Description
Contract: Permanent, part time (weekends)
Salary: £14,396 per annum (£23,993 FTE)
Location: Burford rehoming centre, OX18 4PF
Closing date: Sunday 27 July 2025
Interview date: 5,6 & 7 August 2025
We're recruiting an Adoptions Preparation Rider to join our team at our Burford rehoming centre. Are you a skilled horse handler, rider, and trainer? If you’re passionate about equine care and ready to take on a rewarding challenge, we’d love to hear from you!
More about the role
As a skilled horse handler, rider, and trainer, the Adoptions Preparation Rider expertly manages horse cases within our on-site care, including rehoming and crisis care. You'll ensure high welfare standards and swiftly complete the assessment, training, and rehabilitation of horses preparing for new homes.
Each day, you'll handle and train various horses and ponies, collaborating with the Rehabilitation Trainer and Behaviour Advisor (RTBA) and the Adoptions Preparation Lead.
You'll be part of a team focused on optimising training and delivering excellent customer service to showcase and promote Blue Cross horses and ponies, enhancing their rehoming chances.
As the public face of Blue Cross, you'll prioritise customer service in every interaction. Your role is key in helping us achieve our mission and support more pets and horses.
At our Burford rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7. Overnight shifts are usually undertaken by team members who live on site. Occasionally, you will be expected to carry out night checks or stay in on site accommodation overnight when the resident team members are either not working or away for a period of time. These duties are organised on a local rota and shared between all members of the team.
This is a part-time role working 22.5 hours over three days on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays each week.
For a more detailed look at the role and its requirements, please see the attached job description.
About you
You are intuitive with horses, empathetic, and focused on welfare, having worked in similar environments. You assess horses' needs, recognise behavioural signs, and have knowledge of medications, general horse first aid and worming treatments. You understand that finding a new home quickly is the best welfare intervention.
As a confident and patient rider, you handle a variety of horses and ponies. Self-motivated and forward-thinking, you bring creative and pragmatic ideas to horse care. You quickly assimilate and accurately record information while engaging with clients and stakeholders. Your excellent communication and interpersonal skills make you approachable and effective.
Experienced in emotionally charged environments, you have resilience and "bounce back ability." Your emotional intelligence, empathy, and support for clients and colleagues are key strengths.
Knowledge, skills, and experience
* Demonstrable experience of having previously worked or volunteered with horses or in a horse welfare environment.
* BHS stage 3, NVQ3 or equivalent professional experience
* Good communication skills
* A working knowledge of caring for a variety of field kept and stabled horses/ponies
* Experience of handling, riding and training a variety of different types of horses and ponies
* Experience of starting, riding and producing a variety of horses
* Knowledge of basic horse veterinary procedures, common horse ailments and injuries
* Current full driving license
* The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values.
Although not essential, it would be great if you also had:
* Qualification or similar experience in horse behaviour or animal training.
* Previous experience in working in a customer focused environment and used to achieving a high level of customer satisfaction.
* Understanding of safeguarding issues.
* Practical application behavioral science and learning theory when training horses
* Preparing horses and ponies for rehoming
* Working with unhandled horses and ponies
How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Sunday 27 July 2025.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.
Blue Cross benefits
Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it were not for their amazing efforts and commitment, we would not be able to make the difference that we do today.
In return, Blue Cross wants to ensure we provide you with the best working environment we can. We want you to be happy working for us and will do everything we can to make sure you are.
Our generous benefits package includes:
* Full time equivalent of 38 days holiday rising to 43 with service (including Bank Holidays)
* Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support
* Free access to GP via MetLife- 24/7 GP services, private prescriptions and more for you and your family
* Free physiotherapy advice and face to face intervention
* Health cash plan
* Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme
* Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution
* Professional fees paid with Continuing Professional Development and personal development support.
* Life assurance
* 20% discount on Pet Plan pet insurance
* Enhanced family friendly policies
* Recognition scheme
* Annual volunteer days
* Charity worker discounts across a variety of retailers
To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website.
If you’d like to learn more about Blue Cross, our mission, and the work we do to support animals and people, take a look at our About Us page