Volunteering at Cheyne Ranch
Volunteers at Cheyne Ranch begin by enrolling in one of our paid student programs.
We call our volunteers 🤝 Helpers 🤝. Starting as a student gives people time to learn our horses, safety practices, animal care routines, and the way we work together. Over time, some students grow into Helper roles as they build the skills and judgment needed to take on more responsibility.
For some people, that means eventually helping a younger student groom a horse, completing barn tasks independently, setting up activities, or becoming the person who helps someone else learn what they once needed help learning themselves.
We also have adult students who take on meaningful work and responsibility here. We want the work to matter, the expectations to be real, and each person to have a genuine way to contribute
How to Get Started
The best first step is a family visit. We will show you around, learn a little about you, and help you figure out which student program may be the best fit. From there, families can choose whether they would like to enroll in one of our programs.
PAY Program
We also offer the PAY Program for youth involved with law enforcement. This is a separate pathway designed to give young people structured, meaningful work at Cheyne Ranch while building responsibility, confidence, and practical skills.
📎 Learn more about the PAY Program
Group Service Projects
From time to time, we also work with established groups on specific projects around the property.
A favorite example is our work with The Home Depot Foundation and Team Depot from the Oviedo store. Team Depot came out to build our arena fencing, while Cheyne Ranch Helpers supported the project and took care of the barn-specific work happening alongside it.
That kind of project works differently from our regular Helper pathway. A group comes together around a clearly defined need, everyone has a role, and the work has a specific beginning and end.
If your 4-H club, business, civic group, or other organization is interested in helping with a specific project, we are always glad to hear from you. Email Sally and mention you want to organize a service day for your group.
Why Do We Do It This Way?
There is more behind this approach than we can fit on one page.
