Trustpilot
  • Environmental Conservation
  • Portugal

Volunteer at a Horse Therapy Centre in Portugal

Not only does this volunteer opportunity involve caring for and working with horses, but what is more, you will be helping in the local community and giving disadvantaged people more opportunities – with the horses as your companions and modes of transport at most times!

Price from: £1095

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Horse lovers will be in their element on this volunteer program, surrounded by horses and working to care for animals and humans alike. This unique program offers volunteers the opportunity to assist a local organisation that provides therapeutic horse riding sessions for individuals with special needs. The sessions help improve the wellbeing of all participants, while promoting inclusion and confidence.

Duration: 1 – 12 weeks
Dates: See dates and availability
Arrival day: Sunday
Return day: Saturday
Eligibility: General level of fitness required.
Age: 18+

Highlights

  • Live in the heart of Porto, a UNESCO world heritage site famed for port and delicious food
  • Horse riding daily to help train the horses
  • Stay in a lovely hostel with other international volunteers and travellers alike
  • Head upriver into the beautiful Douro Valley, dotted with some of Portugal’s finest vineyards and scenery
  • Add a conservation career course for help applying for jobs after your trip

Description

Horses and humans have a history which stretches back over thousands of years. Over this time, humans and their equine friends have developed a unique bond, which can become so deep that horses have slowly become integrated into use in human therapy. Since the early 1950s, horses have a been involved in physical therapy, helping people to improve their strength, balance and flexibility. Since then, it has become an important part of psychological therapy too. Being with horses has helped many patients to regain confidence, improve their communication and social skills, and learn to trust.

What will I be doing?

This program in Portugal was founded to use the relationship between horse and human as a force for good. As a volunteer, you will work alongside experienced instructors, supporting both the horses and participants throughout therapeutic sessions. You’ll be involved in preparing horses, assisting with therapy classes and helping to ensure a safe and positive experience for everyone involved.

Working with local staff and the local youth community, participants help on the volunteer project in various ways:

  • Stable Maintenance: Clean horse stables and living areas, ensuring cleanliness and hygiene.
  • Horse Care: Taking care of the horses, grooming, feeding and saddling them.
  • Supporting classes and therapies: Helping to prepare horses and materials for riding classes and therapies.
  • Supporting summer camps (in school breaks): Preparing and coordinating activities with children.

Do I need to know how to ride a horse?

Yes, on this program it is required that volunteers are comfortable around horses, so some prior horse experience is required, for example, knowing how to saddle and how to ride. At the moment, riding classes are not available on site.

Looking to start a career in conservation?

Are you looking for paid work in the conservation sector after volunteering or interning? Oyster have teamed up with our friends at Conservation Careers who support people to find paid work in conservation following study or a career change. You can add their fantastic and flexible course to your volunteering trip with Oyster. Your Oyster experience will help add interest to your conservation resume as an eye catching addition to your job applications in future!

The Conservation Career Kick-Starter: Start your career in wildlife conservation with our unique programme of training, support community & jobs.

Accommodation

Key info
  • Centrally-located hostel by the river in the heart of Porto
  • 8 to 10 beds female dormitory or mixed dormitory rooms and shared bathrooms
  • Every bed has its own locker and Wi-Fi is free and available everywhere
Extra nights
  • Dormitory (bed and breakfast): £30
  • Private: Subject to request

Food

  • You will receive three meals per day
  • Breakfast consists of fruit, breads and spreads, cereals, toast, tea and coffee
  • Tasty Portuguese dishes with local and fresh ingredients
  • Provision can be made for vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free diets and lactose-free diets

Travel arrangements

Airport: Porto (OPO)
Arrival day: Sunday. You will be collected from the airport and transferred to the accommodation
Departure day: Saturday

Included

  • Access to your own personal ‘My Oyster’ account – our online portal where you can find out much more about the program and manage your booking
  • Dedicated contact time with an experienced destination manager to discuss the project, answer any of your questions and for us to find out more about you
  • Help and advice from our UK office before arrival and whilst you are away
  • In-country support
  • Pre-departure information covering medical, safety and project advice
  • Gold level, 24/7 Pharos crisis management and incident support cover
  • Financial protection: ATOL (if we book your flights); IPP (if we don’t book your flights)
  • Thorough orientation on arrival
  • Accommodation (see the ‘accommodation’ section above for details)
  • Advice on visa requirements
  • Oyster plants a tree in Africa with TreeAid to help reduce the impact of global carbon emissions
  • Airport collection and transfer to your accommodation
  • Three meals per day
  • 2 hour guided tour of Porto
  • Linen and towels

On your return:

  • Welcome home pack
  • Certificate of Recognition (on request)
  • References (on request)

Not Included

  • Flights – as an ATOL bonded company, Oyster can book flights for you
  • You need a valid passport that meets the requirements of the country you will be travelling to
  • Insurance (covering your time with Oyster and any planned independent travel)
  • Any costs associated with changing your return flight date if you need to
  • Independent travel costs
  • Home country travel costs
  • Spending money for additional trips, food and entertainment
  • Transport to your project (budget 4 euros per day)
  • Return costs to the airport

More Information

The project runs from Monday to Friday. Your first full day is spent on an induction in Porto, then you will join the project on the Tuesday to meet the staff and receive your project orientation.

Daily tasks vary depending on the project requirements and the seasons but there are two shifts each day – a morning and an afternoon shift – and you will one per day. An example itinerary is:

Morning shift:
08:00 Breakfast at the hostel
09:00 Volunteering opportunities with horses begin
13:00 Lunch break and end of the volunteer day
14:00 Free time to explore the city, local area, learn Portuguese or simply relax
20:00 Dinner provided at a local restaurant
Afternoon shift:
08:00 Breakfast at the hostel
09:00 Free time to explore the city, local area, learn Portuguese or simply relax
12:30 Lunch and start of the volunteer day
14:00 Volunteering opportunities with horses begin
18:00 End of the volunteer day
20:00 Dinner provided at a local restaurant
  • Prior experience of riding horses – ability to saddle and ride at ease
  • Willing to work hard
  • Positive ‘can do’ attitude
  • Proactive, motivated and flexible – tasks are not necessarily allocated to you, you also have to ask and offer!
  • Able to speak and understand English
  • Willing to learn some Portuguese
  • Comfortable around horses and an active interest in animal and therapeutic care

Oyster assesses projects carefully to ensure that they offer high standards of animal welfare and environmental practice. We also check that volunteers understand key points of good practice before working with animals. To find out more, see our animal welfare policy.

  • Enjoy the sights of Porto
  • Explore the Douro valley and its wine and heritage
  • Try the local food and port
  • Go horseriding, hiking, snorkelling and take on some adventure sports
  • Learn Portuguese
  • Take a day trip to do wine tasting, caving, city tours and more!
  • You will have either your afternoons, evenings and weekends free

Whilst late-availability is possible, we would advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates. Our projects are very popular and spaces can fill up several months in advance, especially for the months of June to September.

  • Porto enjoys on average 300 days of sunshine per year
  • The wettest months are October – February
  • Temperatures from November – February are about 9 – 15 degrees celsius
  • Temperatures from March – October are about 15 – 30 degrees celsius

We would recommend budgeting approximately £80 a week for basic free time activities.

There are cash machines located all over Porto, and there is one just a few minutes walk from the volunteer house. You should take at least two cards with you, and let your bank know that you will be going away.

Typically you won’t need a visa for stays up to 3 months. You should make sure your passport is valid for the duration of your stay.

Most of our volunteers are independent travellers and you will become part of a group of people from around the world here. It is fine to travel with friends or as part of a small group too however- more the merrier!

The simple answer to this question is, yes absolutely!

It is important to bear in mind however that this may not be like other holidays that you have taken. Remember that you are volunteering in Portugal, and this means that you will be put to work! This sort of holiday is a world away from sun loungers and cocktails, with our volunteers often heading home tired but immensely satisfied. If you think that you will need a bit of relaxing time on your trip too, do make sure to factor this in when your time on the project is complete.

You should visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out what vaccinations you will need. Your routine vaccinations will need to be up to date. You should follow your doctor’s advice.

For any information related to Covid-19, please see the Fit for Travel website or the UK government’s travel advice page for Portugal.

Doctors, pharmacies and hospitals are located within 5 – 20 minutes of the accommodation.

Portugal has been listed as the third safest country in the world. You will be living in the heart of the thriving city of Poro. There are similar crime levels in Porto to any city in the world, and you should keep an eye on your belongings when you are out and about.

You will be working with local volunteers at all times.

There is free wifi provided at the volunteer house. You will receive a free local SIM card on arrival if you would like to use 3G. Make sure that your phone is unlocked before arrival so that you can use the local SIM card.

We would suggest that you download the App Whatsapp prior to arrival so that you can be added into the volunteer group once you are in Porto.

There is good phone reception in Porto and at the project site.

You will need a European plug.

Portugal is on the same time zone as the UK and Ireland – GMT and BST.

Supervision will be fairly intensive during the first few days, when you will receive a thorough induction and work-related training. Once you are comfortable with things, you might not always have a supervisor working alongside you, but there will always be staff and other volunteers around to help, and you will always be accompanied for any high risk activities.

Staff at Oyster’s head office and in-country will be responsible for your safety and welfare while you are at the project. This will start from the moment you are picked up from the airport until the end of your project. Before and after these times, you will be outside Oyster’s responsibility and should make sure that you act safely and avoid risk. This is also true if you choose to leave the project during your time off. We will give you plenty of guidance and advice about this.

Got a question or want to chat to Project Manager Kate who has first-hand experience of the project? Call +44 1892 771 973or email: – [email protected].

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