Illegally underpaid? Volunteer? Advice Needed!!

Basically I volunteer at a stables and the owner yesterday got one complaint about one day seeming chaotic and decided to completely take it out on volunteers.

It was claimed that we are not volunteers but paid in a lesson with a horse yet that only amounts to 3 hours of work and we work 9-10 per day. So if we're workers (None of us actually signed a contract) that's illegal since we're underpaid.

None of us have ever received training so it's a kind of learn on the job thing and working with kids and horses is extremely unpredictable so things do go wrong.

I am trying to justify the reasons and solutions given by our boss - we are now not allowed to talk to each other at all, we have a strict 20 minute break (even though we work long hard hours and the work isn't exactly easygoing) and this break is individual so we don't speak. Only select people are allowed to come into contact with the kids and parents and if anyone does anything wrong, they're banned from coming back.

I don't think this is fair? We are also clients but we give up our time to volunteer. It won't be a nice place to work if we are put under such restrictions.

Anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Should I stand up to the boss? I've worked there for most of my life and it's plain to see that there fatal flaws in her actions.
Advice would be very much welcomed.

Basically I volunteer at a stables and the owner yesterday got one complaint about one day seeming chaotic and decided to completely take it out on volunteers.

It was claimed that we are not volunteers but paid in a lesson with a horse yet that only amounts to 3 hours of work and we work 9-10 per day. So if we're workers (None of us actually signed a contract) that's illegal since we're underpaid.

None of us have ever received training so it's a kind of learn on the job thing and working with kids and horses is extremely unpredictable so things do go wrong.

I am trying to justify the reasons and solutions given by our boss - we are now not allowed to talk to each other at all, we have a strict 20 minute break (even though we work long hard hours and the work isn't exactly easygoing) and this break is individual so we don't speak. Only select people are allowed to come into contact with the kids and parents and if anyone does anything wrong, they're banned from coming back.

I don't think this is fair? We are also clients but we give up our time to volunteer. It won't be a nice place to work if we are put under such restrictions.

Anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Should I stand up to the boss? I've worked there for most of my life and it's plain to see that there fatal flaws in her actions.
Advice would be very much welcomed.

Technically speaking you never signed a contract so you don't even have to turn up. May I ask how you have income if you're spending 9/10 hours a day, unpaid, at a stable?

It's a weekend job because I've just left school; during the week I spend time with the elderly, looking after their pets so they can have company. I get paid for that.

Anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Should I stand up to the boss? I've worked there for most of my life and it's plain to see that there fatal flaws in her actions.
Advice would be very much welcomed.