Become a Volunteer
Make Wednesday your favorite day of the week!
Volunteers are essential to the HOPE program — our riders need YOUR help!
Our volunteers are trained and coached in horse handling, rider safety, and connecting with our riders. If you have a few hours a week to help our riders have the time of their lives, please contact us and let us know how you'd like to help; we will send you an application and orientation booklet. Lessons are held on Wednesdays in 2026; see our Become a Rider page for our lesson schedule. Opportunities for fundraising and outreach can be performed at any time.
Lesson-day tasks include helping riders of varying abilities groom, tack up, and interact with their horse from the ground; and lead or walk alongside the horse and rider during the lesson. We also have tasks that do not involve walking in the arena, such as managing the tack room and barn.
Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age; high school students can earn Community Service credits by helping with HOPE. Horse experience is helpful but not necessary. For the safety of our riders, staff, and horses, background checks will be run with the State of Washington on all volunteers.
Come to our next training session
JULY 15, 2026, 10am to 12pm
HOPE is staffed entirely by volunteers! We have no salaried or full-time employees.
Did you know there are therapeutic benefits in simply being AROUND horses? Any of our volunteers will agree!
There's no doubt about it: our volunteers benefit as much as the riders here at HOPE. It's such a wonderful collection of pure and giving hearts! Join us and see for yourself. As you watch these riders overcome obstacles and self-doubt and help them accomplish their goals, you will see how everyone involved can benefit.
Not a “Horse Person”? Not a Problem!
HOPE has an ongoing need for help with planning and staffing fundraising events. Whether it’s a car wash, raffle, community presentation, or grant writing, your skills and enthusiasm will go far to help keep our riders in the saddle. Great for anyone who wants to support HOPE but can’t attend our Wednesday lessons. Drop us a line, we’d love to hear from you!
