Equine and Animal Care Specialist - Full-Time (Assistant Barn Manager Growth Opportunity) Tomten Fa

At Tomten Farm and Sanctuary, 80 to 100 rescued animals wake up every morning to people who chose this work on purpose. If barns feel like home and you are looking for a career with animals, this role for you.

About Us

Tomten Farm and Sanctuary is a well-established, mission-driven nonprofit in Haverhill, New Hampshire, home to 80 to 100 rescued animals across more than a dozen species, including horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, pigs, goats, sheep, cows, alpacas, llamas, chickens, geese, rabbits, and cats.

Tomten is a growing organization, now in its twelfth year, continuously expanding what high-level rescue and sanctuary care looks like in practice. We do not settle for good enough. We invest in knowledge, relationships, and systems that raise the bar for every animal in our care.

If that standard excites you, we would like to hear from you. Please read the How To Apply section at the end of this posting carefully before submitting your application.

Position Overview

We are looking for a skilled, passionate Equine and Animal Care Specialist with strong hands-on equine experience. This role requires real horsemanship - the kind that means you can safely and confidently lead a demonstrative thoroughbred on a windy day. If you have worked with horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules across varying temperaments, breeds, ages, and training levels and you bring a calm, steady presence to every situation, we want to hear from you.

The ideal candidate arrives with a strong understanding of the fundamentals - leading, grooming, blanketing, wrapping, trailering, fly-spraying, and hands-on daily care - gained in professional barns, rescues, sanctuaries, or training environments beyond personal ownership. This is not an entry-level equine role. But for someone who arrives with that foundation, Tomten is a place where your skills will be recognized, your knowledge will deepen, and your career will grow.

If your equine experience has been primarily basic barn work without active animal handling responsibilities, we do have an additional position available. Please note your experience level in your application and we will be in touch.

We rescue all animals and we need someone who is genuinely passionate about all of them - from the horses in the barn to the pigs, rabbits, and cats who call Tomten home. Any prior experience beyond equines is a welcome addition to your application.

Many of our Rescues are seniors or have complex medical needs. Supporting animals through aging and end-of-life care is part of this role and part of our promise to every animal who comes through our gates. It is some of the hardest and most meaningful work we do.

Growth Opportunity

For a passionate, hardworking, and dedicated team member, this role has a clear path forward. As you demonstrate skill, reliability, and deepening knowledge of Tomten's animals and care systems, the opportunity to grow into an Assistant Barn Manager position and beyond becomes available - with increased responsibility, a leadership role in daily operations, and compensation that reflects your growth.

We mentor everyone who joins our team and we are looking for someone who wants to grow alongside us, not just within a role. If you are the right person, this becomes a genuine collaboration - one where your investment in Tomten is matched by our investment in you.

Key Responsibilities

This role is physical, varied, and never the same day twice. Daily responsibilities can include:

• Active animal handling and care including leading, turnout, grooming, blanketing, fly-spraying, hoof cleaning, and more
• Animal care, observation, and health monitoring across all species
• Following established feeding routines including hay, grain, supplements, and medications as directed
• Stall cleaning, shed picking, and pasture cleanup
• Assisting with hay, grain, supplement, and bedding deliveries including unloading, stacking, and inventory tracking
• Assisting with veterinary, farrier, trimmer, and shearer visits
• Seasonal farm maintenance including watering, weed-whacking, snow removal, and brush clearing
• Operating equipment such as the work gator and mower
• Trailering as required

This role requires someone who works both independently and as part of a small, coordinated team, maintaining consistent routines and above-and-beyond standards of care every single day.

Physical Requirements

This is a physically demanding role. Team members must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds and remain on their feet for extended periods. Work takes place indoors and outdoors in all seasons and all weather conditions.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for more than a skilled candidate. We are looking for a dedicated team member who brings:

• Demonstrated hands-on experience with horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules in professional settings beyond personal ownership
• A strong eye for detail and pride in above-and-beyond standards of care
• Genuine enthusiasm for all of it - the animals, the mission, and the unglamorous reality of sanctuary work in every season
• A calm, steady presence with animals and people alike
• Openness to natural horsemanship and low-stress, individualized handling methods
• Hardworking, dependable, and physically capable of keeping pace with a working sanctuary
• Clear communication and comfort working within a small, coordinated team
• Prior experience with animals beyond equines, noted in your application

What We Offer

Flexible scheduling, paid main holidays, and accrued paid time off. Health insurance reimbursement and additional benefits become available with length of employment, alongside raises that reflect demonstrated skill, commitment, and growth.

We are a small, hardworking team where every person carries real weight and real pride in the work. We mark milestones together - animal arrivals, recoveries, and the quieter victories that make this work meaningful. It is not a loud culture, but it is a genuinely caring one.

Beyond that, this role offers something harder to find. You will work in a beautiful New Hampshire setting, building real relationships with up to 100 individual animals who will come to know you by name. You will work across a remarkable variety of species, ages, and health needs, following each animal from arrival through every chapter of their life here.

You will grow professionally through exposure to and hands-on work alongside a trusted network of veterinarians, farriers, trimmers, shearers, and animal care professionals who are deeply committed to Tomten's animals.

And you will be part of a mission and community that extends well beyond the farm itself - from our local community and rescue network to the thousands of people near and far who follow Tomten's journey and the animals who call it home.

Work that is respected. Growth that is supported. Compassion that is valued.

Requirements

• 18+
• Valid driver's license and reliable, all-season transportation
• Must reside within approximately 45 minutes of the sanctuary
• Background check and supervisor references required
• Commitment to a drug-free, smoke-free, and alcohol-free workplace
• Willingness to work a minimum of 10 Saturdays per year - additional Saturdays are welcome and reflected in pay
• Minimum 12-month commitment preferred

We invest deeply in the people who join our team and we are genuinely excited to find our next team member. Is it you?

How To Apply

To be considered for this position, please apply by email only and include all requested information below.

Please submit your resume along with a brief letter of interest to tomtenfarmandsanctuary@gmail.com with the subject line: Equine and Animal Care Specialist Application.

In your letter please include:

• Why sanctuary work appeals to you
• A description of your hands-on equine experience, where you gained it, and your level of responsibility
• Any experience with species beyond equines
• Your door-to-sanctuary commute time
• Your ideal start date
• Two supervisor references including name, role, and contact information

We read every application carefully and will reach out directly to candidates whose experience, values, and availability align with what we are building here at Tomten.

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Work Location: In person