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Ranch work, Horses and Animal care in the Peruvian Andes 🐴🌄

The experience

Join us in the stunning Peruvian Andes and help care for our animals in a peaceful mountain setting. Daily tasks include feeding and cleaning the animals and stables, helping prepare the horses before rides, supporting equine therapy sessions for children with disabilities, and general maintenance such as watering the yard or light house cleaning.

What you offer

25 hours of help per week

Building & Repairing: Help with a wide range of repairs or building.

Cleaning: Help clean the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas.

Animal Care: Help look after and take care of animals.

Social Work: Help with volunteer work in local projects and communities.

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Team Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other people.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Discounts on Tours: Get discounts for tours and excursions around town.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Free Tours: We’ll take you on tours and rides around town. For free!

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Fast Internet Access: High-speed internet for you to work remotely

Dedicated Workspace: Specific space for you to work remotely

Requirements

Intermediate English or Intermediate Spanish

Between 18 and 50 years old

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

We are a couple Karina Stijnen from The Netherlands and Yojan Boza from Peru and we have two daughters Gabriela and Daniela. We run a professional Horseback riding organization with 30 years of experience with horse rides for tourists in the Sacred Valley of the Inkas in Cusco - Peru with Peruvian Paso Horses. The high period of tourism is between March till November and we have lots of tourists coming to ride with us from 2 hours till 6 days.
We have 15 horses, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and guinea pigs, so it is like a farm.
Apart from the horseback riding tours which Yojan does for our income, Karina also does: bible clubs, practical help for a small school and Equine therapy for disabled children.

What you will get:
- Comfortable Housing with all services included (hot water, drinking water, unlimited WiFi, wash-machine, smart- screen, privacy).
- We give you a small amount of money per week so you can buy some basic food expenses and you can prepare and take your breakfast, dinner/tea and cook your Lunch (main meal) in the volunteer kitchen or you can buy it in the nice towns in very cheap and nice places.
- Training in the area of horses/animals and tourism.
- Participation in several horseback riding tours.
- Lots of fun.
- Flexible Free time to explore the tourist attractions and natural reserves of the region and our help with planning your trips.
We have 2 spacious visitor rooms where you can stay at home: one with a double bed and one with 2 bunk-beds, both with table and chairs.
Volunteer Kitchen/diningroom, livingroom with couch and smart-screen and bathroom.

We are located in the hearth of the most touristic area from Cusco Perú "SACRED VALLEY OF THE INKAS" Urubamba. We are willing to help you plan your days/weekends off for cultural or natural visits.

Activities & Shift

Tasks:
- Feeding the horses and other animals.
- Cleaning and saddle horses before tours.
- Rake and water the yard.
- Clean the stables and cat litters.
- Assist by foot during tours with children or elderly passengers (if necessary).
- Help when the horse food comes: carrying hay bales, cutting or carrying grass packages, etc.
- Help with general maintenance (outside).
- Help with general home care (inside: sweep, hang clothes, clean bathroom, etc).
- Assist during sessions of equine therapy (one morning a week).
- Participate in the horse rides to break new/young horses (only sometimes and only if you are experienced horse riding).
- Some marketing (if you know about it).

Usually our working load is based on two volunteers (couple) and usually you work in the mornings approximately from 6 or 7 to 8 and from 9 to 11 and in the afternoon from 5 to 6. Some days are more busy, other days less busy, but there is a lot of flexibility in your work and you can mainly make your own time-schedule and have a lot of free time during the day to go to explore the nature and culture around. Most volunteers prefer to do the morning and afternoon feeding 7 days a week and take more free time during the days and others prefer to really take their 2 days off in coordination with us.

Rules

Preferred Requirements (not necessarily all of them):
- ONLY COUPLES (by exception a men alone), because you will be a lot on your own, also in the evenings which is not good for a girl alone here.
- Independence of preparing and cooking your own meals in the volunteer kitchen.
- Knowledge of languages: English and/or Spanish is a must.
- Experience working on a farm or stables with animals / horses.
- Availability for several months.
- Independence and responsibility for your tasks after being taught.
- Age average: 20 - 40 years.
- Average weight: 60 - 80 kg / 130 - 175 lb.
- Good state of health (physical and mental).
- Knowledge of informatics, social media, and marketing could be practical.
- Flexibility and Readiness to deal with uncomfortable or difficult situations.