I sincerely believe in the working student or apprenticeship method of training for those who don’t have the coffers to afford endless lessons from top coaches. I also think that in order to employ working students, one should have come through the working student ranks. That way, you know how their minds are working and what they consider fair and unfair; or better still, what they ought to consider fair or unfair.
After 40 years of bringing along working students, I feel I am qualified to recognize in someone the passion that will sustain them through cold mornings, hard work, and rough days, with training and education being the primary recompense. When I interview a prospective working student, or when I get an application from a hopeful candidate, I want to see, hear, and feel that passion emanating from them. I want their main questions to be about the training they will get and the riding they will be allowed to do. I have taken on some complete beginners as working students because they impressed me with their passion for the horse. I have also taken on some so-called ‘difficult’ young people who showed that same passion. I have never regretted it.
Invaluable riding experience
One of the things that I don’t think working students are always aware of is that every time they are allowed to get on board somebody else’s horse – schooled, unschooled, saint or devil – it is an opportunity to learn and gain experience that is practically unavailable any other way. To be a professional in the horse industry these days you have to be able to get on, and get on with, a wide variety of mounts. The only way to gain the skills to do that is by riding a wide variety of mounts, preferably under the eye of a good coach.
Understanding ‘work’ hours
Working students very often count up their ‘hours worked’ without comprehending that a substantial portion of each day has been allocated to their education. In order for each day’s student lesson to take place, not only is time spent in the arena being taught allocated to the student, but also the time spent getting their horse tacked and ready, putting it away again, and cleaning the tack they used in the lesson. Additionally, if it is a jumping lesson, or any lesson using physical components that have to be laid out in the arena and then put away again, then the set-up and take-down time is also devoted to the student’s personal achievements, and does not directly benefit the trainer.
This is especially true of students who are given time for the riding/grooming/tacking of their own horses. One of the somewhat trivial yet very annoying traits that I often have to deal with is students who spend an unacceptable length of time preening their own horse(s). As an employer, I definitely resent this if my own horses are not made immaculate first.
To err is human
As an employer, there are often problems related to taking on a working student. Don’t forget they are working students, not trained staff. If they make a mistake it’s because they don’t know any better; after all, they have come to you to learn how not to make those mistakes and thus become truly employable.
Working students should be supervised, especially during the first three months of being at a new barn. It takes that long for a person to get fit and to be able to become conversant with the barn routines and what makes them important to the welfare of the horses. I myself have a litany of horrendous errors I made as an unsupervised working student, which give me a rich and very personal appreciation of what can happen through lack of experience. Hands-on experience is an invaluable asset to any aspiring horseperson.
Trial periods
When a student comes to me for a year, they start to be really useful to the setup at about six months, and are trusted and reliable by the time they are ready to leave. Many students stay on for longer periods of time and fine-tune their skills as they move up the ranks.
I ask new students to consider a three-month trial. It takes the first two months to get fit enough to enjoy the lifestyle and the third month the new student is in better shape to both enjoy the experience and be more useful to myself. I have had working students who have grown into positions as full staff members and have been with me for many years, and I have had working students who have left within the first hour … I kid you not!
At the end of the trial period, it may happen that either the student or myself are not happy. Sometimes this will lead to the student taking another avenue in the equestrian industry. Without coming and test driving what it means to be part of a competitive team, you cannot find out if it is the right career choice for you. There are a myriad of different careers in the industry, and working students sometimes branch out as saddlers, massage therapists, or farriers. A basic training in horsemanship will only serve to brighten their prospects.
Having a plan
Young people who wish to upgrade their skills with a working student apprenticeship program should decide exactly what they want to get out of it at the end of a year. They are working for an education, so it’s important that they get the education they are going to need in their career. For instance, an applicant might be looking for education specifically to qualify as a certified instructor, and there are working student programs in big riding schools that are made for this. It makes good sense to take a position in a big riding school if the goal is to become an instructor. If you wish to learn about eventing, go to an event barn, not a hunter barn. Some of my working student ‘fails’ have been hunter riders that have come to me to train, only to find that I don’t teach hunt seat at my barn.
A solid stepping-stone
Being a working student in a well-run barn is a strong beginning in the industry. Most of the top equestrians in my acquaintance have all spent time as working students. It has been the traditional job training within many different facets of the equestrian world for as long as I have been working with horses. I have had students come to me from all over the world who worked in barns with me in the UK, Austria, and Canada. They have all been part of my life for at least a year and I am still in touch with most of them. Facebook has been a big help in showcasing what former students are doing with their skills (and letting me keep my beady eye on them). Once a student, always a student!
WORKING STUDENT SUCCESS STORIES
~ by Sheila Wright
Bronte Walker-Moores (Campbellford, ON)
Bronte spent the summer of 2014 as a working student for Drumnacross Farm in Goshen, NY. “The benefits [of a working student position] include gaining an enormous amount of knowledge with horses and the business, as you are involved with both every day.” On average, Bronte rode about six or seven horses daily, and each horse had something different to offer or teach. She feels that her riding improved considerably throughout the summer and she is now more confident when getting on new horses. Bronte was allowed to bring her own horse to Drumnacross Farm and successfully competed in the 1.35m amateur jumpers.
Nora Gray (Orillia, ON)
Nora has been a working student at Ashford Farms in Belgium since May of 2014 and has had the privilege of showing at a number of training shows and some large international shows in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Ashford Farms is one of the most established and successful training and sales barns in Europe and Nora says a typical day starts at 6:30 a.m. She rides anywhere between three and eight horses a day, helps with the mucking out, feeding, and sweeping, and assists the professional trainers to prepare and show the horses to perspective clients. “Find a place where you respect and admire the people you are working for, and once you are there, work hard and learn as much as you can from everyone around you,” she advises prospective working students. This fall, Nora will be heading off to university as a member of the Southern Methodist University varsity equestrian team in Dallas, TX. (see page 52)
Sarah Johnstone (King City, ON)
Sarah was the working student for North Ridge and the Hayes family for almost seven years. She is extremely grateful to both Lauren and Jay Hayes for the training provided in and out of the show ring. Sarah says, “I was very fortunate that the Hayes let me show many horses during the years I worked for them. You name it and they let me do it. I showed ponies, hunters, equitation, and my favorite – jumpers!” This time and attention, along with Sarah’s natural talent as a rider, led to many accomplishments, from junior hunter, CET medal and Jump Canada champion at the Royal Winter Fair, to winning her first FEI competition in 2011.
“Shortly after I left the Hayes, I spent a year in Europe at Stal Hendrix, where I trained and showed their horses. Once I came back from there I worked and rode for Beth Underhill and I am currently a rider and trainer alongside Yann Candele at Wingberry Farms. We have a fantastic team and I couldn’t be in a better situation. I am lucky that I have always been around people who gave me great opportunities and spent both time and energy teaching me.”
