Cheyne Ranch Team Handbook

(For Part-Time Staff & Volunteers)
These beliefs come from our full set of Core Beliefs at Cheyne Ranch.

🌱 Welcome

  • You are part of a community built on trust, effort, boundaries, and growth. Whether you’re a worker, a part-time team member, or a volunteer, this guide is for you.

  • We don’t expect perfection—but we do ask you to show up with presence, curiosity, and a willingness to learn.

    We grow through relationships.

🧭 What Guides Us

We believe in:

  • Safety – Protecting people and animals through calm, clear leadership

  • Inclusion – Welcoming differences while holding strong boundaries

  • Relationship – Trust and connection as the foundation of growth

  • Effort – Doing hard things with integrity and care

  • Growth – Being learners, not experts—no matter our role

👥 How We Work With People

  • Speak clearly and calmly—be kind, direct, and consistent.

  • Redirect students with kindness and firmness.

  • Respect neurodiverse ways of communicating.

  • Hold boundaries, but do it with compassion.

What matters most is your presence. Being kind, calm, and willing to help goes farther than you think.

🐴 How We Work With Animals

  • Our animals are not tools—they’re partners. We lead with calm body language, clear signals, and steady follow-through.

  • We honor hesitation, while encouraging gentle follow-through—especially with our older horses. They still deserve purpose and partnership.

  • Caring for animals means more than handling. It’s checking waters, cleaning stalls, and showing up to meet their needs—every day.

    We communicate with animals the way we aim to communicate with people: clearly, respectfully, and with care.

🧑‍🌾 The Work We Do

  • There’s always something that needs doing—like cleaning stalls, sweeping, or checking and refilling water buckets.

  • Ask if you’re unsure. Stay engaged.

We grow by doing hard things.

📚 Learning is Part of the Job

  • You’ll get corrections, feedback, and redirection. That’s part of how we grow here.

  • Be open. Stay curious. Practice doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong—it means you’re building something that lasts.

This is a place for learners, not experts. We’re all growing here.

⏱️ What to Expect Day-to-Day

  • Be on time (or early if you can)

  • Wear closed-toe shoes and weather-appropriate clothes

  • Bring a refillable water bottle

  • Stay alert and ask questions if something feels off

  • Jump in when you see a need

  • Please familiarize yourself with our What to Wear & What to Bring section: chra.us/dress

💬 Final Note

You matter here. Whether you’re cleaning stalls, leading a student, or filling a water bucket—your presence makes a difference.

Everything in this handbook reflects the values we live by: safety, inclusion, relationship, effort, and growth. You help bring those to life every day.

Thank you for being part of Cheyne Ranch.

🔗 How to Use This Page

Bookmark this page and return to it anytime. We’ll update it when things change, and you can always ask if something’s unclear.