Programs Erin Ochoa, Our Director of Equine Programs.

• Girl Scout Program/Horse Lovers program - Do you enjoy working with children and horses? This volunteer-run program runs on Saturdays from 1 – 3 pm, Sept. thru June. Instruction is given on general horse care, grooming and tack. The kids are given an opportunity to groom a horse, receive a demo on tacking and riding a horse and are then given a walk and trot pony ride. Volunteers are needed for all aspects of the program.

  

• Emergency Response Team- This team is responsible for assisting Days End with impoundments and horse emergency calls. Training is available for qualified individuals. HORSE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED.

• Farm Inspectors Committee- Theses volunteers inspect potential and previous adopter’s facilities. Training is available and volunteers must be over the age of 18, are able to drive and have a digital camera.

• Training Team- This team consists of adults with advanced horse skills who assist Days End in evaluating and training the horses who have been fully rehabilitated. Volunteers are required to have worked their initial 20 hours in the barn and undergo an evaluation before being placed on the team.

• Special Event Volunteers- These volunteers are able to help Days End Farm with four fundraising events each year. Events include a Spring Carnival in June, a Fall Festival in Sept., a Holiday Party in December and a mid-winter event in February. If you would like to be placed on an email mailing list for notifications of these events, please contact Caroline at the E-mail above.

  

• Education Committee- Volunteers within this committee assist with the Residential Internship Program by providing transportation for the interns, planning outings and activities, completing paperwork, maintaining the facilities, donating food, etc. If interested and you would like to be added to a mailing list for notifications of events and needs please contact Caroline.

If you are a DEFHR Volunteer, or thinking about becoming one, check out our Yahoo! Group! We keep a current of DEFHR Events, Volunteer Opportunities, and other news. The Group also hosts moderated chats, discussion boards, and a cyber-place for DEFHR folk to hang out.

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For more information call:
301/854-5037 or 410/442-1564
E-Mail: info@defhr.org

Physical Address:
1372 Woodbine Road
Woodbine, MD 21797

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 309
Lisbon, Maryland 21765

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Days End Farm Horse Rescue, Inc. is a non-profit, volunteer based humane organization
whose mission is to ensure quality care and treatment of horses
through intervention, education, and outreach.