Animal Caretakers

The Animal Caretakers program provides vocational and transferrable skills for children and adults in a tranquil, inclusive setting. Participants join peers in weekly, collaborative tasks such as feeding the animals, providing wellness checks, clearing paddocks, and maintaining the farm.

Participants will learn their roles within the ESMA Equestrian Community and how to identify and improve animal welfare. 

Through immersive and weekly interactive farm visits, participants will:

• Meet and interact with others over a shared love of animals.
• Identify and participate in basic elements of animal care (feeding, cleaning, handling, and basic first aid).
• Ask and answer questions to discuss how animal health is maintained.
• Learn and share safety provisions taken when working closely around large and small animals.
• Observe herd behavior and compare it to human group behavior.
• Collaborate and cooperate with peers to problem-solve.
• Demonstrate understanding of congruence in thoughts/actions and how it affects equine behavior.
• Use basic mathematical skills to calculate daily nutritional requirements for each animal.
• Describe each animal’s unique needs and personality.

Term and Class Fees

$35 per class if the term is pre-paid. Otherwise, $45 per drop-in class.

Current and Upcoming Terms:

• Spring 2 2025 - 9 Classes: Monday, April 28 - Monday, June 30, 2025 (no classes 4/21-25, 5/26). Registration is Now Open.
• Summer 2025 - 8 Classes: Monday, July 7 - Sunday, August 31, 2025 (no classes 7/21). Registration is Now Open.
• Fall 2025 - 16 Classes: Tuesday, September 2 - Monday, December 22, 2025 (no classes 11/27-28). Registration is Now Open.

Admission into programming is accepted on a rolling basis as space allows. Late enrollment will be prorated for the remaining number of classes in the term.

Adult Animal Caretakers

To sign up for Animal Caretakers, register on CampDoc then email equestriancenter@eastersealsma.org to confirm which day of the week.

Register on CampDoc