Looking for a strong person (male or female) for our horse farm in France near ORLรANS
Horse farm experience in France โ Volunteering positions available for 1 or 2 persons on our horse farm in France near ORLรANS. Check our availabilities on:
ย https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HpyX5oyFaQRpnYYt3rjzTIDIa-Y9F6YjnwoojoqakhY/
We were running a riding centre currently closed. We now keep 10 horses and ponies for pleasure and breeding. We are looking for persons tough as nails to help outside with the chemical-free & manual bush clearing and fence cleaning using the brushcutter, sickles, chainsaw, driving the tractor to grind the fields, and also a bit of help with the handling of horses. We are looking for non-smoker volunteers only.
Work:
25 hours a week, accommodation and food are provided but meals have to be prepared by the volunteer(s).
No riding is possible for this volunteering deal. I can give riding lessons (my former job) but this has to be negotiated with the volunteer.
Minimum stay: 12 days.
The farm:
We live in a sparsely populated province called Berry located in the centre of France south of the Paris region. The closest cities are Gien (27 km) and Briare (35 km). Just west is the Sologne territory, We are located between Orlรฉans (60 km) and Bourges (50 km). Here nature is all around, though we are at only 2 hours from Paris. East is the Sancerre valley. Our house is an 18th-century farm surrounded by fields and lands. It is a perfect place for relaxing and resourcing, not for drinking and nightclubs.
Volunteering activities:
- Helping a little with the household
- Cleaning bushes and fences: brushcutter, tractor, chainsaw etc.
- Maintaining and watering flowers or garden
- Cleaning the yard
- Greasing the tack
- Cleaning the poultry barn
- Helping look after the horses, bringing them from the fields
- Longing the horses if you have some knowledge
- Taking off weeds out of the fields, especially Jacobโs Seneca
Benefits & Extra activities:
We are delighted to host people at home especially when they are interesting and have a good sense of humour. We love chatting and laughing and love sharing knowledge on horses. There is also a lot to see around: Many castles and tourist monuments, nature sightseeing, hiking etc. We can provide a bicycle or drive you to any bus you need.
If you stay long enough and help a bit more, you can learn how to handle and train horses. I can teach horse riding (my former job). We practice natural horsemanship (PNH) and our main rule is Respect. All our foals and young horses are trained this way from birth, and we do a lot of groundwork. However, we ride English style with bites and flat English saddles.
For trail rides, riders will need specific horse riding insurance.
Accommodation
We have a guest house which is now closed to paying customers, where our volunteers can stay.
The first floor has a double bedroom and a 6-bed dormitory, a bathroom with a shower and a separate water closet.
The ground floor is a one-space area with a wide glass window facing the farmyard. It has a small kitchen (fridge, microwave, gas cooktop, mini-oven, coffee maker, kettle) with a dining table and benches, and a cosy corner with sofas.
Internet:
During day time, you have WiFi access during your free time (with a computer only) but it is a bit week. The connection doesnโt work with telephones.
Languages
French or English level B2 minimum required.
Contact us with a Private Message for more information. [See contact details section below๐๐]
Previous announcement โ Dogs & Horse farm exchange in France (updated – 25/02/2021)
We are currently looking for:
- a tough person who could help outside on the fences and bush clearing.
- non-smoker volunteers: one for outside maintenance, DIY and care of the horses, dogs and cats.
We would love someone who could also help with the car and the tractor. Apart from him/her, we can welcome a second volunteer if experienced with horse riding.
The Farm Exchange – Location
We live in a sparsely populated province called Berry located in the centre of France just south of the Paris region. The closest cities are Gien (27 km) and Briare (35 km). Just west is the Sologne territory, We are located between Orlรฉans (60 km) and Bourges (50 km). Here nature is all around, though we are at only 2 hours from Paris. East is the Sancerre valley.
ย The volunteers’ tasks
There are fences to clear and repair, wood to saw and burn and trees to trim. Sharp and/or heavy tools have to be used for these purposes.
It can be a tough job. However, volunteers are free to organize themselves as they wish and choose the job they are up to depending on our needs. There is nothing compulsory apart from feeding horses 5 days a week, provided that they respect the required time of helping.
The Horses
We have a few horses at home, a couple of ponies and a donkey. The regular help with the horses is not much. It takes 15 minutes to less than 2 hours a day depending on the season. All our horses live outside in the fields all year round so there is no weekly manure to clean. Just giving grains to the horses in winter and from spring to fall taking ponies and donkey from one paddock to the other. In winter putting the bales of hay in the racks needs the tractor and this is not a job we normally ask the volunteers. Most of the horses can drink in the river so there isn’t a lot of watering work either.
Volunteer Outdoor help
The help we ask the volunteers, apart from what has just been mentioned, depends on their skills and their willingness:
- training horses,
- clearing fences,
- burning wood etc.
Other tasks
We would appreciate handy volunteers to help with
- DIY projects in the house,
- mechanics, electricity,
- wood and metalwork etc.
- Cleaning and greasing the leather tack can also be a task they can help with.
Time of help
The time of help should be around 15 h every 7 days in exchange for accommodation only. If horse riding is wanted, we would ask for more help (about 3 h per lesson or trek ride). If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, scroll down to the contact details section below.๐๐
CONTACT DETAILS๐๐ง
For those keen on exploring this Horse Farm experience in France, please send an email to voluntouring.freelist@gmail.com. Use “Interest in Bรฉnรฉvolat aux รcuries dโArgent Rosa Canina” as your email subject, and include a brief personal introduction. This will enable us to quickly provide you with the host’s contact details.
