Yard Manager

ABOUT OUR ORGANISATION:

Strength & Learning Through Horses (SLTH) is an award-winning London based youth charity delivering equine-assisted therapy, alternative education and mental health support to over 600 young people each year. Working from our centre in Barnet, we combine evidence-based therapeutic practice with the unique relational power of horses to help young people build emotional regulation, confidence, communication skills and a sense of belonging. Where young people are unable to learn in a classroom setting, we can support them to access an education via our alternative education provision.

Following 15 years of sustained growth, we have become one of the UK’s largest providers of equine-assisted services. We are now entering an exciting new phase as we complete the development of a purpose-built centre, expand the number of young people we support and refine our strategy for the charity’s future growth including looking at expanding our reach to other locations via a training offer.

The organisation’s ability to deliver excellence in its service quality is dependent upon a skilled and competent workforce where learning and continuous improvement is a fundamental aim. Central to this role is the ability to work according to the organisation’s core values of:

• Ambition: for young people, SLTH and ourselves as individuals
• **Curiosity without judgement:**about human and equine behaviours
• **Embrace difference:**a variety of perspectives & life experiences are essential
• **Embrace difficulty:**it’s where the learning happens
• Commitment to always improving: & owning areas that improvement is required
• Respect

Please include cover letter stating relevant experience and CV to be considered for the role. Please note interviews will be conducted on an ongoing basis as applications come in. This role may close early if a suitable candidate is found, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

We are seeking a Yard & Professional Training Manager to:

1 - Take ownership of the management of our yard and horses, leading our yard team to ensure our horses are cared for to the highest possible standard

2 – Deliver our vocational educational offer to young people in collaboration with our Education Service Lead. This includes delivering but not limited to BHS Programme; BHS Stages, BHS Renewals.

JOB SUMMARY:

Qualifications and Experience.

Essential : Demonstrable knowledge and experience of caring for a variety horses in different settings, including those living out full time.

A good understanding of line management and able to train/upskill staff

A high level of practical competence and theoretical knowledge, in all areas of horse care and yard management, to at least BHS Level Three Groom/Level Three Horse Care

Demonstrable interest and experience in training horses from a psychologically informed perspective; including groundwork techniques.

Experience or ability to train apprentices.

Confidence, tact and experience managing staff.

Excellent communication skills.

Experience and competence liaising with professionals such as veterinary surgeons and farriers.

Physically fit and able to undertake all physical horse care and stable management tasks.

A commitment to continued learning about horse psychology & an openness to receiving training in horse psychology, learning theory and training approaches from a variety of professionals

Preferable:

BHS Level Three Groom or a Level Three Apprenticeship in Horse Care and Management e.g. KEITS Senior Equine Groom.

Experience training staff; apprentices and volunteers.

Experience managing “barefoot” horses

MAIN DUTIES OF THE POST:

Staff Management:

The Professional Training & Horse Care Manager will work as a member of the management team and will be responsible for developing maintaining and supervising yard staff, apprentices and volunteers in regard to all aspects of stable management and the efficient running of the yard, the health and well-being of the horses and the safety of all, including young people attending SLTH.

They will Line Manage 2 – 4 staff members comprising of an Assistant Yard Manager, Groom as well as weekend and evening stable staff, apprentices and volunteers.

There are 16 horses at SLTH, many of whom are Working Retirement Liveries so managing the livery clients is also required.

The Professional Training & Horse Care Manager will be responsible for developing the skills of staff and volunteers as well as sharers of SLTH horses and delivering vocational training to our older students via:

• Apprenticeships

• British Horse Society Changing Lives Through Horses Programme

• British Horse Society Stages

• Additional vocational qualifications in horse care and management where appropriate

They will sit as part of a team of 14 contracted staff members and a further 18 freelance staff members and will be required to work collaboratively with all staff to ensure the horse management and yard management also meets the needs of the programme delivery teams.

As a member of the staff management team, they will thrive working as part of a team, and be able to:

Show excellent communication to staff at all levels and to instil confidence in horse training/knowledge.

Have good level of self-reflection to understand their own approaches to horse training and the limits to their experience which will be supported via a strong CPD program.

Training Apprentices, Staff & Young People:

The staff member must have an interest in working with Young People with mental health and educational/learning needs and undertake regular training and supervision to upskill in this area.

The staff member must undertake a commitment to inspire and educate young people to be able to access the equestrian industry and develop their equestrian training aims.

They must be able to fairly and safely manage a staff team informed by SLTH core values of respect, collaboration and commitment to continuous improvement and to follow SLTH procedures and structures both from an HR perspective and in working with colleagues and young people.

Train young people through the British Horse Society qualifications up to stage 3

Teach young people the full KEITS Level 2 Horse Care syllabus

Training and managing a staff team to fulfil their duties and train horses to fulfil their roles at SLTH as safe and happy therapy horses.

Educating and supporting therapy staff to increase their understanding of horse behaviour and handling, including their practical skills where necessary, to enable further to better their own learning and even greater safety of Young People during sessions.

The manager may also be responsible for the training and supervision of Further Education students seeking work placement hours on Equine and Animal Care courses and University Veterinary students seeking EMS Placement Hours.
The Professional Training & Horse Care Manager will also deliver therapy and education programs, where appropriate and once trained.

Horse Management:

SLTH has a commitment to honouring the wellbeing and nature of our horses as a top priority. As a psychologically focused organisation, the psychological wellbeing of the horses is paramount and central to this is managing them in a way that meets their intrinsic psychological needs as a prey animal.

The horses live out 24 / 7 and in summer are on a track system. They are mostly kept barefoot.

Further Training & CPD

SLTH offers comprehensive training in our way of working to all staff including our approach to thinking about and managing the wellbeing and behaviour of horses from a psychologically informed viewpoint of “all behaviour being communication”. This staff member will be offered a budget for CPD in horse psychology and have access to training from top level professionals in this field from across the UK.

Health & Safety:

Health and safety is a paramount to this role, and work with the management team to both follow and create Health & Safety policies and procedures.

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every criteria in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles at SLTH and we’d welcome an explanation as to how you believe you would develop the skills required with training.

Please note that this list of duties is not exhaustive, and the postholder may be required to undertake other reasonable tasks in line with operational needs.

Additional Information

• This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check and reference checks

Stage 1 – Interview with Operations Manager and Education Lead

Stage 2 – Site Visit, Task and Introduction and CEO Interview

Pay: £27,500.00-£35,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Casual dress
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Private medical insurance

Work Location: In person