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The Big Purple Barn Volunteer Program

The Big Purple Barn provides a permanent home with a lifetime of compassionate care for special needs horses, ponies, minis, as well as sheep, goats, and pigs. Our residents, in turn, provide opportunities in our community for people to make meaningful connections with our animals.

Providing attention and care for 15 equines, many of which have special needs, as well as pigs, goats, sheep and cats every day, is a critical task at the farm. That is why we developed a volunteer program.

Our volunteers are an invaluable part of our programs. Volunteers typically sign up to perform evening feed shifts which include feeding the horses, mucking of stalls and fields and weather appropriate tasks such as blanketing, bathing and trough scrubbing. Shifts typically occur in the late afternoon/early evening and last from 1 to 3 hours depending on the amount of volunteers assigned to a shift.

Many volunteers like to spend extra time with a special horse they connect with. The horses enjoy the additional treats, grooming and extra attention. We accept volunteers as young as 10 to work under supervision in the barn. No horse experience is required and we provide continual training.

Learn more about becoming a volunteer→

Belair Stable Museum

2835 Belair Dr, Bowie, MD 20715

Beginning in the late 1740s, Governor Samuel Ogle and his brother-in-law, Colonel Benjamin Tasker, imported a number of Thoroughbred horses, including the incredible Selima, to Belair. Today’s Stable Museum highlights the accomplishments of Belair’s bloodstock over a 200-year racing legacy. It also features Belair’s other agricultural uses and contains a restored 1923 Stablemaster’s living quarters. The Belair Stable Museum is located just a block from Belair Mansion. Admission is free; donations are welcomed. Tours for groups of 10 or more persons are available by appointment.

VISIT SITE→

Rosecroft Raceway

6336 Rosecroft Drive, Fort Washington, MD 20744

Rosecroft Raceway, nicknamed the “Raceway by the Beltway” for being close to Interstate 495, is a harness racing track in Fort Washington, Maryland. It first opened in 1949 and was owned by William E. Miller, a horse trainer and breeder. Live Harness Racing, Dining, Gaming and Private Events!

Learn More →