Live with the Horses. Work at Chaar Ranch.
For ten days, live at Chaar Ranch and take part in the rhythm of everyday life there: feeding and caring for the horses, working alongside the horsemen, and getting to know one Chaar horse assigned to you for the length of your stay.
A Small, Deliberately Personal Programme
We can accommodate one or two volunteers at Chaar Ranch at a time. This programme is for people who love horses, nature, and authentic experiences, and who want to spend time at a real working ranch rather than simply visit it as tourists. No professional equestrian experience is required, but you should be comfortable around horses and physically able to take part in everyday ranch work.
This is a working volunteer experience, not a holiday with organised excursions. The exact daily activities depend on the season, the weather, and what the ranch needs at the time.
One Horse, Paired With You for the Whole Stay
Each participant is paired with one Chaar horse for the length of the volunteer experience. You'll get to know the horse, help with its daily care, and spend time with it throughout your stay: feeding, grooming, checking its general condition, and preparing it for recreational rides. During free time, and when the ranch team decides conditions are right, you can ride it around the ranch. For two participants, each is paired with their own horse.
The horse remains under the responsibility of the Chaar Ranch team at all times. Whether and when it's suitable for riding depends on its health, condition, workload, the weather, and the terrain. The point isn't simply to provide a horse to ride; it's to let you develop a real understanding of the animal and the responsibility that comes with caring for it.
The Work Is Practical, and Sometimes Physical
The day begins with the morning ranch routine. Depending on the season, you may help with feeding horses, checking horses and foals, watering, preparing feed, cleaning horse areas, and basic paddock maintenance. The ranch team explains each task and supervises where needed.
During the day, you take part in whatever work the ranch currently needs: feeding and moving hay, cleaning and maintaining horse areas, fence and paddock repairs, water systems, general maintenance, helping with horses and foals, and other seasonal tasks. The work is real and can sometimes be physically demanding.
Once the day's work is done, your time is your own. Depending on conditions and the ranch team's approval, that might mean spending time with your assigned horse, grooming it, riding around the ranch, exploring the surrounding area, photography, walking in the mountains, or simply enjoying the quiet.
€500 Donation Per Person
Participants are invited to make a €500 donation per person to support the Chaar project. It goes directly to the conservation, feeding, care, and development of the Chaar horses and the work of Chaar Ranch. For two participants travelling together, that's €1,000 total.
This donation is a contribution to the Chaar project. It is not a payment for accommodation, horse rental, riding lessons, or tourism services. The volunteer experience is participating in the daily work and life of Chaar Ranch; accommodation and the chance to work with the horses are part of the environment that experience takes place in, not something you're purchasing.
Donations to qualifying organisations of general interest may be eligible for a 66% income-tax reduction, subject to French tax rules and limits. Where the requirements are met, a €500 donation could represent an effective cost of approximately €170 after the reduction. Keep your official receipt, and check with your own tax adviser or the French tax administration for your situation.
Provided at Chaar Ranch as part of the volunteer environment. One participant gets a private room; two travelling together may share. Facilities are simple, appropriate to a working mountain ranch. Don't expect hotel-style accommodation.
Food and groceries aren't included; you buy your own during your stay. Since Chaar Ranch is in a remote mountain area, plan your food needs in advance. The ranch team can point you to where and when supplies are available. International flights, travel to and from the ranch, and travel/medical/repatriation insurance are also your responsibility.
Horse lovers, riders, people interested in horse welfare, nature lovers, photographers, people interested in Kyrgyz culture, travellers looking for something authentic, and anyone who wants to contribute to preserving the Chaar horse.
Riding experience is required if you'd like to ride independently, though professional skills aren't required. No one is avilable to teach new riders or surpervise riding in free time, and without appropriate riding experience riding is not possible for everyone's safety. The horses are young working ranch horses and you will be riding on mountain trails with no phone service. For this reason it's essential you are confident and responsible riding outside of an arena. All riding depends on the horse's condition, the weather, the terrain, and the ranch team's approval. The welfare of the horses always comes first.
Chaar Ranch is a real working ranch in a remote mountain environment. This isn't a luxury holiday: simple accommodation, rural conditions, physical work, early mornings, dust and mud, mountain weather, a flexible schedule, and limited access to shops and services.
In return, you get something very few travellers ever do: ten real days living with horses in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, while directly contributing to the Chaar horse's survival.
Live with the horses. Work with the ranch. Discover Kyrgyz mountain life. Support the Chaar horse.
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