Back to jobs
New

Equine Specialist

Morrill, Maine, United States

About Altior Healthcare

Our family of services comprises three distinct mental health treatment programs, including a specialized program for US Veterans. With over 15 unique locations, we manage and support 500+ dedicated employees serving over 300 residential clients daily located across five states: California, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, and Texas.

Paradigm Treatment (West Coast) and Ridge RTC (East Coast) partner together under Altior, united by a shared commitment to providing exceptional mental health care. For over a decade, our core clinical and support teams have worked side-by-side, delivering compassionate, evidence-based treatment that changes lives.

As part of the Altior network, you’ll find the stability of an established organization with the heart of a close-knit treatment community where every role matters.

Position Summary: 

The Equine Specialist works under the direction of the Equine Program Manager (EPM) to ensure appropriate and safe equine programming for clients.  This individual is motivated to have a positive impact on the lives of youth by helping them to engage meaningfully in growth and learning experiences with horses and other animals. They develop transferable life skills including communication, organization and time management, commitment to safety, teamwork, goal setting, follow through and celebration.  The ideal candidate will have a passion for horses, experience as an instructor/trainer, knowledge of stable management, be capable of the physical demands of the role, and have experience working with youth in a residential setting.    

 

Position Functions & Responsibilities: 

EAP 

  • Facilitating horsemanship classes for small groups in coordination with therapist 
  • Facilitating individual EAP sessions with therapists 
  • Providing EAL sessions in natural horsemanship, mounted and unmounted sessions 
  • Demonstrate compassion for people and animals consisted with the trauma informed workplace 

Instructor  

  • Providing individual and small group riding lessons for eligible clients, as determined by EPM 
  • Ability to safely guide individual and small groups on trial rides  
  • Working in collaboration with EPM, Program Managers, and support staff to coordinate group horsemanship lessons of large groups of clients 
  • Match horses and riders for safety and success 

Trainer 

  • Exercising and schooling horses 
  • Identifying and treating soundness issues 
  • Inspect tack & equipment for proper fit and safety, including tack cleaning and maintenance 
  • Use only non-violent training and communication methods when working with horses 

Barn Management 

  • Assisting the EPM in all aspects of horse care, including grooming, bathing, clipping 
  • Assist the EPM with facilities maintenance and repairs, including fencing and putting in hay, etc. 
  • Recognition of illness and injuries and reporting to EPM 
  • Following treatment plans for illness and injuries as directed by EPM 
  • Supporting and training clients in completing chores  
  • Completing chores as needed to ensure horses/animals receive quality care 
  • Assist during emergencies as needed.  Ability to make decisions regarding calling a vet should the EPM be unavailable.  
  • Ensure proper and prompt communication with EMP of any incidents or concerns regarding either client safety in the barn, or horses' behavior that should be addressed.  
  • Applying knowledge and ability to care for goats and other farm animals.  

 

 

Qualifications/Skills/Knowledge 

Required Competencies:  

  • Strong interpersonal skills, ability to give and receive appropriate and timely communication 
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team 
  • Ability to dependably & consistently serve as a positive role model to cleints and peers 
  • Strong collaboration skills & teamwork ability 
  • Demonstrates empathy and compassion to support diversity and inclusion 
  • Proven success operating in dynamic and changing environments 
  • Demonstrates sound judgment & professionalism 

Physical & Cognitive Requirements: 

  • Must be able to pass a pre-employment physical showing the ability to: 
  • Must be able to lift up to 75 pounds 
  • Must be able to carry 50 pounds for 30 feet 
  • Must be able to lift 35 pounds over head 
  • Must be able to traverse irregular, uneven, and steep terrain 
  • Must be able to complete tasks in a noisy environment 
  • Must be able to adhere to process protocol 
  • Must be able to apply established protocols in a timely manner 

Required/Preferred Qualifications: 

  • 5+ years of experience working with and riding horses required 
  • Experience with behavior and group management required 
  • College degree in related fields preferred (social work, psychology, human services, etc.) 
  • Certification as an Equine Specialist a plus 
  • Current CPR & First-Aid Certifications, and Certified BHP a plus 
  • Must be able to pass extensive background checks, including fingerprinting 
  • High School Diploma/GED required 

Salary Range

$23 - $25 USD

Benefits

  • Comprehensive benefits package: medical, dental, and vision.
  • 401k with 4% match.
  • Paid Time Off Programs including vacation, holidays, and illness.
  • Chef made meals onsite.
  • Continuing Education Assistance.
  • Supportive clinical supervision and professional development.

Altior Healthcare is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics or any other basis forbidden under federal, state, or local law.

 

Privacy Policy l Discrimination Policy

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at The Ridge RTC? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

By selecting YES, I consent to receive recruiting SMS messages from Paradigm Treatment Centers, LLC/The Ridge RTC, DBA Altior Healthcare at the phone number provided on my job application.

If yes, you can always opt-out by replying STOP.

Note: Selecting “no” will not eliminate you from consideration for this role.

Message and data rates may apply, depending on your mobile phone service plan. At any time you can get more help by replying HELP to these texts, or you can opt out completely by replying STOP.

Privacy Policy

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in The Ridge RTC’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.