Konjeniški in mladinski center Škatlica Senik pri Svetem Tomažu, Slovenia Volunteer opportunity: Join our herd of horses at the Equestrian and Youth Center Škatlica in Slovenia - LONG-TERM VOLUNTEERING
The Equestrian and Youth Center Škatlica ('Little Box') is a small non-profit organisation in rural northeastern Slovenia. We strive towards sustainable communities - those empowered to take care of themselves, individuals within them, and the world around them. Our main purpose is to empower young people with the skills they need to become independent, decisive, courageous, and curious adults - with the support of horses! We currently have long-term open placements starting in September or October 2026 for 12 months; we are flexible, please let us know your preferred starting date and duration in the application. Volunteers will help with various tasks: horsey activities with children and young people (summer camps, workshops, trips, etc), care of the horses, gardening & renovation (optional - if interested), event organisation (community picnics, intercultural events, etc), management of social networks (FB, ig, videos). We will reply to applications after the deadline. Accommodation, food and transport arrangements Volunteers have their own room at the center, food, monthly pocket money, access to a car and bike, the possibility to learn horsemanship skills - or just spend time with our wonderful herd - and the chance to be a part of a very rural, welcoming community surrounded by nature (and animals - our animals love to smother volunteers with love 😍). We'd love to eat some meals per week together and we don't mind catering to different food preferences. The center is located in a very rural area but there are direct train connections to Ljubljana and Budapest and the nearest town is 15min away. Training during the activity We organise a brief pre-departure workshop and an in-depth training on arrival related to working with horses, safety, community building, conflict management and team building. Volunteers are assigned a local and a task-related mentor. The Slovenian National Agency organises an on-arrival training for long-term volunteers. Horse lessons are possible upon request (groundwork, lunging, riding, trail riding) - usually at least a couple of times per week. Participant profile While there are always super-friendly locals coming for a visit and a cup of coffee, this is a rural place without much happening in the sense of culture/events so it's a bit different from living in a city. Horsey experience is not necessary as our herd is quite low-maintenance and you can learn with us, but volunteers with a passion for horses (and animals in general) will get far more from this experience. A lot of the daily work is physical (although not demanding), so some love for the outdoors and for active work is also appreciated. An intermediate level of English is appreciated as you will work with the local community, but not necessary - we've now hosted volunteers without knowledge of English and are happy to say that they've integrated nicely and learned English along the way! We don't always have a lot of time to teach you the basics of riding and working with horses if that's your goal - some independence in this area and a desire to plan your own learning is more welcome than actual skills (we have a lot of horsey books and local volunteers who'll be happy to teach you the basics!). When applying we appreciate you using your own words instead of chatGPT, this makes us want to cry.
Please check EU Volunteers website for more details
Please check EU Volunteers website for more details