Get Involved - Volunteer!

The Feeding Team is responsible for one of the most important jobs at GSH - making sure our horses are fed. Though we feed round bales and have automatic waterers for the majority of the horses, we have several horses who require senior feed or other grains twice a day. Horses on stall rest or in small pens require twice a day feeding and watering. Feeders also maintain the daily count and checks, ensure that the automatic waterers are working, and keep track of when round bales need to be replenished. Feeding Team members who know how to drive the tractor are able to put new round bales in.

• Duties
  • AM Shift: 5-10 am; PM Shift: 5 - 9 pm. Feeding takes between 1-1.5 hours
  • Distribute correct quantities of hay and grain and medications for each horse as instructed.
  • Ensure that all horses have water
  • Monitor all horses’ health and well-being.
  • Note any health or safety issues and report them immediately.
• Qualifications
  • Must be able to volunteer at least one shift every other week, preferably every week
  • High degree of reliability and own mode of transportation
  • Ability to accurately measure and mix feed, supplements, and medications as instructed.
  • Involves lifting heavy weight (50 pound bags of grain, 60+ pound bales of hay)
  • Experience working around horses is helpful, but not required.

The barn chore team takes care of all the little things that are easily overlooked - keeping the facility clean and in good working order. Jobs include cleaning feed and water buckets, cleaning stalls and picking paddocks, general barn organization and cleaning, and assisting with special projects as needed.

This team is the most flexible and offers even the least experienced people horse time while cleaning paddocks, and is where the majority of our volunteers start. We ask that Barn Chores team commit to at least one 2-3 hour shift every two weeks. At least one barn chore must be completed on every visit to earn grooming time.

The Administrative & Fundraising Team keeps the rescue running! Members of this team assist the Executive Director with office tasks such as filing, data entry, thank you notes, phone calls, and emails. The team also assists in all fundraising activities and events, and helps to maintain our various online resources. There are many remote opportunities available. On-site shifts are available on evenings and weekends when the Director does not have to cover Feeding or Barn Chores.

The Outreach & Bug Club Team is the public facing team for GSH. Members of this team help organize all public events, including Bug Club activities, Adoption Meet & Greets, the GSH Show Team, and any other events that are open to the public. This team also helps maintain the Leg Up Community Support program and organizes assistance for horses in need.

This team is responsible for the training of the horses to get them ready for adoptive homes. All volunteers who wish to handle horses beyond grooming must participate in our Forever Foundation video training program which will determine which horses and training activities may be completed. Training team members are expected to commit to at least one training day and one feeding or barn chores day per week (can be completed on the same day).

Building, grounds, and fence upkeep: This team helps with projects such as ongoing fence repair, dragging/spraying/seeding horse pastures, horse shelter and barn repair, manure spreading and/or hauling, building of additional horse pens and pastures, and more. 

Gardening:  Projects include weeding, planting flowers, watering trees, and mowing.  Donations of plants and flowers are always welcome! This can be a great activity for large work groups that are looking for a day-long project.

Light and heavy vehicle maintenance:  We utilize a number of vehicles for a variety of daily activities.  We are looking for people with mechanical backgrounds who can help maintain our trucks, tractor, and horse trailers.

The Farrier Team is responsible for all aspects of our once a month farrier day. This includes catching horses, holding horses for trims, and turning horses back out to their paddocks. Farrier team members need to commit to one day per month, usually the last Saturday of the month, and at least 10 months of the year.