Volunteer Africa 32° South offer volunteers the opportunity for hands on volunteer work with horses at the Chintsa Horse Farm. Volunteers will get the awesome experience of becoming a part of the day to day runnings and life of a horse rehabilitation centre. As well as helping to care for the horses volunteers are given the opportunity to be a part of the Chintsa Horses Team on the beach horse trails, run for tourists, along the stunning Chintsa beach.
Chintsa Horses Volunteer Project Highlights
- Building the confidence of rehabilitated horses and seeing their progress as you work with them over time
- Beach Horse Trails across the beautiful local Chintsa beach
- Warm and welcoming atmosphere on the horse farm
Why Volunteer Africa 32°South?
Our motivations at VA32 are:
1. To become recognised as the leading volunteer organisation in education, conservation and social transformation projects in South Africa.
2. To provide the best possible experience to all participating volunteers.
3. To constantly strive for improved projects - taking 5 years of feedback has helped us shape this upgraded project.
The Chintsa Horses Volunteer Project has been running for 12 years under the careful dedication of the Dickerson family and with the help of international volunteers. Funded by tourist trails, it initiates the caring for, rescue and rehabilitation of abused horses as well as offering the opportunity to volunteer and gain experience with horses. Although the operation is reliant on the tourist trade to maintain the animals and run the horse rescue centre, it is the sincere love and caring for horses that keeps the initiative running successfully.
Over the years the local SPCA has recognised the work of the Dickerson’s and have asked them, with volunteer support, to assist with horses which have been removed from places of neglect. This has lead to the development of the New Hampshire Horse Rehab Centre, a small project aimed at nurturing abused horses back to good health with volunteer help. New Hampshire strives in their horse rehabilitation to return their horses to the point where they can once again be ridden, as a volunteer you will be given the opportunity to help to rehabilitate a horse as a personal project. It is these very horses that are used on beach trails by Chintsa Horses and who therefore generate the income for the centre.
Volunteers work with the horses from Monday to Saturday (many volunteers wish to get away on the weekends therefore occassionally Saturdays are an optional working day). It is important to note that this is a true working farm, as a volunteer you need to be flexible and respond to daily contingencies and duties with the horses as required. We aim to utilise the specific skills and experiences of each volunteer, with horses, and will work with you to ensure that everyone benefits from the skills you bring to the project.
7:00 Transfer to the farm to help mix feeds for both farm and trail horses. Feed farm horses & check them for any problems. Check that all water troughs are clean and full.
9.00 Feed all trail horses at Chintsa or if transported to Chefani feed horses, check, fill & clean troughs & check on horses.
10.30 Short break
10.45 Demo for the less experienced volunteers on grooming, lunging, exercising and schooling horses. Experienced volunteers to work on rehabilitation with the horse(s) allocated to them.
13:00 Lunch break.
14:00 Less experienced volunteers to be given demo of care and maintenance of tack. Experienced volunteers to continue work with their horses.
15:00 Back to feed room to mix horse feed for Chintsa and Chefani. Feed horses and check.
17:00-17:30 Drop off at volunteer house.
Volunteers will frequently take part in beach rides which will be built into the schedule throughout your stay. You will ride at the discretion of the trail guide and consideration of your riding abilities and experience will be taken into account thus ensuring appropriate outings for all.
As 80% of our trail horses have a history of abuse and neglect, we are very strict regarding the weight of the rider and stick to the “one seventh” rules with consideration given to the ability of the rider.
The dynamic environment that we work in means that this programme may change but we try to keep to as much of a routine as possible to ensure a secure environment for our horses.
Volunteers on the Chintsa Horses Project stay in the Volunteer Africa "vollie" house in the stunning beach village of Chintsa. Rooms are shared between 2-6 people. The vollie house is situated only 3mins walk from the beautiful Chintsa beach.
Facilities include:
Communal kitchen & living area
All mod cons. including washing machine
Hot & cold running water
All bedding
Meals
Three meals a day are included in the volunteer project fee. Breakfast is self-serve in the communal kitchen where cereal, bread, jams & spreads are all provided. House Manager Noms prepares a packed lunch for every volunteer, which includes a fresh sandwich and a piece of fruit to keep you going throughout your school day. Dinner time is a friendly affair with all of our teaching volunteers coming together. Noms delicious home-made meals are a highlight for many volunteers! A typical weekly menu includes: Bangers & Mash, Roast Chicken, Burger Night, Lasagne and Spaghetti Bolognaise. On Friday nights we celebrate what it is to be South African with Braai Night (that's a barbeque!). Vegetarian options are available on request.
The Dickerson Family
This fun loving, welcoming family will welcome you in with open arms. Their sincere love for what they do and for the horses that they treat, as well as the hard work that they put in daily to keep their farm running smoothly, will astound you. Working with the Dickersons daily You will feel a part of the family in no time!
Nomakwezi (Kwezi) - House Manager Kwezi runs the volunteer house in Chintsa. This fun, young motherly character keeps the house clean and tidy, cooks delicious meals and generally keeps the place running smoothly.
Karen - Bookings & Travel Logistics
A part of the VA32 Team from it's beginnings & highly experienced in the travel industry. Karen will guide you through the booking process, happily answer any questions you may have & be your main point of contact with VA32 before your arrival
You're bound to come across other members of the Volunteer Africa team during your time in Chintsa - visit about us to see who else is involved!
The Chintsa Horse Volunteer Project opens on 10th January 2011. Project start and end dates are every Monday thereafter. A minimum of two weeks is required for each placement. The Chintsa Horses Volunteer Project will close on Sunday 4th December 2011 and re-open on January 16th 2012.
As of 2011 only arrivals on Monday and departures on Monday can be accommodated, if your arrival is on any other day of the week there may be an additional fee to consider.
Please attempt to fit placements into the set days & dates provided as this assists Volunteer Africa to ensure a streamlined and efficient experience for all teaching volunteers.
What's Included in the Project Fee?
- Airport transfers on arrival
- 3 meals per day whilst on project
- All accommodation whilst on project
- Highly skilled & knowledgable project co-ordinators
- 24 hour support
What's not Included?
- Airport transfers if your arrival is not on a Monday
- Accommodation & meals when you are not on site
- Insurance
- All Flights
E-mail us: info@volunteerafrica.co.za Call Us: +27 (0)43 738 5523 Skype Us: volunteerafrica32
Or click here to fill in our online enquiry form!
Please tell us your full name & contact details as well as the dates you would like to join the Chintsa Horses Volunteer Project. On receipt of your e-mail we will be in touch with answers to any questions you may have, the full volunteer teaching project pack and our Volunteer Africa application form.
- Please note that to confirm your booking we require a 35% deposit of the total project fee, the remaining balance is due one week prior to arrival.
- Volunteers must be aged 18+ to take part in the project.
- Volunteers require a basic level of spoken English.
- Previous riding experience is not a necessity but volunteers must have a lot of energy and enthusiasm towards working with horses. We will develop appropriate tasks and pair volunteers with suitable horses based on your experience. Please inform us of experience and skills to allow maximum benefit to the project objectives.
- Volunteers are asked to commit to a minimum placement of 2 weeks on the Chintsa Horses Volunteer Project . There is no maximum time: the longer you stay, the stronger you become.
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Please note that long, physical & hard working days out in the elements are common on this project as with other working holidays but the amount of energy put into the project is reflected by the feeling of achievement and involvement gained from this initiative.
Flights & Logistics
The nearest airport to Chintsa is East London (ELS) Airport. International volunteers must fly via Cape Town or Johannesburg International Airports and get a domestic flight to East London from there. If you need assistance or advice on booking flights
e-mail info@volunteerafrica.co.za.
If you're already in South Africa or plan to arrive by any other means of transport, our Location Page will tell you exactly how to find us!
