Please contact us regarding volunteer training. It's helpful if you download, print and fill out the volunteer form (Word, pdf) prior to your first visit. For your safety, you must wear closed-toe shoes to work in the barn and arena. No flip-flops or sandals are allowed. Our volunteer orientation is held at the Horseplay barn, 5949 Silveyville Rd., Dixon. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Horseplay! Phone: (707) 447-8733, e-mail: horseplay.riding@gmail.com
Please print, fill out and bring with you to your first session:
Volunteer Form (Word)
Volunteer Form (PDF)
Do you represent a group or service club that would like to volunteer for Horseplay? We would love to have you! To ensure the safety of our riders, we train a maximum of five new volunteers at a time. In addition, we require that groups who would like to participate in the program commit to sending the same people in the initially trained group a minimum of once a month for four months. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to meeting you!
Volunteer Orientation
Please note that for your safety, you must wear closed-toed shoes to work in the barn and the arena. Flip-flops or sandals are not allowed. We ask new volunteers to arrive on Saturday morning at 9:15 a.m., after the first session has begun. You'll watch two videos: Groundhandling Horses Safely and Volunteering At a Therapeutic Riding Center. Volunteers for riding sessions either lead the rider's horse or "sidewalk," i.e., walk alongside the horse, so we'll talk about the specific responsibilities of sidewalking and leading. You'll participate in the 10:00 a.m. session as a sidewalker and will be paired with a more experienced volunteer. Please feel free to e-mail your questions and let us know which Saturday you plan to start. Thank you!
The sessions take place in a covered arena, so we are able to hold sessions rain, hail, snow or shine! However, sessions are not held on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends. View the calendar for updates. In addition, we close the center for the last two weeks of December.
Volunteering for Horseplay
The benefits of equine therapy are well documented,
and volunteering at the Horseplay Therapeutic
Riding Center is an opportunity to help
children, youth and adults transform--and
have fun!
A mother of twin daughters, who are both enrolled in the program, recently remarked that if she started to talk about how much she loves Horseplay, she would cry. Her daughters' physical therapist found their upper-body strength dramatically increased after they began riding.
As well as physical strength, riders gain confidence from being able to guide and control the horses, and from being able to follow the instructor's directions. Praise from instructors and volunteers helps riders persist and progress. We strive to make each rider as independent as his or her capabilities allow.
Riding sessions of 45 minutes are held in Dixon in a covered arena on Tuesday evenings, 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m.; Wednesday evenings, 5:00-6:00 p.m.; and Saturday mornings, 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Dixon is located in Solano County, 20 miles west of Sacramento and 36 miles east of Vallejo.
Each riding session is supervised by a certified instructor. The sessions begin with warm-up exercises that may include reaching, arm circles, touching the horse's neck or tail. The main part of each session is a game that lets riders have fun while improving their skill. Games usually involve learning about horse equipment and practicing using the reins. When weather permits, the session ends with a short, supervised trail ride outside the arena.
Our volunteers range in age from 14 to 70; we have a place for everyone, and we welcome your participation to the degree your schedule allows.
In addition to leading and sidewalking, volunteers are welcome to learn to assist with tacking-up the horses, grooming them, or cleaning tack.
Please visit! You are welcome to observe a riding session without committing to volunteering. No experience with horses or special-needs students is needed!
If you have any questions about volunteering for the Horseplay Center, please call (707) 447-8733 or send an .