Yard Assistant/stable Hand

**Job title**: Yard Assistant/Stable Hand

**Location**: The Hugs Foundation, Bodmin

**Responsible to**: Animal Welfare Manager

**Hours**:40 hours per week available. Part time/job share would also be considered.

Hours to be covered are Monday - Friday 8am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 8am to 1pm.

**Salary**:£8.60 - £11.44 per hour (£17,888 - £23,795 FTE)

**Main purpose of job**

Working for a renowned equine charity in the South West and a member of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) and HEIR UK (Human Equine Interaction Register), the charity is looking for a Yard Assistant/Stable Hand to assist with daily tasks of the animal welfare department.

The purpose of this role is to ensure the daily duties of the equestrian rescue and rehabilitation centre are undertaken to a high standard including the stable duties, site and land management. This role will include overseeing of cleaning the facilities to a high standard, ensuring hygiene is met, the stable facilities are tidy, and the daily list of duties is completed. Daily duties consist of stable routines (mucking out, filling up hay nets, cleaning equipment, bringing in equines and turning out), daily field and fence management, and assisting with overall site maintenance. To include all aspects of animal care and husbandry, and additionally assisting with vet, farrier, and public visits. The emphasis of this role is to maintain the stables and fields but there may be opportunity to progress within the charity.

**Hours of work**

Standard hours are 40 hours per week over all 7 days, on a rolling rota, which will include weekend and bank holiday working. The hours required within this role include weekdays 8am-4pm and weekend cover of 8am-1pm both Saturday and Sunday. The charity is open to a job share option or splitting the 40 hours between part time roles.

However, due to the nature of the work of The Hugs Foundation and this post, it may be necessary to exceed these hours when the workload demands, for example, welfare emergencies.

**Key task and responsibilities**
- Ensuring the day-to-day care, welfare and rehabilitation of a variety of equines and other animals needs are met to a high standard. This includes undertaking the stable duties, fields and land and site management maintenance and upkeep.
- Administration of medication and feeding requirements.
- Support and assist Youth Well-Being team. Preparing equines to work alongside our service users or members of the public. Caring for these equines during sessions as well as their day-to-day care.
- Continuing a good relationship with veterinary surgeons, farriers, chiropractors and dentists.
- Daily cleaning and enrichment of our farm and small animals.
- To understand the policies related to the animal welfare side of the charity.
- To help fundraise for the charity to increase income through yard activities e.g., activity days, sale of donated goods, hiring of facilities, running of clinics and open days.
- To assist on/offsite open days/fairs/education visits/community talks etc. When required, this could be outside of the normal working hours e.g., weekends/evenings.
- To assist with attending care home visits and ensure animals are prepared.
- To support the management and facilitation of volunteers/work experience/placements including corporate groups in conjunction with the Volunteer Coordinator.
- To keep records of stock and ordering when required.
- To ensure the vehicles and facilities are clean and suitable for use.
- To ensure all aspects of health and safety including policies, risk assessments, EICR, COSHH, biosecurity measures are adhered too. Undertaking dynamic risk assessments of activities, animals, and site.
- To maintain site facilities including stables and field maintenance.
- To be responsible for personal Health and Safety, the safety and welfare of visitors and volunteers plus taking necessary/appropriate action to ensure this, including risk assessments and other associated paperwork.
- To work to charity protocols to maintain high standards of presentation throughout the centre.
- To ensure the highest standards of customer care are always delivered by providing a professional and friendly service.
- To work within the guidelines of The Hugs Foundation values, using them as a framework to manage and communicate with the rest of the team.
- Work as directed by the management and trustees.
- Work to charity protocols to maintain high standards of presentation throughout the centre.

The tasks and responsibilities in this document are not exhaustive and the job holder must be prepared to undertake other reasonable tasks as directed by the Animal Welfare Manager. As part of our safer recruitment policy, all staff are asked for proof that they have the right to work in the UK, two references and an enhanced DBS check, due to working with vulnerable children and adults.

**Personal Qualities & Experience**

**Essential**:

- Experience of handling a vari