We accept volunteers starting as young 14 years old (with parental supervision).  Our oldest volunteer is 75 years old! Contact us for a tour to see if you want to joint the more than 80 volunteers who find satisfaction in working with our horses and students.

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•No prior horse experience is required.

•All volunteers must:

   1.Complete a volunteer orientation and training at our center.

   2.Supply a copy of their drivers license or a student ID, if underage for driving.

   3.Adhere to our BTRC Guidelines (rules and regulations). 

   4.Complete the volunteer packet below which includes:

      •BTRC Volunteer application

      •Lansing School District form

 

We schedule our volunteers as soon as the background check is completed.

 

Our volunteers are one of the program’s most valuable resources!  We have tons of opportunities from assisting with riding classes, feeding and caring for our horses, facilities maintenance, all the way to to advisory board membership and fundraising.

 

Our uniques programs make us a popular site chosen by individuals or community groups seeking volunteer opportunities.   Plus, really, who can resist our horses?  We are conveniently located within a one mile radius of Michigan State University and Lansing Community College, so many of our volunteers are students who are eager to help while they learn.

Interested in volunteering? Print the volunteer application and use the contact us form to contact Michelle Detering, our volunteer coordinator.

 

Volunteer Roles

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Lesson volunteers

Lesson volunteers focus on assuring the safety of our students. Prior horse experience helpful but not required!

Volunteers assist our riding instructors with classes during the week, scheduled at varying times. There are three options for lesson volunteers:

• Header/Leader ... Volunteers with prior horse experience are usually selected by the Class Instructor to help with getting horses out of the paddocks, saddling and being the “Header/Leader” of the horse in class. The Header/Leader is basically in control of the horse during the lesson.

• Side Walkers ... Side walkers help prevent the rider from falling off the horse. Side walkers either walk at close proximity to the side of the rider, or in some cases, need to make physical contact with the rider to assist them with their balance. The side walker gives the rider a sense of a security while in the saddle, thus helping to build the rider’s confidence.

• Spotters ... Spotters help prevent riders from falling off the horse. Spotters also assist our more independent riders. As students learn how to ride, spotters assist by staying close to them, ready to overtake control of the horse if the student needs help.

 

Operational Volunteers

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We always need help from skilled volunteers. If you are interested in offering professional skills, please let us know! Examples include accounting, feeding the horses, helping with trucking and handling hay, facilities maintenance (painting, electrical, roofing) stable cleaning, and even clerical help. Like most non profits we are always looking for enthusiastic people to help with fundraising and grant writing.  

 

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Click here for the volunteer application!

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**Warning:  Under the Michigan equine activity liability act, an equine professional is not liable for an injury to or the death of a participant in an equine activity resulting from an inherent risk of the equine activity.

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