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Atajate, Spagna show on map

Time and Space Equine Education Sanctuary

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Coordinator | Clare

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Punti Salienti

Look at how we interact with horses from a new perspective

Have fun and push yourself through new comfort zones

Give love and attention to those who appreciate it the most

Take both the time and space you need with these friendly horses

Grow as a human in whichever aspet you choose

Join our team looking after the horses, improving the sanctuary and promoting equine welfare whilst working on your force-free horsemanship skills. This volunteer program is especially suitable for:

Age 14+

Singoli

Coppie

Famiglie

Gruppi

50+

Equine Sanctuary Programme
Join our team looking after the horses, improving the sanctuary and promoting equine welfare whilst working on force-free horsemanship skills using positive reinforcement with a project horse and guidance.

Volunteering is a great way to experience our horses and get a glimpse of what we are trying to accomplish at the sanctuary.

This is a rounded programme that includes working AND learning, although we don’t really separate the two. Many of the most meaningful learning moments may come from observing the herd during feed times or whilst cleaning their field.

Each applicant will be invited into our horse training sessions where they can learn how to handle and be with the horses first, then gain and develop communication and positive reinforcement skills.

You will learn a lot here whilst training the horses, but you will also learn the science behind it.

*Please note we are NOT riding any of the horses at the moment*

About Us and What to Expect

We are a small association aiming for self-sufficiency and working with the land and animals in harmony. We look after a herd of seven horses on site and others off site at various times. We rely on help from nature and animal lovers so that our project can grow.

We live in a village of 150 people in the mountains. It is friendly and intimate. Even if you don’t speak any Spanish, you will be welcomed as if you do.

We are an English-Spanish family, and you are invited to join us and take part a fusion of at least two languages and cultures.

Clare and partner Chico have a wide variety of experience and skills between them. Chico is a native Spanish speaker and runs the gardens and building projects. Clare oversees the horse training sessions, often with the help and support of other volunteers.

Volunteers vary in number, age and background all through the year. Our youngest unaccompanied has been 14 years old and our oldest in their 60’s. Sometimes we just have one, and at other times a group of ten or more! If you are particularly interested in joining us when we have a few others, please check beforehand. If you are more focused on your horsemanship than your socialiation then we have plenty of quiet times too.

Work is often physically hard and although we welcome people from all experiences. A hard-working attitude fits best here. Please let us know before booking if you have specific needs or disabilities so we can discuss the possibilities. You will be joining a family with animals and children. It is essential that you like these as they all join in every area of our lives! Younger volunteers are welcome with parents or guardians.

We are always looking for helping hands whether with general care and maintenance; helping us keep our horses happy; or helping with promotion – there shall be something you can bring your skills to.

Work hours normally are up to 25 hours per week. Check out our Equine Programme if you want to work mostly for and with the horses, or our Sustainable Sanctuary Programme if you are interested in focusing more on building and gardening.

One reason many volunteers decide to take this experience, aside from what they may learn on our actual programmes, is to have the opportunity to experience a different culture and a different way of life to that in which they are used to.

Apart from the fact that each family functions differently from home to home, here we also try to live as sustainable as possible, both as a family and as a project. This is a good opportunity when experiencing the world and new cultures, and we hope you can also embrace this. For example -

In the village:

The accommodation may/may not be basic compared to what some are used to. There are beds, bedding, towels, heating, electric fans, a bathroom with a modern toilet, shower, and bath, running hot and cold water, and a kitchen with a washing machine, stove top and fridge. However, the electric is not very powerful so it may cut out for a few moments if too many appliances are being used at the same time.

No smoking inside the accommodation.

The tap water in the accommodation is drinkable, and there is also the option to bottle your own water from a natural source in the village. We do not provide bottled water. You can buy this yourself in the weekly shop if you still feel it is necessary.

We shop from an extensive, but predetermined list which is provided to the volunteers each week to complete depending on what they need. We do it this way for a number of reasons:

There is not a shop in the village. So we drive out once a week to shop for everyone. This is a 30 minute car drive each way. You are also able to go into town by bus or taxi on your days off.
We are on a limited budget. Although you are free to add other items, you must pay for these yourself.
The availability of items which you may use at home may be limited (therefore expensive) or non-existent here. We try to be as sustainable and as ethical as possible. This means that we buy seasonally available fruit and vegetables. We do not buy items containing palm oil, meat or fish, and we avoid processed food. These things if you feel you need them can usually be eaten in the local bars at your own expense. We won't add meat to the list as an extra, because there are many that come that would not appreciate it being cooked in the shared kitchen, and we like to respect this. But we do have a recipe folder which contains some of our favourite meals which can be made from our usual items if you are in need of inspiration. We provide coffee and teas, but soft drinks and juices are an extra (although we are happy to buy oranges for juicing yourself).

There is WiFi available in the first accommodation. When this is full we rent other accommodation which is just a minute walk away from the first one in a family friendly bar where there is WiFi inside the bar bit it does not always reach the rooms. There is also a free internet building, but the opening times are sometimes a little sporadic. If you want to use the internet in the accommodation, then we suggest checking with your service provider before you leave. It is also possible to buy a Spanish SIM card if this is a better option for you. You would need to tell us before your arrival, or wait until the weekly shop or your day off to go into town. Vodafone has a very good signal and we use our unlimited mobile data to connect via hotspot to my laptop. I can not vouch for the availability of service/coverage/signal of other companies in the village. The same for making phone calls. Some people are easily able to make calls/Skype calls from the accommodation, and others have to walk out.

Any other details such as pharmacy opening hours, bus times etc can be found in an information folder which we leave available in the accommodation, and encourage you to read before you start on the project.

On the project site:

You must take your own water bottle which can be refilled from the natural source we have there. The main area of work is a little further down the land, so you may have to walk back up to the source to refill (especially in summer). Bear in mind this is not far, but it is a steep hill. You can also refill plastic bottles which we can provide to take down to refill, but someone will need to be responsible to change this each day.

There is no smoking on the project site due to fire risk.

The bathroom on the project site is in nature. This means that you can pee anywhere you like, and there are plenty of hidden spots. We have a compost toilet for solids. This is in the form of a wooden shed with a large wooden box and a toilet seat to sit on. Everything goes into this box then you throw some compostable material on top to cover it which is there beside the toilet. Any tissue and sanitary products go into the bin provided. The box is left aside covered when full, until it is composted. Then it is totally safe to be emptied onto the land (don't worry, we don't ask volunteers to do this!) - which is why you must only use it for solids or it would fill too fast and be impossible to move.

All volunteers and visitors are asked to refrain from touching the horses unless/until they are trained in this. There are very specific and important reasons for this request which we will be happy to share with you.

Other details such as start and finish times can be found in an information folder which we leave available in the accommodation, and encourage you to read before you start on the project.

The Sanctuary
Clare arrived in Spain in 2010 to work with a free-roaming herd who taught her a completely new way of relating to horses. At the same time, she was deeply moved by the plight of many of the horses and horsemanship practices in the area. She saw horses hobbled, confined in tiny dirty stables all day, every day, and ridden in the extremely harsh serreton bridle. These two extremes represented the very best and worst of horse management and inspired the project. The sanctuary is in its infancy having moved to new premises in February 2016. There is a lot of work to do and your help is important to get this exciting project off the ground. Time and Space Equine Education Sanctuary became a registered association in August 2018. The equine programme is only PART of our work within our organisation.

Our Aim

Inspire horse lovers and owners through open days, project partnership programmes and workshops, and to be able to receive people from around the world who would like to learn better ways to keep horses
Train the sanctuary's horses sympathetically, naturally, barefoot and bit-less
Promote good, sustainable horse care by creating an enriched environment for our own herd
Raise awareness of the requirements for a happy, healthy, emotionally and physically well-balanced horse
Be in a position to work with owners and their horses to explore and share knowledge of horse behaviour and welfare, providing essential services for those who need it

Horsemanship
Volunteers can learn through training sessions, and by handling the horses during feed times, hoof trimming etc. All our horses to one degree or another are in recovery and our training at the moment is in a therapeutic way. You may take on your own project horse(s) to work on particular goals once you have reached a level of understanding that could help that horse through his recovery and progress.
We work in a natural and sympathetic way, recognising the horse’s character, feelings, responses, and past traumas so that he can learn most effectively. We seek to resolve problem behaviour through gentle understanding, and progress each horse whatever his level of training.
Our main objective is learning about our horse's feelings and reactions, and the best place to do this is on the ground. To us it is important to ask permission from the horse and work so that he chooses to join us, rather than being obliged.

Other Areas you can get involved in throughout your stay:

Cooking

Clare cooks balanced, healthy vegetarian meals and enjoys sharing ideas and skills with people that we can all enjoy! This is particularly satisfying when it is prepared with homegrown produce. Chico is a wonderful cook with knowledge of many traditional Spanish dishes passed down through generations. We are happy to share this spontaneously, but it is not an integral part of the planned programme.

Language

In the house and while working, we speak a mixture of Spanish and English. We are happy to help and to correct both the written and spoken word. You will get practice in all areas of work and play. Most residents in the village only speak Spanish. You will be welcomed whether you speak Spanish or not, but can practice if you choose to with locals on the streets, other family members, in the bar, catching the bus on on a trip into town...

Hoof Care

Every horse is barefoot here and hooves have to be trimmed regularly. You will be amazed how sure-footed these horses are and how easily they move over the rocks and varied terrain. Everyone that works with, or owns horses should have a certain level of knowledge, be able to recognise a healthy balanced hoof and know what is needed to encourage this in your horse. No hoof – no horse. We see some awful cases of poor hoof care here and we are determined to raise the level of understanding. Hoof trimming is much more than just taking off the excess growth. It’s a fascinating subject that requires considerable skill.

Gardening

You can learn about taking care of plants and trees native to the area. Depending on the time of year you can help with clearing the land, harvesting and preserving. As well as vegetables, we pick almonds and olives. Olives are preserved and pressed to make wonderful extra virgin olive oil. All seasonally depending, so please ask first if this is something you are particularly interested in.

Santuario dei Cavalli

Scouts

Typical day

This is just an example. Routines change seasonally and can change daily, depending on what other commitments we may have.

First thing in the morning volunteers take a pretty 15 minute walk from the village to the horses. You can breakfast early before you leave, or take a break during work for a picnic breakfast (you prepare this yourself). We are flexible! Usually when walking, on your approach you will hear the horses calling for their breakfast as they hear you arriving.

First the horses are fed and the usual day-to-day chores such as waters and poo-picking are completed (this usually takes a couple of hours). Then we will then start training and working with the horses and other jobs we may have on the agenda. There is grooming, hoof care, exercising, gardening and farm maintenance/building...

There are other commitments that we take part in locally such as training other horses or looking after sick or mistreated animals away from our premises. So when volunteers are ready they usually take on some of the working responsibilities themselves allowing us to do this essential work in the community. Volunteers are also invited to join to observe our work on occasions.

We have a similar routine on the afternoon. In the evening at home you can rest, use the internet, read, socialise, go to the bar, listen to music, cook...

In summer you can go home from the horses for lunch and a siesta, or stay and have a picnic and maybe a dip in the 'alberca'. We have a recent edition of an on-site outdoor kitchen so options are flexible! There is a pool in the village in summer. In winter you may stay all day, but start a little later and finish earlier.

Spring and autumn are generally the most pleasant months to work in, but if you are visiting during the summer months be aware that temperatures can reach 45 degrees, and work needs to be started very early at day-break (or before) and continued in the evening, finishing and eating late. We fit into the Spanish way of life by taking siestas in the afternoon, which is necessary with the hours and temperatures.

It can be very wet in the winter, but also sunny at midday! Temperatures can drop quite dramatically and as in most countries spring and autumn can be variable. You must be prepared with warm layers and waterproofs. There will be a packing list sent to you after booking.

Free-time activities

Your stay here will provide you with memories and skills you will never forget! As well as those featuring the horses, there are festivals and parties that take place in all the villages. The big water fight in Atajate is in August; there is a German beer festival in Jimera de Libar in October and mushroom festivals in November. In summer there are music and horse festivals, foam parties and more! The beautiful local ‘white villages' vary from 2000 inhabitants down to a population of less than 200 and are well worth a visit.

As well as the villages, there are towns to visit. Ronda is around 18 km away and is on a main coast to city train route. It boasts a spectacular viaduct as well as many other historic sites and a variety of shops. After exploring these, the huge variety of cafes and bars offer welcome refreshment.

If, however you prefer a break from civilisation then you will be in your element. The surrounding mountains, forests and river are beautiful, peaceful and watched over by soaring eagles. Close by there are natural sites to visit such as the Canyon of the Vultures. There are guided walks to vast caves with ancient cave paintings. A Palo-Christiano church is tucked away off the beaten track and an Arab tower is hidden in the countryside with not a tourist in sight.

The beach is approximately 1½ hours’ drive away, trips can be arranged at an extra cost on your days off, including beach and activity trips; visiting cities including Malaga and Sevilla; or special out of hours horse rides or camping trips.

Transport: You can hire a car from Malaga, or there is a bus leaving every week day morning from Atajate to Ronda, and returning in the afternoon. From Ronda there are regular buses to all major cities and many smaller villages. It may also be possible to hire a driver locally as a taxi service.

Water Sports

Swimming

Concert/
Music

Sightseeing

Shopping/
Souvenirs

Climbing

Hiking

Museum/
Opera

Sports

Riding

Yoga/
Meditation

Requisiti

Minimum Age: 14 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 14 years old on the program start date.

MESSAGE Time and Space Equine Education Sanctuary

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level) or Spanish (basic level)

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

You are not required to have previous experience with horses or farm work, but you will need a hard working attitude.

We are flexible and do like to make this opportunity available for everyone as we enjoy seeing people learn and develop. If you are an experienced horse person, then you will already know that you can never finish learning and that the horse is the best teacher of which we have plenty.

If you are under 16 then we can accept you with permission from a legal guardian.

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on lunedì, martedì, mercoledì, sabato and domenica

Servizi inclusi

Services by Time and Space Equine Education Sanctuary

Your fee is a donation as we are a registered association, and it will be declared and used as such. Sometimes the word fee is used to keep the wording consistent with the Volunteer World site.

Start and finish days are flexible and you do not need to book for full weeks, and other time-frames are available.

Our organisation will cover your accommodation and food. Your donation is used for feeding, veterinary and health care, maintenance and improvements of the horses' living conditions, insurance and program support etc, plus will help us complete our mission aims and objectives.

You shall receive knowledge in good horsemanship, with practice opportunities and all the experiences you will receive living and working in this beautiful place.

We have a space for a long term volunteer, please get in touch if you may be interested in this position.

Flights, transport, days out, eating and drinking in bars are your own financial responsibility and not included in the fees. We recommend you provide your own personal accident insurance suitable for the type of activities you will be taking part in.

Accommodation

Visitors, volunteers and students normally sleep in a rented house or the village hostel depending on numbers. There is a shared bathroom, kitchen, and living room. The rooms are sometimes shared with twin beds.

Towels and linen are provided.

There is internet access in the local bar.

Bedroom (Double)

Bedroom (Single)

Camping

Guest Family

Hotel

Food & Beverages

Healthy vegetarian/vegan food for three meals per day is provided for students to prepare their own meals. Cooking can be done in the apartment or in the outdoor kitchen with the horses, where we often eat lunch together when the weather is nice. We are usually back in the village for the evening meal, but this is also flexible in warmer months. We often invite each other to eat together to get a taste of international cuisines! There are also bars to eat at and this is at your own expense.

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees. An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Malaga Airport (AGP) in Malaga. We assist you to find cheap flights to Spagna.

FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Spagna provides security and is a plus to have.

GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Spagna you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Spagna.

VACCINE CHECKER

Date e Prezzi

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Details on arrival

The programme is available all year round any start date, and any number of days. Because of this flexibility you can choose cheaper flights or honour other commitments you may have at home. It also means you will be joining us during a planned week which could fall on a day off or when we are out shopping or working in the community etc.

Please be prepared for weather! We can advise on suitable clothing closer to the time.

Where we are and how to get here

Our closest Airport is Málaga.

Public transport:

If you wish to use public transport, first you must take the small bus or train from the airport to the city of Málaga – Maria Zambrano Station, which is a short journey and runs regularly.

Then you take a bus or train to Ronda where we can collect you, or if you arrive in Ronda on time there is a bus that leaves around 4:30pm to Atajate on weekdays.

You will be able to get from Málaga to Atajate for under 20€ by public transport.

We recommend that your arrival flight is in the morning or early afternoon if you want to get a bus, and that your departure flight is not before midday. If your flight times do not fit into the public transport times you can either choose another form of arrival, or stay in Málaga for a night.

Arrival by car

If you are arriving with your own car or hiring a car from Málaga airport you will come to the village of Atajate 29494. You can get in touch with us beforehand for the accommodation address.

Collection from the airport

You can either pr-book a taxi or take one from the airport without booking which will cost somewhere in the region of 160€.

Alternatively and more economically we can arrange a collection by car which is very popular and will take you door to door. This can be arranged by email after booking and will be someone connected to the association or a trusted local person. We ask that you pay them directly in cash upon arrival, and not include it in your donation to the association. We can offer this at 120€ for one direction, or for 100€ per journey when booking for both arrival and departure.

Journey time

It takes approximately two hours to get to Atajate from Málaga airport, and it is usually possible to stop in Ronda on your way should you need an ATM or anything from a shop – just ask.

Availability

gen feb mar apr maggio giu lug ago set ott nov dic

Duration

1 - 50 weeks

Program fees

Best Price Guarantee

Costs: Prices in USD

1 week (min. stay)

$661

2 weeks

$1.127

3 weeks

$1.513

4 weeks

$1.749

5 weeks

$2.187

6 weeks

$2.399

7 weeks

$2.798

8 weeks

$3.004

9 weeks

$3.380

10 weeks

$3.755

11 weeks

$4.131

12 weeks

$4.133

13 weeks

$4.134

14 weeks

$4.135

15 weeks

$4.225

18 weeks

$4.226

50 weeks (max. stay)

$11.701

Average fees

$448 /week

L'organizzazione fa pagare i suoi compensi in EUR. La tabella dei prezzi in USD è soggetta a fluttuazioni valutarie. Time and Space Equine Education Sanctuary vi informerà sul prezzo finale durante il processo di candidatura.

Deposit (15%)

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.

Final Payment (85%)

Your final payment will be agreed with Time and Space Equine Education Sanctuary during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

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Join our team looking after the horses, improving the sanctuary and promoting equine welfare whilst working on your force-free horsemanship skills.

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