Become a Miracle Worker

Are you looking to continue your career with horses in a meaningful way? Habitat for Horses is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that specializes in equine rescue and sanctuary. We're hiring for responsible team members to help us continue our mission helping the equines who need us most. We're a small team, so everyone has the ability to be exposed to all aspects/responsibilities of the ranch.

The purpose of Habitat for Horses, Inc. is a) To promote and secure the safety, well-being and health of horses. b) To encourage education concerning the physical and mental health of horses. c) To utilize horses in the growth and mental health of humans, either adult or children, through education, demonstration and connection. d) To study, promote, and enhance the proper training of horses through positive training techniques. e) To provide a home for those horses who are no longer able to be productive. f) To return to health, if possible, those owned horses that are deemed sick or injured.

What we offer in return:

We are a family first organization. While we'll always ensure our equine family members are cared for, your family is important to us, too. That means if you have anything going on at home (pets or humans!) that you need to be home for, we do everything in our power to allow you to be there. We want people to be able to have a work-life balance as much as you can working with animals.

We offer medical insurance after 60 days on the job. Habitat for Horses pays for half of the health insurance premium.

Because we like our team members to stick around, we also offer a 401(k) retirement program. Plus, we supplement your 401(k) by adding to each dollar you save! Our benefit plan also includes a very special defined contribution plan. This isn’t uncommon in nonprofits, but our version is unique in the horse rescue world. Our adoption fees are placed in a pool and distributed into each employee’s 401(k) program at the end of the year. Everyone who qualifies at the end of the year shares an equal amount of the distribution, because everyone is important to the welfare of our rescues!

The most meaningful benefit of working at Habitat for Horses is that you join our team of Miracle Workers who rescue, rehabilitate and find loving homes for abused and neglected equines. And you get to work with some pretty great humans while you're at it (if we do say so ourselves). If that appeals to you, contact us!

CURRENT OPENINGS:

Barn Team Member (Part-time)

Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays (other days may be available) from 7am - 3pm, opportunity for a 7am - 5pm schedule after 60 days.

Purpose of Position: To ensure the best possible care is provided to our equines.

Responsibilities Include but Aren't Limited to:

• Mucking stalls

• Filling + hanging hay nets (approx. 25-30 lbs)
• Lifting + re-stocking feed bags (50 lbs)
• Dumping, scrubbing, and refilling water troughs (25 gal, 50 gal, 110 gal, 300 gal, + 500 gal)
• Preparing and distributing feed to our horse and donkey residents (especially our senior horses and those with special needs)
• Maintaining accurate records for care and maintenance of horses on property
• Performing daily health checks on all equine residents and reporting any injuries and/or health concerns to the equine manager
• Assist with farrier, dentist, and vet visits
• Assist manager in ensuring animals get any prescription meds they are taking
• Drive large machinery (tractors, ranch trucks, etc)
• Under supervision of training team, apply enrichment and training protocols as directed.

Additional Qualities: Candidates should have creative problem-solving skills, adaptability, and the ability to work both as a team and alone. Flexibility is a must as our days and plans can change quickly depending on what's going on at the ranch! Ability to work well with people with varying equine knowledge is desired, as this role works closely with volunteers and may work with adopters at times. It is important that candidates are respectful, detailed communicators both in person and via text. The ability to follow instructions is essential, as these instructions affect the lives and well-being of our rescued equines. Since we work so closely with law enforcement, we require a fairly clean record. A current Texas Driver's License with minimal violations and reliable transportation are required as we do not provide housing. Pre-employment drug testing is required. Must be able to work a flexible daytime schedule (some weekend shifts may be requested). This role is an outdoor role, so ability to work in extreme weather conditions (at times) is a must. Must be able to lift at least 50 pounds.

Compensation: Ranges between $12 - $14 to start, commensurate with experience.
There are opportunities for advancement.

Equine Trainer (Part-time)

Schedule: Weekdays (flexible depending on your schedule) from 7am - 3pm. Opportunity to add weekend availability.

Purpose of Position: To train cooperative care and handling basics while offering horses mental safety.

Requirements: Coursework or experience in positive reinforcement training is a must. Equine handling experience is also required. Part of the interview will include a demonstration of handling a horse and R+ training with a horse.

Responsibilities (Under Direction of Our Training Team) Include but Aren't Limited to:

• Training cooperative care behaviors (injections, hoof care, medical treatments, etc)
• Training handling behaviors (haltering, leading, trailer loading, etc)
• As time allows, trick training with companion horses

Additional Qualities: This position would be perfect for someone looking to gain experience in the non-profit world, gain experience in positive reinforcement training with a variety of personalities and management situations, and/or expand their knowledge working with and training equines. Candidates should have creative problem-solving skills, adaptability, and the ability to work both as a team and alone. Flexibility is a must as our days and plans can change quickly depending on what's going on at the ranch! Ability to work well with people with varying equine knowledge is desired, as this role may work with volunteers or adopters at times. It is important that candidates are respectful, detailed communicators both in person and via text. Since we work so closely with law enforcement, we require a fairly clean record. A current Texas Driver's License with minimal violations and reliable transportation are required as we do not provide housing. Pre-employment drug testing is required. This role is an outdoor role, so ability to work in extreme weather conditions (at times) is a must.

What You Can Expect:

• A collaborative, team-based approach to training
• Challenging behavior cases (with someone, often more than one someone, with experience and education in training and behavior modification to bounce ideas off of and run protocols by)
• An open-minded learning environment! We love new ideas and are willing to try just about anything (within reason with safety and welfare in mind) as long as it benefits the horses and humans
• Hands-on experience with many different equines with varied pasts (that we may or may not know about) in a natural, herd based environment

Next Steps

Interested in one of our open positions? We’re eager to get to know you and see if you’re a good fit for a Miracle Worker. Please complete the following application: