I used to volunteer here ages ago but have finally decided to leave a review…read more
First, the owner is very knowledgeable about horses and riding and is dedicated to teaching their students. However, my experience was less favourable due to several issues.
Before I started, I asked about the schedule and specific arrival times, but I never received clear answers. Instead, I was told to arrive whenever I wanted. Not knowing much other than that the first lesson was around 9:30 a.m., I arrived early to help get the horses and everything else ready. Unfortunately, this seemed to be an annoyance rather than happy another volunteer was there to help. After volunteering for four hours, I had to leave for an appointment, which felt unacceptable by everyone there because I was leaving "too early", but everyone could just leave whenever they wanted sometime only after 1 or 2 hours.
I felt like I was thrown into the deep end. I wasn't given sufficient explanations or the promised training after they were told I was still new to the riding aspect of horses, and I was expected to know the horses, the layout, and specific procedures immediately.
While volunteering, I often worked later (until 7:30 p.m.) than everyone else. For example, one girl arrived at 3 p.m. and left at 5 p.m. after only assisting with one lesson. The owner seemed overwhelmed and unable to manage everything herself, mentioning her physical difficulties on one occasion--something I felt should not have been made my business.
Several times, I struggled with tasks like tacking up horses. Despite repeatedly stating that I wasn't familiar with the process and needed guidance, one of the other volunteers rudely told me to go pick up the yards instead of showing me how to do it correctly because they were already late for the lesson (this is a common occurrenc so be prepared to wait for longer).
Regarding the coach, she often smoked during lessons in the outdoor arena, called late at night for unnecessary casual conversations that could have occurred when I was present, and, on one occasion, made an insulting comment about my horse. If I weren't present at a time that suited her, she would continuously message or call until I answered or arrived.
Two major red flags for me were that she never requested a Working with Children Check from adult volunteers, even though most lessons involved vulnerable children.
The other concern was her admission that one of the horses needed to be whipped by the volunteers or herself because "he won't move without it." However, when lunging him, he moved just fine without the whip. She seemed displeased during a lesson when I opted to tap him gently instead of whipping him hard and excessively.
Despite my attempts to set boundaries, she tried to pressure me to help with the school holiday program despite my other commitments. There was also an incident where she left the premises for three hours during a scheduled lesson, leaving me--an inexperienced volunteer--to manage the situation. I could only assist the family with grooming and tacking up the horse, and when they didn't know what to do next, they left, leaving me alone for another 30 minutes until another volunteer arrived.
Overall, I came here to learn more about the riding aspect of horse ownership. However, my experience was hindered by a lack of communication, support, and respect for volunteers' time and abilities from the owner and other volunteers.
