Groom

We are the Elisabeth Curtis Centre, a purpose built Riding for the Disabled centre on the outskirts of Bedford in the village of Bromham. We’re an independent, incorporated, charity and a member of the national Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA UK), supporting over 80 participants with the support of over 100 volunteers in the last year. We provide our participants the therapy, fitness, skills development and the opportunity to achieve through the use of our fabulous herd of 9 horses and ponies. We have extensive need for our services and are excitingly working to further enhance and develop our offering to cater to more and new needs. Now is an exciting time to join us on our journey in the role of Groom on a permanent basis. Main purpose & overview of role We are a busy centre with ambitions of growing our service users with enhanced and new capacity. We are growing our groom team to best support the centre with Responsibilities and activities The duties of a Groom include: · Collecting and turning out. · Feeding and administering medication following tailored nutritionist and vet advice. · Grooming and tacking up may be required during times of low volunteer numbers or holidays. · Mucking out and general yard duties. · Field checks and work including poo picking, electric fencing, harrowing including tractor driving etc. · Tack cleaning · Clipping when required · Exercising ponies either ridden or groundwork (Centre weight limits apply for ridden work). · Completing any equine massage / stretches as directed by vet or qualified contractors. · Ongoing monitoring of equines health and welfare and speaking up to Pony Welfare Officer or contacting vets when required. · General administration in regard to equine records. · Working as part of a team responding to the needs of the ponies / organisation. Qualities and experience required Required: · Warm and friendly personality. · Will need to be able to work independently and with our team of coaches and volunteers · Positive and proactive attitude, with the ability to identify service or efficiency improvements. · Confident working in a busy yard of nine ponies with over 150 visitors a week. · Confident horse handling skills · Comfortable in a dynamic environment where situations can change requiring a need to adapt. · Full UK Driving License · Proven experience or relevant qualifications required equivalent to Ofqual Level 3 such as BHS Stage 3 Care Desirable: · Experience working within a charity sector and volunteer led organisation. · Experience working within a disability focused organisation. A commitment to the role and time required A mix of morning and evening work including a weekend day. Potential for additional hours for tasks, such as coaching (subject to relevant training and qualifications), as agreed by management. DBS checking References are taken in adherence with our Safe Recruitment Policy along with DBS checks. What can you expect from working at Elisabeth Curtis Centre RDA · Induction and training to support your role at the centre. · Provide you with the policies, procedures and standards of the organisation in relation to your role · Provide an accessible complaints procedure · Agreed out of pockets expenses to be re-imbursed inline with relevant procedure. · Lone working policies and procedures. · Employee Assistance Programme. · Competitive Salary. · Pension Scheme. At the Elisabeth Curtis Centre, we believe in creating and promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is valued and respected. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees and applicants regardless of their background and status which includes their age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We strive to ensure that we have a welcoming and supportive workplace that enables all employees to thrive and contribute to their fullest potential and encourage all qualified candidates to apply for our open positions and join us in building a diverse and inclusive team. We believe that a more inclusive workplace, where people of different backgrounds work together, ensures better outcomes for all employees and our service users. Benefits: • Company pension • Free parking • Health & wellbeing programme • On-site parking Education: • A-Level or equivalent (preferred) Experience: • Equestrian: 5 years (preferred)