Equine Trainer - Animal Welfare / Animal Shelter

At Humane Colorado, shelter horses arrive with unique histories and complex needs. At Harmony Equine Center, our work is centered on providing these horses with compassionate care, humane training, and a clear path forward into safe, successful homes.

The Equine Trainer plays a critical role in this mission by providing daily hands on care while leading the training, behavioral development, and evaluation of shelter horses from intake through adoption. This position prepares horses physically and mentally for placement, supports adopters through education and counseling, and ensures every match is thoughtful, informed, and in the best interest of the horse.

Working closely with veterinarians, farriers, volunteers, humane agents, and law enforcement, the Equine Trainer supports horses from a wide range of backgrounds, including cruelty and neglect cases. This role also mentors volunteers, teaches horsemanship and safety, and contributes to a collaborative team environment focused on humane care, professionalism, and respect.

This position is ideal for an experienced equine professional who believes in patient, ethical training practices and is motivated by meaningful animal welfare work that creates lasting change for horses and the people who adopt them.

Purpose of Position: Provide all animals at Harmony Equine Center with proper care and attention including adherence to established feeding, sanitation, and medical procedures.  Provide development, training, and behavior correction of equines. Administer training operations to ensure constant humane care and treatment of equines, as well as mentor assistant trainers. Provide adoption counseling and help ensure proper fit of equine and adopter. 

Responsibilities

• Lead adoptions through interviewing potential adopters; providing basic medical and other information to help adopters make good choices; providing lessons/instruction to potential adopters; completing accurate adoption paperwork; receiving adoption fees and providing receipts; and recording transactions and reconciling monies for daily deposits. 
• Prepare horses for adoption from intake through the adoption process, maintaining equine records.
• Answer and route incoming calls; answer questions about equine center, available horses, adoptions, organization services, and other general information; record and relay messages to appropriate staff. 
• Manage receiving/sending home equines.
• Perform all aspects of equine training including general, ground, and starting under saddle work. 
• Correct equine behavioral issues
• Evaluate equines (behavioral, medical, adoptability). 
• Assist staff on general equine care.  
• Work with farrier on trimming and shoeing. 
• Work with veterinarians on medical evaluations and assist with euthanasia.  
• Facilitate and teach Horsemanship/Volunteer classes under the direction of the HEC Manager.
• Support humane agents and law enforcement officers with open cases.  
• Contribute to and support initiatives to improve processes and procedures. 
• Provide care of all equines including mucking, feeding, watering, stocking feed and supply bins, and checking and updating animal feed sheets. 
• Observe animals to ensure proper feeding and report any signs of illness, symptoms requiring medical attention, and behavioral problems. 
• Update animal records in database.   
• Maintain a clean and safe environment for the animals and the public including stocking supplies, basic cleaning, cleaning/sanitizing and maintaining arena and training areas, stalls, barns, and turnouts.  
• Maintain cleaning and care of equipment to ensure proper functioning and safety, reporting any damaged equipment or repair needs. 

People Care

People are the key to fulfilling our mission. Making internal and external patrons and their needs a primary focus is expected in all situations. This position interacts with and collaborates with employees at all levels of the organization. Communication occurs through face to face, telephone, and electronic interactions and may also include contact with the general public and League business partners. Communication and contact must be clear, understandable, cooperative, professional and respectful in all circumstances. Employees are expected to actively support a positive team environment, directly address conflict, and appropriately express concerns.

Competencies

Competencies are work behaviors and expectations necessary for successful job performance. They encompass knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and actions. Additional definitions for competencies may be obtained from Human Resources.

Organizational Competencies 

• Integrity and Ethics 
• Adapting to Change and Ambiguity 
• Customer and Community Focus 
• Emotional Intelligence 
• Excellence 

Position Key Competencies

• Team player 
• Analytical Thinking 
• Community Partnerships 
• Attention to detail 
• Time Management 

Supervisory or Managerial Responsibility

• Volunteers 

Travel

• This position may require driving a company vehicle  
• This position may require travel to different work sites 

Schedule: Full Time 40 hours working five, 8 hour shifts. This position does require working on the weekends.

Benefits: Please visit our website for a comprehensive list of all offered benefits

• Benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
• Flexible spending accounts
• League-paid Life and Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Sick Time
• Sabbatical
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Holiday Pay
• 401(k)

Compensation: $20.80 - $21.30 per hour (starting pay commensurate with market, experience, and equity)

Work Conditions and Physical Requirements

Work is performed in a horse boarding/barn and outdoor setting.  Potentially subject to animal bites, scratches, kicks and unpredictable dangerous situations. Frequent lifting up to 50 lbs. with reasonable accommodation.  Frequent walking, standing, bending, stooping, movement, and repetitive motion. Work outside in weather extremes, both heat and cold. 

 We will begin reviewing applications as they are received and anticipate closing the application period on January 29, 2026.

Position Qualifications

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities 

• Expertise in Horsemanship  
• High level riding skills 
• Excellent customer service skills  
• Colt starting ability 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs 

Required

• Education: High school diploma or GED equivalent 
• Work Experience: Two years of experience training equines including experience as a trainer or related position in an equine program (boarding, training, or care facility environment)

Desired

• Experience dealing with difficult, dangerous, or unhandled equines
• Experience with restraining equines 
• If driving a company vehicle, valid driver’s license and insurable driving record