Volunteers make Lovelane who we are today! Without them we would not be here to provide our students this highly beneficial experience.
Lovelane volunteers proudly and generously give their time and their heart to support and provide for our students and horses. Our volunteers groom, tack, and lead horses; they encourage our riders; they ensure that our students have productive, fun and safe experiences at Lovelane.
Volunteering at Lovelane gives you an opportunity to make a difference, to give back, to meet new friends and to work as a team. Our riders, in turn, provide our volunteers many rewards – smiles, camaraderie, enthusiasm, and pride in the progress of their skill. Join us today and become a part of the Lovelane team!
A horse leader is responsible for leading the horse safely during lessons. The leader’s focus is the horse and safety. They listen closely to the instructor’s directions to steer and communicate with the horse, during the lesson and while mounting and unmounting. Leaders are also responsible for tacking and untacking the horse. Horse leaders need 3-5 years of significant horse experience and must successfully complete our training.
A side walker assists the lesson by supporting the student according to the instructor’s directions. A side walker stands, walks and jogs next to the horse while providing physical and/or social support to the student. The side walker is responsible for helping to keep the student safe and helping them achieve their therapeutic goals. This sometimes will involve a physical safety hold of the student for an entire lesson.
Barn volunteers assist the Barn Manager with chores, such as mucking stalls, sweeping the aisle, and cleaning and filling water buckets. Barn volunteers must have horse experience and, depending on their experience level, may also be trained to tack horses for lessons.
In our Unmounted Programs, volunteers work one-on-one and in a group with our students under the supervision of an instructor. Their primary responsibility is to ensure the students stay safe as they work in the barn and care for our horses while keeping them engaged in the lessons and activities of each class. Volunteers for these programs are ideally closer to a “peer” age; we most often enroll teenage or young adult volunteers for our unmounted classes. Volunteers must also have a solid background with horses and be comfortable and confident working around them. Many of our participants are working on social skills, so being able to model appropriate social behavior is essential.
We occasionally need help with general office projects, such as the annual appeal and event mailings, The Run for Lovelane (June) and The Hoedown (September).
Summer and school year internships are available at Lovelane and can include the following: sidewalking and leading in therapeutic lessons, assistance in our unmounted programs, assistance with lesson planning and game creation for the program, barn work, assistance with fundraising tasks, and possible exposure to non-profit planning.
Requirements and Skills Needed:
A Lovelane internship is an unpaid opportunity to experience direct, hands-on involvement in the therapeutic horseback riding industry. An internship at Lovelane is a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
To apply, email your cover letter and resume to Volunteer Manager: [email protected]
Therapeutic riding uses equine-assisted activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of people with disabilities. Physically, the horse’s movement has a dynamic effect on the rider’s body. The horse stimulates the rider’s pelvis and trunk in a manner that closely resembles a human’s normal walking gait. This movement can produce specific physical changes in the rider: improvement in posture and balance, increased strength, and normalized muscle tone. The movement of the horse can also help with a variety of sensory integration issues. A smooth-gaited, consistently-paced horse provides needed input to help a rider establish rhythm. A rough-gaited horse may provide a rider with the stimulation to help organize and integrate sensory input. Movement exploration while on the horse helps improve overall body awareness. Emotionally, the success of overcoming fear and anxiety, and the ability to achieve riding skills helps a rider to realize self-worth and increase self-esteem. The relationships that develop between riders, volunteers, horses, and staff are integral to the positive emotional experience at Lovelane. Additionally, the horse provides many riders with the motivation to learn new things. Educational goals such as letter recognition and sequencing can be incorporated into riding activities. Riding and the related games and exercises can be both fun and challenging.
The minimum age to volunteer in lessons is 16. Volunteers under the age of 18 must have the written consent of a parent or guardian before volunteering at Lovelane.
Lovelane strongly prefers volunteers with 3+ years of consistent horse experience. We train all our volunteers, regardless of their experience. Volunteers do not need experience working with children with disabilities.
Yes, we are required by Massachusetts state law to submit a Criminal Offender Record Information CORI (background) check on all volunteers and staff on property.
New volunteers will need to complete the online volunteer application.
Yes, we require all volunteers who will be tacking and/or leading horses in lessons to successfully complete one-on-one training regardless of experience. This is to ensure consistent handling of our horses. We also have introductory videos for side walking, tacking and leading, and have a Volunteer Manual with all of our policies and information.
Lovelane programs operate during three sessions over the year: Fall (September-January), Spring (February-June), and Summer (July & August). Whether you are a weekly or substitute volunteer, we ask that you commit to being involved for at least one session. Weekly volunteers commit to at least one weekly shift of 3-4 hours and are asked to not have more than 3 planned absences over the 22-week spring or fall sessions. Summer volunteer schedules offer greater flexibility.
Yes, we are open 7 days a week.
Yes, we have barn volunteer opportunities for individuals who have previous horse experience. Barn volunteers assist the Barn Manager with chores, such as mucking stalls, sweeping the aisle and cleaning and filling water buckets. Barn volunteers with significant horse experience can be trained to help tack horses for lessons as well.
Yes, we welcome volunteer groups from companies. Typically, we can only accommodate a small group (4-6 people) a few times a year. During your visit you will receive a tour of the facility, information on Lovelane and instructions from staff or volunteers on the way you can help Lovelane during your visit. For ideas on how your company can support Lovelane, please contact Lisa Williams at [email protected] or 781-259-1177 x126.
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