Thornton Rose RDA Volunteers

Volunteering with Us

Thornton Rose RDA is run entirely by volunteers.

Our volunteers assist in the smooth and safe running of an RDA session by helping with pony care duties, leading or side walking one of our ponies with a rider or assisting the coach during each session. Please note that side walking can involve walking multiple miles per session. There are also opportunities to help with fundraising, administration and general maintenance.

Experience with horses is great but not essential, there is always the opportunity to learn.

You can volunteer with RDA once you are 14 or over. Our volunteers range from this age all the way through to far into their retirement!

We do ask that anyone under the age of 16 who wishes to volunteer with us brings an accompanying person over the age of 18.

Volunteer Application Form

Use button below to downlaod the Volunteer Form

Place cursor over the question or tap on the question to reveal the answer.

When do you run RDA sessions?

We run sessions on Wednesday and Saturdays. We would ask that volunteers arrive at 8:30am on a Wednesday and stay until around 3pm. Saturday sessions last from 9am until 1:30pm. These timings allow volunteers and coaches to prepare the horses for the arrival of the participants, have small breaks between sessions and return the horses to their fields afterwards. For any additional clarification please contact us!

What training will I receive when I volunteer?

Our coaches, team leaders and other experienced volunteers will provide any training you may require in working with our participants and handling our horses.

Volunteering with us is a great opportunity to further your skills, such as teamwork and communication.

Whilst building your confidence by working in a constantly changing environment.

We also have lots of other ways in which you can help out, such as fundraising and applying for grants.

If you think you have talents or expertise that may be helpful, we’d love to hear from you!

What should I wear?

Much of our session time is spent walking around outdoors. We therefore ask that volunteers wear:

Sturdy outdoor footwear (e.g. wellies or walking boots…. no trainers or sandals please!)

Appropriate layers and waterproofs, depending on the weather. Gloves when leading horses

We may be able to provide some outdoor clothing such as waterproofs, gloves and boots- please let us know if this would be helpful for you!

Do I need to know anything about horses?

No! as long as you are comfortable to be around horses and willing to learn from our coaches and team leaders, that’s a great start!