Join the Herd!
Apply to Volunteer with Peaceful Acres Horses, Inc.
Please send an email to PAH’s Executive Assistant, Stacy at helloPAHconnect@gmail.com to introduce yourself and schedule a call. Thanks!
A short phone call introduction/interview with Stacy and/or Nanci is required prior to the start of training as a new Peaceful Acres Horses Volunteer.
Subscribe to stay in-touch. Typically we send 1 -2 newsletters/announcements a month.
For the safety and security of both the horses and the people, it is necessary to set a specific time for visitors to access the property.
Interested in becoming a PAH Volunteer?
Love Horses & Donkeys? Us Too! No horse of your own? No problem!
Peaceful Acres is home to 72 rescued equines and they would love to meet you.
Do you like being outdoors and having opportunities for physical activity? We are all about that here.
We are accepting applications for volunteers who are motivated to help, open to training and mentorship by Team-Leaders, kind and understanding with animals, humble, and ready to make a positive difference in the lives of People and Horses.
Volunteers are needed and appreciated at PAH. The work we do is important and life-changing! There are a lot of valuable and necessary procedures to learn, so you will receive training and mentorship from an experienced Team Leader. Many equines have special care needs. Communication is a crucial part of the safety and success amongst the team. View the reasons to become a volunteer in the sections below and check our Reviews page to see some volunteers’ testimonials.
The Animals:
PAH is home to horses and donkeys who have at one time fallen on hard times due to neglect, abuse, abandonment and/or hoarding. Many of our horses have been surrendered to PAH through our intervention and first response team (we work with The SPCA and Police). Our volunteers learn how to rehabilitate the horses physically and emotionally. You have to see the results of the care they receive!
Volunteering provides a unique opportunity to add purpose, and fulfillment to our lives through the care and service of others, and making new friendships too.
Volunteering at PAH is good for the body and mind. Our stable and horse-care volunteers quickly realize that their time spent volunteering helps them to gain muscle and endurance, become more active and energized, and develop healthier habits. They feel happy and at peace with the horses in and around the stable on the 156 acre equine welfare sanctuary.
The People:
PAH has the BEST volunteers! The farm becomes a social setting for many and a place they meet new people and develop close bonds while helping to heal and maintain the horses. PAH is not a show or competition barn. It is all about the horses healing here and the people benefit from caring for them.
A wide variety of tasks and opportunities:
We need people to help with daily stable and horse care including: cleaning stalls, feeding, sweeping, cleaning and filling water buckets and troughs, moving hay, restocking supplies, and grooming horses.
Volunteers are the focused eyes up and the boots on the ground at and around The Stable – they help to keep the animals safe. If an equine is acting strangely, or you notice a potential hazard – you may end up being a life-saver by staying attentive and notifying Nanci & your team leaders. We need your caring eyes, ears and attentiveness as part of our team.
We need horse handlers – ideal for College Interns or people who love horses, and had a horse at one time that want to reconnect with what they loved. We need administrative help: fundraisers, grant writers, & office organizers. Maintenance – there is a lot of maintenance here on our 156 acre ranch – we need people to help with snow removal, grass mowing, trimming, garden work and tractor work.
Specific Needs:
- Adults to help with feeding, stable care and horse handling. Seven days a week. (This caring & sustaining work is done everyday – we ask that Direct Care Volunteers can commit to at least one 2-3 hour shift once/week. If your schedule does not allow this, a bi-weekly commitment is acceptable).
- Program Assistants – people who can assist in programs as equine specialists within the afternoon programs 3pm-6pm Tuesday through Saturday
- College Student Interns can serve their field placement hours at PAH. Ideal for Equine Studies, PreVet, Social Work, Special Ed, Recreational Ed.
- Adults to help with Fundraising, Maintenance, Horse Buddy Program and Event Planning
The fact is… we need YOU! Peaceful Acres Horses was named the Small Not For Profit of the year in 2010 because our volunteers make it happen ~ it is through our volunteers that horses and humans are being healed and helped to have a better quality of life.
We are looking for Happy-Helpers and Givers-Gain-minded people to join our Volunteer Team.
Peaceful Acres Horses is a volunteer-run organization, your time and commitment to us is extremely valuable. PAH is looking to secure adult volunteers, 18+ to assist with stable care, horse care and rehabilitation, administration, event planning, Stable maintenance & grounds keeping, fundraising and community relations.
"When Nanci speaks of her purpose it resonates with me because...
“When Nanci speaks of her purpose it resonates with me because through her organization and her I found myself. Six years ago I was put in touch with Peaceful acres and came to a volunteer orientation. I had no idea how much it would change my life. I’d never worked around horses, only ridden inconsistently. The weather that day was dreary, ice covering everything and cold, bitter cold. I had a moment of fear and regret and I am so thankful I shook it off and walked into the cabin.
I was looking for that horse therapy and something to satisfy my love of volunteering. What I found was myself. I found what makes me tick.
Since volunteering I’ve made some wonderful connections with people, I’ve witnessed both the joys of rescue and the heartache that exists. More importantly I’ve learned how to navigate situations in my own life because of the therapy and the outlet that being with horses and the donkeys too provides.
Looking back on the last six years the horses and all the rescues at Peaceful Acres along with Nanci and her small menagerie have left a huge positive impression on me. I’m stronger, I’m happier and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.
Whether you need to get with nature, or want to learn some horse handling, volunteering at Peaceful acres is going to deliver. It’s a thrill to watch the rescues learn to trust again, or heal. It’s an even greater joy to earn their love and watch them work their magic. Animals heal us, they healed my shoulder, and fixed my heart issues. Science backs this, however having experienced it first hand is quite exhilarating.
I look forward to my days out there no matter the weather because each time I leave I feel so at peace and unencumbered. There’s nothing more rewarding and it’s become my purpose too.” -E.S
Thank you for your interest in PAH, and the great work that our team does for people and horses!
Horsin’Around Buddy Program:
(a program for active volunteers)
If you don’t have a horse of your own or always wanted to be able to spend more time around horses and learn about them. This is the program for you!
The Buddy is matched with a Buddy horse or mini that they best bond with, and through the week/month they come to the stable to spend time together. It is a great program for people (adults) who love horses, but do not or cannot own one. Buddy-Up!
- You will form a friendship with a unique “Buddy” rescued equine
- Meet amazing like-hearted people
- Learn fun horsemanship skills
- Bond with your “Buddy”
- Enjoy the peace, nature and relaxation of our Stable Place
- Monthly group natural horsemanship classes
- Create lasting connections & memories with horses and people
- Join PAH Horsin’Around Events
You may also want to take advantage of added bonuses like our Family Buddy program, access to Boots & PJs Retreats at the PAH cabin, Individual Horsemanship classes, special guests, and clinics.
The Individual Buddy program fee is donation-based and supports the Feed Fund at PAH. $150/month
Please email Nanci@PeacefulAcresHorses.com for registration details and form.
Mention “Horsin’Around Buddy” in your email title.
Volunteer Testimonials
“Volunteering at Peaceful Acres Horses has brought me so much peace, stability, love, and happiness. The horses and the people have allowed me to find a place that feels like a second home. One of the reasons I started volunteering at PAH is because I was having extreme anxiety. One of the reasons I stayed is because PAH has helped my anxiety immensely. What a great cause and community filled with love and meaning. I will always hold the most special place in my heart for PAH, its people, and its horses! K.B.”
“I have been a volunteer at Peaceful Acres Horses for nearly two years. When I first started I was going through one of the worst times in my life. I was dealing with a very sudden breakup after 20 years of marriage, retirement, selling & buying a new house (moving) & turning 70. I could barely get a sentence out without crying. Through my volunteer work, the Horsin’Around Buddy program, and my equine-guided emotionally supportive personal growth coaching sessions with Nanci, I have been given a new purpose & perspective on life. I know I was only able to achieve this sense of peace through my hard work & the support of Nanci’s programs & her amazing rescues. I had no experience with horses & what I have learned they can give you emotionally has been amazing. I recommend becoming a PAH Volunteer, Horsin’Around Buddy and Nanci’s coaching course!” -D.F.
Already an Active PAH Volunteer?
Click here for the Active PAH Volunteer Training Posts and Videos Archive Page.
Are you a Veteran? Peaceful Acres Horses is a great place to Volunteer for Veterans! You can enjoy the refreshing experiences of the outdoor-centered activities, serve others in a rewarding and new way and enjoy the fun of being on the Farm with the rescued animals. Horses are a huge help in providing fulfilling purpose and hope. We hear it time and time again; caring for the rescued horses feels good and is calming. It’s a highlight to the week.
We love Veterans and can truly appreciate your heart for our Country, serving others and making a lasting positive difference.
Thank you for your dedication! We appreciate and honor you.
