Volunteers: For each rider, we need from one to four volunteers. All riders have a horse handler, and some have two side walkers. While a lesson is in progress, additional horse handlers are grooming and tacking horses for the next lesson, while others are cleaning stalls, sweeping the barn, filling water buckets, etc. Some volunteers help in the office, exercise horses, raise funds, or provide publicity. We always need more volunteer help.
Side Walkers: Most volunteers begin as side walkers responsible for the rider. These individuals walk along side the horse and provide an ever-present safety net to assure that we can always dismount the rider at all times. They also assist the rider in following the directions given by the instructor.
Horse Handlers: For those with “horse experience” or wanting to learn more about horses, Triple H provides extensive training on how to safely groom, tack, and control a horse from the ground. During lessons, these individuals assist the rider in controlling the horse and follow the directions of the instructor.
Partners/Mentors: Interested horse handlers are prepared to become “Senior Partners” in the From Fear to Responsibility program. They are teamed with a troubled teenager and a particular horse, then they teach the teens how to groom and tack their horses. During the mounted portion of the lesson, they are coaches and safety observers to encourage the rider while maintaining safe conditions.
Ranch Hands: These are the wonderful folks who do everything else that is so necessary on a ranch to take care of these magnificent horses. Tasks range from mixing feed for each horse to cleaning feed buckets and water troughs to, finally, “mucking” the manure out of the stalls after the horses have finished! It’s a great life.
Bunkhouse Hands These are the inside helpers who sweep floors, assist in the office, write newsletters, stuff envelopes, and all those time-consuming chores required to keep Triple H humming.
Triple H is proud of its volunteer training programs. They are designed to take the novice who knows little or nothing about either horses or those with disabilities and equip them to competently and confidently deal with the myriad of situations that arise every day. We ask all volunteers to complete Side Walker Training to become with the philosophy and general approach taken at Triple H. Those who are interested in horses are encouraged to attend Horse Handler Training. Volunteers with an inclination toward teaching and nurturing others can become Partners/Mentors or even candidates to become NARHA certified instructors.
We conduct formal training prior to each of our four sessions in early January, March, June, and September. See our calendar for the specific dates this year. Informal On-the-Job training is conducted for individuals volunteering during a session; however, all are requested to attend the next scheduled formal training class.
