Volunteer & Staff Training Manual Staff Executive Director -Jerry Hynes Program Director - Sandy Jones Volunteer Coordinator/ Ameri-Corp - Jess Dropulick Instructors Lisa Johnson Andrea Scalici-Staton Cyndi Caniglia Katie McCully Board of Directors Carol Granly Ulrike Berzau Greg Johnson Patty Wright Britt Kissock Chris Carney Molly Coulter Mary Rush Jeff Hanson Located at Westar Ranch 8118 South Ramona Spokane, WA PO Box 30893 Spokane, WA 99223 Phone: 509-979-1468 [email protected] [email protected] Website: freereinspokane.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandy.jones.5811877 Welcome to Free Rein Therapeutic Riding Mission: Equipping riders for life through adaptive equine activities focusing on building strength, independence and freedom. Vision: To serve as the regions premier therapeutic riding center with dedication to providing education and improving professionalism in the field of equine assisted activities. Founded in the summer of 2008, Free Rein provides recreational and sport riding to individuals with physical, mental and emotional challenges. Free Rein began serving 18 riders with 5 horses at the Dix Farm in South Spokane. In September of 2008, we moved to our current home here on Westar Ranch. 2 Volunteering at Free Rein Therapeutic Riding Volunteer Paperwork: All paperwork must be completed before volunteers may begin. Parental consent and signatures are needed for those less than 18 years of age. As required by state and PATH standards, volunteer paperwork and background checks are updated yearly. Please let us know if there is a change to your address, phone number, email as well as recent changes in your health as it would apply to your volunteer position All volunteer information is kept confidential unless we have direct permission from the volunteer to give the information out (i.e. – a rider wants to send a card to their volunteer) If you do not want your information given out please tell our volunteer coordinator. Volunteer Scheduling: If you have a last minute emergency and cannot make it to your scheduled time or are running late, call us at 509-979-1468. Please leave a message if no one is available to answer. Please do not cancel by email with less than 24 hours notice. In the event of a rider cancellation, the volunteer coordinator will notify you as soon as we find out. Please be on time for your classes, classes cannot function without you! Free Rein understands that scheduling conflicts will occur, yet because of the nature of our program, volunteer cancellations affect everyone in the class. 3 The “Free Rein WAY” Many volunteers wonder if they can ride the Free Rein horses. Except during advanced trainings we generally do not allow volunteers to ride our horses. Since we focus on the needs of our riders, offering ride time to the volunteers would be a strain on the horses and staff. We have a group of experienced riders who are a part of our schooling team. Regardless of your experience with horses, it is imperative to adhere to the “Free Rein Way” for handling our therapy horses. For consistency and safety, we may differ greatly from the way you handle your own horses. Only authorized personnel are allowed in the tacking area, arena, and inside the horse pasture. Visitors must remain in observation area unless accompanied by a authorized personnel. Children must be supervised at all times and cannot be in the arena with you when you are volunteering. All participants must wear ASTM-SEI approved equestrian helmets at all times when in direct contact with the horses. All volunteers and personnel must wear ASTM-SEI approved helmets while mounted. Riders must wear close toes shoes/boots with heels or use safety stirrups/toe stoppers while riding. Only our riders will feed treats and they will feed horses treats using a treat bucket or by placing treats in the feeder in a stall. Do not snuggle or get close to the horse’s face. These horses are working and petting their face can make the horse feel trapped or cause the horse to rub on people and knock them over. Keep noise and tension levels to a minimum in the arena area. Please no yelling, running or sudden movements around the horses or mounting area. Barking dogs in and out of cars may scare horses and cause injury to our riders. Please keep dogs on leashes and away from horses. Do not use alarming statements, such as BUCK, KICK, GET LOOSE, or THROW THEIR RIDER, to include conversations about personal negative experiences with horses. These statements may cause fear in the riders and parents. Our facility is a private training facility. Please make an appointment before visiting Free Rein to ensure that staff will be present during your visit. Do not interact with any other horses on the property except the Free Rein horses – this includes photography, petting, feeding, walking through barns that are not part of Free Rein. There is NO SMOKING anywhere on the facility grounds. Speed limit is 5 MPH when on the property, and 25 MPH on Borden/Ramona. Observe and obey all safety signs that are posted. Report any unsafe acts or conditions to the Free Rein staff. If you are not sure how to do something, please ask as staff person or another volunteer. We will always help you as you gain your confidence around the horses and riders. 4 Preparing for your 1st Class Volunteer Attire Hot Weather: Long pants are always recommended; dust, horsehair, and bugs can be bothersome. If you wear shorts, please make sure they are of appropriate length (just above the knee) Summer shirts are acceptable. Shirts can be sleeveless, but no tank tops with straps narrower than three finger width or bare midriffs. Shirts must be long enough to cover the top of pants/shorts at all times. Sunglasses and sunscreen may be needed for outdoor activities. We often go outside if the weather is nice. Cold Weather: Dress in layers. Removing clothing is easier than adding. Gloves are advisable for warmth and protection. If you are leading a horse, please make sure your gloves have a firm grip on the lead rope. Bring a jacket, it’s often cooler at the barn than you may think! Jackets should be zipped at all times, and scarves should be tucked into the jacket. If you remove your jacket, sweater or sweatshirt, do not tie it around your waist. As it loosens it could drop to the ground, distracting you, tripping you, or spooking the horse. Shoes: CLOSED TOED SHOES ARE REQUIRED! Protect your feet! Supportive tennis shoes, hiking boots, paddock or Western boots are ideal. Keep in mind that even during winter, the riders may go out for trail rides and the ground may be wet and muddy (be prepared to walk through puddles, not around them, which could take you away from your horse and/or rider). Miscellaneous Information: Long hair should be pulled back. Hand your jacket off to someone rather then tie it around your waist. Hang coat outside of the arena / working space. Watch your jewelry – it can get easily get lost, hung up on things or your riders may want to check out what you have on! Please refrain from wearing highly scented products, such as perfume and lotion. It can be distracting and may attract bees and flies. Women – please dress conservatively – Some male clients could display inappropriate social behaviors directed towards women. 5 Getting To Know The Rider With Disabilities It is important to remember that every child or adult is an individual and wants to be treated with that understanding, regardless of having a disability or not. Each has his/her own style of learning, unique personality, and temperament. One must always look beyond the dis- ability into the person. Being around people with disabilities may be a new experience for you. You may be overwhelmed at first with things you have never seen or do not understand; this is natural for most people. Allow yourself time to get used to being with the person . Do not give up on being a part of the program without a fair try, for your experience can be very reward- ing. At first you may want to do jobs which are not in direct contact with the riders. This is com- mon, feel free to talk to a staff member about this. If working directly with our riders is difficult for you, consider helping Free Rein in some other way. Person First Terminology Just as any tool can be powerful in a positive or negative way, language can either work to your advantage or it can result in negative effects. If you are not aware of the appropriate language, you might inadvertently offend a person or convey a message you did not intend to convey. When thinking about how to talk about disabilities, remember that a person with a disability is a person first. Referring to a person by a disability, for example “an epileptic student” or “the deaf teacher,” is inappropriate. Instead you might say “a student who has epilepsy” or “a teacher who is deaf.” People with disabilities prefer to be called just that, people with disabilities. Mention a person’s disability only if it is relevant to the issue. If it is not relevant, why mention it? Additionally some riders may not even view themselves as having a disability, they may see themselves as being differently-abled or challenged or even their own term. Communication Techniques & Suggestions Relax and be yourself. Be open, accepting, non-judgmental, and erase preconceived notions from your mind. Speak directly to the rider.