Contract: Permanent, part-time (3 days a week)
Salary: £14,986 per year (£24,976 FTE)
Location: Rolleston rehoming centre, DE13 9AU
Closing date: Sunday 16th August 2026
Interview date: Tuesday 25th August 2026
Join our team at Blue Cross Rolleston rehoming centre as an Adoptions Preparations Handler! We’re looking for a passionate and experienced individual to care for and train our horses, helping prepare them for rehoming. If you’re dedicated to animal welfare and have solid equine experience, we’d love to hear from you!
As a skilled horse handler and trainer, you will manage and care for horses in our rehoming and temporary crisis care services, ensuring they meet welfare standards and are quickly prepared for new homes.
Each day, you'll handle and train a variety of horses and ponies, collaborating with the Rehabilitation, Trainer and Behaviour Advisor (RTBA) and the Adoptions Preparation Lead. This includes starting and training unhandled horses and ponies.
You'll work as part of a team to optimise training and provide excellent customer service, promoting Blue Cross horses and ponies to maximize rehoming opportunities. You'll also collaborate with centre-based volunteers and the Foster Yard Coordinator regarding potential foster horses.
As the public face of Blue Cross, you'll prioritise customer service in every interaction. Your role is key in helping us achieve our mission and support more pets and horses.
At our Rolleston rehoming centre, we provide onsite accommodation for pets in our care 24/7. Overnight shifts are usually undertaken by team members who live on site. Occasionally, you will be expected to carry out night checks or stay in on site accommodation overnight when the resident team members are either not working or away for a period of time. These duties are organised on a local rota and shared between all members of the team.
This is a part-time time role working 22.5 hours across 3 days a week. You will be required to work Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
For a more detailed look at the role and its requirements, please see the attached job description.
You are intuitive with horses, empathetic, and welfare-focused, with experience in a similar environment. Skilled at assessing horse needs, recognising behavioral signs, and knowledgeable about medications like hibiscrub and worming treatments, you understand the importance of quickly finding new homes for horses.
Self-motivated and forward-thinking, you bring creative, collaborative, and pragmatic solutions for horse care. You quickly assimilate and accurately record information while effectively communicating with clients and stakeholders.
In an emotionally charged environment, your resilience and emotional intelligence shine, showing empathy and support for clients and colleagues alike.
Knowledge, skills, and experience
- Demonstrable experience of having previously worked or volunteered with horses or in a horse welfare environment.
- BHS stage 3, NVQ3 or equivalent professional experience
- A working knowledge of caring for a variety of field kept and stabled horses/ponies.
- Experience of handling and training a variety of different types of horses and ponies.
- Experience of starting and producing a variety of young horses.
- Knowledge of basic horse veterinary procedures, common horse ailments and injuries.
- Current full driving licence.
- The ability to demonstrate, understand and apply our Blue Cross values
Although not essential, it would be great if you also had:
- Qualification or similar experience in horse behaviour or animal training.
- Understanding of safeguarding issues.
- Practical application behavioural science and learning theory when training horses.
- Preparing horses and ponies for rehoming.
How to apply
Click the apply button below and complete the online application process before the closing date on Sunday 16th August 2026.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response.
Our people are the most important part of delivering our purpose. If it were not for their amazing efforts and commitment, we would not be able to make the difference that we do today.
In return, Blue Cross wants to ensure we provide you with the best working environment we can. We want you to be happy working for us and will do everything we can to make sure you are.
Our generous benefits package includes:
- Full time equivalent of 38 days holiday rising to 43 with service (including Bank Holidays)
- Programmes for physical and mental wellbeing support
- Free access to GP via MetLife- 24/7 GP services, private prescriptions and more for you and your family
- Health cash plan
- Unlimited access to an employee assistance programme
- Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution
- Professional fees paid with Continuing Professional Development and personal development support.
- Life assurance
- 20% discount on Pet Plan pet insurance
- Enhanced family friendly policies
- Recognition scheme
- Annual volunteer days
- Charity worker discounts across a variety of retailers
To read more about the benefits Blue Cross has to offer, please visit the 'why work for us' page on our website.
If you’d like to learn more about Blue Cross, our mission, and the work we do to support animals and people, take a look at our About Us page
