Become our partner in change. Connect with horses and find your purpose as you help create a vital Sanctuary of safety and trust, enabling powerful recovery and healing for women and girls.
Do you long to be part of a deeply connected community where your efforts play a vital role in changing lives for the better? Do you feel a deep connection to horses and believe in the power of respectful, consent-based relationships?
We offer a unique and profoundly rewarding volunteer experience unlike any other. We provide vital equine therapy services to support women and girls on their journey to recovery, and our dedicated volunteer team is the heart and soul of our organisation.
This isn’t just volunteering; it’s an opportunity to find purpose, become part of a family, and make a lasting impact.
When I first signed up to volunteer at Hoofbeats I had no idea what a significant role the Sanctuary would play in my life. I was simply happy in the knowledge I’d be indirectly supporting those that need it most through their mental health journey and excited to be caring for horses again.
Courtenay
However, the relationships I’ve formed with other volunteers, the connections with the herd members and the space to just be myself and not ‘Mum, Wife, Boss’ has been such profound personal growth and healing for me, a beautiful benefit of volunteering at Hoofbeats I never expected.
Deep commitment, profound reward.
We are not seeking casual volunteers or those looking for a short-term commitment. We are looking for individuals who are ready to embrace a deeper purpose, who are prepared to prioritise their involvement with us, and who envision being a valued member of our volunteer family for the long term.
We believe our volunteer team is our most valuable asset, and we invest deeply in their growth and well-being. We are committed to providing comprehensive training that goes far beyond standard volunteer roles, equipping you with unique skills in consent-based horse interactions and fostering a profound understanding of equine communication. Beyond this specialized knowledge, we offer ongoing professional and personal development opportunities, including valuable certifications like Mental Health First Aid and First Aid/CPR. This investment reflects our commitment to empowering our volunteers, both in their role with us and in their personal journeys, ensuring they feel valued, skilled, and deeply connected to our mission.
You’ll be joining a truly exceptional team. Our current volunteers are a remarkable group of kind, supportive, and caring individuals. They are the foundation of our compassionate community, and you will be welcomed into a truly special environment. Volunteering with us is an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with like-minded individuals who share your passion for making a difference.
Make a tangible difference. Your role will be absolutely crucial in ensuring the well-being of our incredible herd of horses and ponies – the cornerstone of our therapy programs. By providing them with exceptional care, based on trust and respect, you directly enable us to offer life-changing support to our clients.
A deep commitment is required. You can tell from what you’ve read above that we cherish our volunteers and invest heavily in their training and development. In return, we ask for a deep and genuine commitment to our organisation and our mission. This means:
- Prioritising your volunteer responsibilities: We’re looking for people who can consistently dedicate their time and energy to the role that they take on in support of our work.
- Taking a long-term perspective: We’re looking for people who see this as an opportunity for ongoing involvement and who want to become an integral part of our long-term future.
- Being willing to learn and grow. We provide extensive training, and we need our people to be enthusiastic about learning and developing their skills. No previous experience with horses is required – and some types of previous experience with horses need to be left behind at the gate. We don’t dominate, force or subscribe to punishment-based forms of horse training or ‘showing them who’s boss’.
If you are ready to embark on a truly meaningful journey, to become part of our special Sanctuary family, and to make a profound and lasting difference in the lives of others we encourage you to apply.
We can’t wait to welcome you to our team!
Please note: Visits to the Sanctuary are strictly by appointment only – please do not unexpectedly drop in to chat about volunteering. There are program sessions running at various times of the day throughout the week and it is critical that we provide clients with the utmost privacy during their sessions.
Things to consider before applying:
- Psychological safety of our clients and our existing team: Many of our volunteers are previous clients. It’s the perfect way for them to stay connected to the people and horses that have played an important part of their healing journey. Many clients have experienced physical or sexual violence and, often, the Sanctuary is the only place outside of their own home that they feel safe. To protect their psychological safety, the Sanctuary is a space for women and girls only from Thursday-Tuesday each week.
We welcome applications from men who are free to give their time on Wednesdays in our Maintenance or Gardening Teams or who are interested in an off-site role such as in our Sponsorships and Fundraising Team. - Long-term availability: We’re talking about commitment again because it really is so very important. When volunteers commit to a longer period, it ensures consistency and reliability in the delivery of services – ensuring that we can have a more profound impact on clients we support.
We have a very small staff. The people who deliver our programs are the same people who train and support our volunteers. Unexpected turnover of volunteers enormously disrupts operations and creates significant additional work. Every hour spent on training replacement volunteers is an hour lost to client services.
So, please, think carefully and realistically about your current and foreseeable future circumstances and only apply if you are confident that you can stay with us long-term. If you’re planning on moving, increasing your current work hours, travel a lot, have young children and lack a support network – or you have any other life circumstances that could lead to you having to leave within twelve months, or having to regularly miss your shifts – please don’t apply.
- Travel time: We’re located in Andersons Road, Yandina. Please think carefully about how long it will take you to travel to and from the Sanctuary to volunteer. If you need to travel more than 20 minutes each way, seriously consider if you are able to make that commitment – in time and in petrol. Experience shows us that volunteers who live more than 20 minutes away struggle to maintain the commitment level required.
- Blue Cards: All volunteers must hold a current Blue Card issued by the Queensland Government. Blue Cards are free for volunteers. If you already have a Blue Card that’s terrific, if you don’t, the application process is easy and we can do that together when we meet.
- Age restrictions: Volunteers must be 17yo or over.
- Your own stage of healing: We often find that a new volunteer is wanting to be in the healing environment of the Sanctuary as part of their own healing journey. If you are at an early stage of a journey of healing or self-discovery and are hoping to find some mental health support through volunteering, we ask you to apply for one of our programs first. This will start your relationship with the Sanctuary in a more suitable and beneficial way for all. We can give you the support you are seeking, while you are still supporting us by being a part of our space. All clients are invited to join the volunteer team after their program ends. Financial difficulty is never a barrier at the Sanctuary – all programs are available free of charge to those who need them to be.
Volunteer membership costs
| Membership | Induction and Training** (no t-shirt) | Induction and Training** (with Hoofbeats t-shirt) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1* | $50 | $50 | $80 |
| Year 2 | $50 | – | – |
| Year 3 | $25 | – | – |
| Year 4 | $25 | – | – |
| Year 5+ | FREE | – | – |
* Our Membership Year is from 1 June – 31 May. The amount you pay in your first year depends on when you join the team.
** Induction and Training costs only apply to those joining the Stable Hand team
| Months | Membership | Valid until |
|---|---|---|
| Jun – Dec 2025 | $50 | 31 May 2026 |
| Jan – May 2026 | $75 | 31 May 2027 |
Benefits
- 20% discount on merchandise
- Weekly volunteer newsletter
- Invitations to twice yearly Gratitude Gatherings at the Sanctuary for yourself and your loved ones
- Mental Health & First Aid Training valued at $300 (discounted in your first year, free after 12 months service)
- First Aid & CPR Training (discounted in your first year, free after 12 months service)
- Free attendance at professional development workshops
- Free attendance at personal development workshops
Current Vacancies
Stable Hand
Our biggest team! We have everything from 7hh ponies to 17hh Thoroughbreds and you need to be comfortable in working within the same space as a herd of horses. You’ll also need a good level of health and fitness. This is not the role for you if you have any musculoskeletal issues that will either prevent you from lifting relatively heavy weights safely (wheelbarrows full of manure etc.) or which may be exacerbated by those activities. You need to be nimble enough to hop out of the way if a horse moves suddenly. For safety reasons, this role is not suitable for those who have a disability that compromises their safety in any way.
Shifts include a Morning Shift (8am start) and Afternoon Shift (4:30pm start). Depending on how many people are on shift with you, shifts can take anywhere between 1-2 hours.
Commitment required: The more handlers our horses have, the more confusing life gets for them. Every human they interact with has a different energy level, level of awareness, personal boundary size, confidence level and pace or speed that they do things. The horses have to assess everyone on each shift and change their own approach accordingly – and it’s a lot to ask of them. Horses thrive with a set routine and regular faces – people that they know, like and trust. To obtain their trust you need to be spending regular time with them and around them.
For this reason, volunteers on this team need to commit to an absolute minimum of 2 shifts every week – which can be two shifts on the same day or it can be one shift on each of two different days. There is no maximum number of shifts – you are welcome to come as often as your schedule allows.
Helping Hands Team
This is our team of absolute angels that takes care of all the (seemingly little) tasks that have a big impact – from keeping everything clean and tidy, to watering the plants, mixing up the horses’ supplements, ensuring supplies are in stock and that everything is in good order and is where it is meant to be. This is the perfect role for someone who would like to be near the horses but perhaps isn’t physically able to be on the stable team or can’t commit to two shifts each week.
Commitment required: 2-3 hours on a Wednesday morning.
Maintenance Team
This team keeps on top of all the regular maintenance work at the Sanctuary each Wednesday. Jobs might include fence repairs, occasional minor construction projects, whipper-snippering, clearing paddocks of fallen branches and debris, mulching, mowing, clearing gutters and general yard maintenance etc. All tools and equipment are provided.
Commitment required: Minimum of 2 hours each week – preferably on a Wednesday morning.
Market Stall Helpers
Members of this team love a market and aren’t afraid of an early start to the day. We have lots of brand new:
- Decjuba Kids clothing
- Jewellery
- Make-up
- Children’s books
- Toys, games and craft items
- Artworks of all sizes from our Seeing The Soul Art Prize & Exhibition events
You’ll need your own car and availability on weekends. We’re looking for 2-3 people to join this team and one to be the Coordinator. All members of this team will need a current Police Check as money handling is involved.
Commitment required: As per market hours – as often as you can manage.
Equine Program Facilitators
All facilitators at the Sanctuary will have (or currently be studying) an EAL/EAP qualification through the Equine Psychotherapy Institute. The approach taken by the EPI is one that is closely aligned with our approach to horse welfare and client experience. It is a non-negotiable requirement that potential facilitators spend a period of time on our Stable Team first to get to know each of our horses and ponies and to develop an understanding of the methods we use when working with the herd. If you are interested in becoming an equine program facilitator at the Sanctuary, please apply for a Stable Hand position first. There is no other entry point to becoming an EAP/EAL facilitator with us.
Gardening Team
We’re currently planning our new gardens that will be created once the construction works on our new site are completed. In the meantime, we’re gathering and bringing-on a variety of different plants in pots. We need keen gardeners to help to design and create the garden spaces, keep on top of the usual pruning, weeding and regular plant care tasks and basically just make the Sanctuary as welcoming, relaxing and productive as possible (we’d love to grow beneficial herbs for the horses – providing them with a selection of herbal teas on a regular basis is an important part of our enrichment program for the herd). We need keen gardeners who are able to give a couple of hours each week.
Commitment required: 2-3 hours each week, preferably on a Wednesday morning.