We are often looking for working students who would like to work for a few hours each day in return for food and board, as well as daily riding (lesson, arena work or trail ride.) You will also be able to watch our training of different varieties and we are of course happy to answer questions and teach.
Our basic requirements are that…
- you speak English
- you know how to drive
- you weigh no more than 65 kg
- you are a confident rider
- you are available for at least a month
- you can work in a self-motivated independent way, but are also a team player.
Your responsibilities will include:
- feeding some horses that need extra hard feed or supplements
- helping us and guests with bringing horses in from the field and tacking/untacking
- cleaning hooves and sometimes paddocks
- getting and holding horses for farrier or vet
- during course weeks, preparing breakfast for the guests and cleaning up after meals
- helping us to keep the horses fit with trail riding and/or lunging.
The fitness trail riding does include long stretches of several minutes of trot or canter at good speed over difficult terrain. You need to be confident enough to do this and also fit enough to keep out of our horses’ backs during these stretches.
Days can be quite long when courses are running (from breakfast until after dinner), but these are only occasional. The rest of the time, our schedule is more relaxed. We can arrange a regular day off to ensure you have personal time. Overall, flexibility is key – sometimes you’ll work harder, other times you’ll have opportunities to rest.
We generally don’t accept working students during July and August as the extreme heat makes most activities difficult, and we can manage the basic care ourselves during these months.
Living arrangements are in my house, where we share housework, cooking, and pet care responsibilities. I employ a Portuguese couple who help us: the husband handles basic feeding and maintenance, while his wife cleans and prepares a vegetarian lunch for us on weekdays.
You must know how to drive, as the property is sizeable and occasional trips to town are necessary. You won’t need to bring your own vehicle. Please note that bringing your own pets isn’t advisable, as our animals are quite territorial.
Sandra is typically at the ranch on weekdays, spending weekends in Lisbon. Lysette, who is our excellent horse trainer, lives on the property full-time. Various students and guests may also be present occasionally. Evenings tend to be quiet and peaceful.
Next steps:
The next step would be to send me some info about the core requirements I mentioned at the beginning by filling out the form below.
Then, we can get to know each other a little in a video chat.
Lastly, we find it very important to get to know someone personally and even work together for a few days. I have heard many terribly stories of volunteers ending up in bad situations because they went somewhere without checking the place out before and we have had our share of bad experiences too, so please understand that we cannot skip this step. We require that you spend a few days, maybe a week, with us, working with us, so that we can get to know each other. This should happen a few months ahead of time for planning reasons.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
At Sundance Ranch Portugal, we celebrate diversity and welcome volunteers from all backgrounds. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully. Discrimination of any kind has no place here, and we value the unique perspectives each volunteer brings.