Volunteer Training

Assisting in Lessons

There are three key roles a volunteer may have during a lesson:

• Leaders are primarily responsible for ensuring the horse’s safety in lessons.
• Sidewalkers assist with providing physical support for the rider and acting as a teaching assistant during group lessons.
• Acting as a mentor and teaching assistant while monitoring safety during unmounted lessons.

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• Approach a horse from the side, avoid quick movements, and speak in a low voice.
• A horse sees people approaching from the side better than from behind or directly in front.
• Speaking quietly as you approach helps them notice that you are approaching.
• As prey animals, approaching from where the horse can’t see you, making loud noises or moving quickly could cause the horse to perceive you as a threat and kick out, possibly injuring you.
• Greet horses by allowing them to sniff a closed fist.
• Pat horses on the shoulder, not the nose.
• Avoid walking around the back of a horse, or approaching in them from the back.
• Approaching from the back may startle the horse and they may kick out.
• When working near a horses hindquarters, stay close and rest one hand on the horse.
• If you keep a hand on the horse, the horse remains aware that you are near its hind end. If the horse does kick out, staying close increases the chance that you will be shoved by the horse’s legs rather than hit by its hooves.

General Considerations when Working around Horses

• Never wrap a lead line or reins around your hand or yourself. If your horse spooked and moved quickly, you will be unable to free your hand and will get dragged.
• Never let a lead line or reins to hang on the ground. You or your horse could step on or trip over them. If a horse puts a leg through the reins they may panic and create an unsafe situation.
• Hold the lead with your right hand with a bit of slack between your hand and the horse’s halter. Fold (don’t wrap) the excess in your left hand. Folding the excess allows you to quickly adjust the length of the lead in an emergency. Having it folded instead of wrapped ensures that you won’t be dragged if the only safe option is to let the horse go.
• Walk beside the horse when leading, not ahead or behind. If you are ahead of the horse you can’t monitor his eyes and ears to see if he becomes frightened or annoyed. If you get too far back your control is compromised and you may interfere with a sidewalker if one is present.
• Horses are led from the near (left) side, unless otherwise indicated by staff. Leading from the left is customary, but occasionally leading from the offside (right) helps keep a horse straight.
• Do not lean or rest your arm on the horses when they are on cross-ties or in arena. This can be irritating to the horse. Our horses spend a lot of time being closed in by leaders and sidewalkers, so they prefer not to have uncomfortable contact when they are not working.

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Considerations Continued

• Introduce yourself to your rider and other members of your team.
• Learn along with your student. Each lesson presents something new.
• Be empathetic. Try to understand your student and his or her challenges and develop a rapport with them.
• Avoid mothering, caretaking and over-sentimentality.
• Encourage and foster independence in your rider.
• Be patient and sensitive. Riders may have very slow movements, delayed speech and progress in skills are a very slow pace. Learn to work with your student's pace of learning and communicating.
• Celebrate success!

Key Suggestions

• As a leader you should feel comfortable leading a horse.
• You are primarily responsible for maintaining control of the horse. You need to be alert and aware of the horse’s movement and behavior at all times, as well as staying tuned into to the rest of the team.
• In general the leader is only responsible for the horse and should not speak to the rider or sidewalkers. However, if the horse seems agitated, or annoyed, the leader may check in with the sidewalkers to determine if the rider or a problem with tack is the cause for the horse’s behavior.
• Pay attention to safety at all times.
• You should arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to retrieve your assigned horse from their stall or crossties.
• Please immediately bring any concerns about the horse or their tack to the attention of the instructor.

In an emergency, the leader stays with and is responsible for the horse.

Leader Responsibilities

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• Walk on the left beside the horse’s head (if facing the same way as the horse), staying between the horse’s shoulder and head so you have eye contact with the horse.
• Hold your right hand under the clip end of the lead rope with the extra rope folded in your left hand in a “figure 8” pattern.
• NEVER wrap the lead line around your hand.
• Make sure the lead rope runs between and beneath the horse’s reins, not over the left rein.
• Look up and forward, while always staying aware of the horse and his focus.
• Keep your attention on the lesson and your team. Glance back occasionally at the rider and sidewalkers to make sure they are safe.
• Keep a minimum of one to two horse lengths distance between your horse and other horses.
• Avoid “riding” your horse for your rider. Wait for your rider to ask the horse to “walk-on”, trot, or to cue the horse to turn before proceeding, unless otherwise stated by the instructor.

How to Lead

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• When trotting, be sure to look up and forward, aware of your horse and his focus. Start jogging slowly, and gently half halt (squeeze, opening and closing fingers) on the lead rope if necessary.
• Do not let the horse’s head get too low to the ground.
• When trail riding, do not let your horse eat grass.
• Adjust your step to the horse. Be careful not to get in front of their head, behind them, or too far away.
• Allow enough room for sidewalkers on both sides of the horse. Be careful not to get too close to the wall or rail.
• At the halt, step in front or just to one side of the horse’s face to provide a physical barrier.

How to Lead Continued

Lesson Cues and Procedures

When beginning a lesson:

• Walk your horse up toward the ring. Stop facing the ring so that the instructor may perform a safety check.
• Walk through the mounting area (toward the ring entrance) and halt adjacent to the mounting block.
• Stand in front of your horse, facing their head, to provide a barrier and ensure the horse stands still while the rider is mounting.
• If applicable, the instructor will cue to rider to say “walk on.” Wait for your rider to respond before cuing the horse yourself.
• Enter the ring and halt.

Lesson Cues: There are several verbal commands commonly used in lessons.

• “Walk on”: walk
• “Woah”: Halt
• “1, 2, 3, Trot”: Trot

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• Your primary responsibility is to walk alongside the rider and provide support as indicated by the instructor.
• This may be direct physical support, verbal support to reinforce the instructor’s directions, or acting as a spotter.
• One or two sidewalkers may be assigned to each rider depending on the rider’s needs.

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In an emergency, sidewalkers stay with and assist the rider.

Sidewalker Overview

• Sidewalk - walk beside the rider (lined up with the rider’s hip and shoulder, prepared for “hands- on” as directed by the instructor. You may hold the stirrup leather or saddle pad to help maintain position.
• Arm-over-thigh - place the arm closest the rider over the rider’s thigh and grasp the front of the saddle.
• Ankle hold - place the hand furthest from the rider over the front of the ankle at the bottom the shinbone.
• Heel hold - cup the rider’s heel with the hand closest to the rider.
• Thigh hold with ankle hold – occasionally a rider needs support by doing both an arm over the thigh and cupping the ankle.

How to Provide Physical Support to a Rider

• Side walkers may be asked to greet your rider with your instructor, assist them with their helmet, and wait with the rider until the instructor indicates it is time to mount.
• When a rider requires two sidewalkers, only one side walker should be communicating with the rider. Too much talking is confusing and distracting to the rider.
• If a rider has only one sidewalker, the leader and sidewalker should walk on opposite sides of the horse
• Limit conversation with the rider and other volunteers during the lesson. Direct the rider’s attention to the instructor.

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General Sidewalker Considerations

• Be aware of your rider at all times. Even when unmounted, be conscious of your rider’s safety in and around the arena.
• The role of the sidewalker varies greatly from rider to rider. It is important to try to understand your rider’s needs and goals. Be sure to ask the instructor to provide this information to you.
• Learn to visualize the basic riding position so you can help your rider adjust their position.
• If the rider slips in one direction or the other, ask the rider to regain position to the center of the horse. If necessary, halt, help the rider to reposition and then continue the session.

General Sidewalker Considerations Continued

• Never place your hand or fingers in the saddle rings or buckles while sidewalking.
• If a problem arises tell the leader and the instructor immediately so they can take appropriate action.
• If you need to change sides with the other sidewalker, ask the leader to bring the horse to the center of the ring and stop. Sidewalkers change sides one at a time, walking in front of the horse. Never leave the student alone or unassisted.
• Before trotting, make sure your rider is prepared. If the rider uses a handhold, be sure they are holding the handhold or both reins and handhold BEFORE you start to trot. Support the rider by providing an arm over thigh hold, ankle or heel hold as directed by the instructor. Be sure to stay next to the rider’s leg, and not drop behind.

General Sidewalker Considerations Continued

• All staff members and volunteers will be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved accommodation on file.
• Participants, volunteers and staff shall wear a mask during all unmounted and mounted lesson activities and when in the barn or within 12 feet of other people outside. At the discretion of the instructor, participants may remove their mask during the unmounted portion of their lesson if they are able to maintain appropriate social distancing.
• Parents and caregivers are assisting with mounting and dismounting of riders and hands-on sidewalking assistance during lessons.
• During unmounted portions of a lesson, social distancing should be adhered to, and cross-ties areas are spread out to provide more space between activities within the barn.
• Leaders are provided with a lead line that they use for the duration of their volunteer session.
• Frequent hand sanitizing is encouraged. Staff and volunteers may be provided with gloves if requested. Gloves must be changed between each participant’s session.
• Tack and equipment are cleaned after every session by participant if they are able, or by volunteer/staff member. Cleaning supplies and cleaning instructions are located in the tack room.
• Please read and respect all posted signs regarding COVID19 policies and protocols.

COVID-19 Lesson Protocols and Considerations

Assisting in lessons is a vital part of what you do as a volunteer with our program. This makes the information in this module important. Please click here to take a brief quiz to help us know that you have read and understand the information in this module and feel comfortable applying it in program with us.