How (not) to find horses to ride/ working student positions

[rosebecard]

A lot of young people post on here looking for horses to ride or asking how to get working student positions. I thought I'd relate my experiences over the past year to help out.

I am like many people on this board in that I went many years without horses in order to have a career where I could finally afford them. I don't have expensive horses, and I have to really budget to go to a few shows a year. But, I am very lucky. I have horses with wonderful attitudes that are a joy to ride. I love riding them at home, and even more, I just love them as pets and companions.

I am not looking for any help riding or any working students, but 3 people have asked me if they could come ride my horses with me sometime. I said, "sure, if you could come in the morning, we'll finish stalls and waters and then we can groom and ride." To this they all responded, "oh, will I get paid for that?" Um, no, you asked me. Where are all these pre-groomed and cared for horses that are standing around waiting to get ridden? And if I had money to pay someone, I would hire a professional groom!

In contrast, I had 2 people ask me if they could come help me with the horses. Interestingly, they were younger than the other 3. They wanted to groom and help set fences, and were genuinely interested in learning about the animals and their care. They had great positive attitudes and never asked to ride, but guess which ones got to ride? And they were competent but not the best riders. As far as I know, the first 3 better riders are still looking for horses to ride.

I think many people looking for working students don't need the second coming of Rodney Jenkins. They don't need someone to train on their horses or use them as machines for personal showing glory. They are looking for someone with a good attitude who is not adverse to hard work. And mostly, at least this would be true for me, someone who really cares about the animal and wants to learn about management and care.

[Lady Eboshi]

Thanks for posting! All of it good advice with good examples.

Further to the what NOT to do, if I get ONE more bozo asking me to board their horse for nothing while they "work it off," my server will EXPLODE.

[OnDeck]

I agree 100%. Asking someone if you can ride their horse, and then balking at doing a few stalls for them??

I learned in high school that hard work pays off, but not immediately. I was never a working student, but I was a student who worked (didn't always expect to get paid). Sometimes I would come to a show to groom for a day, without arranging payment, and the next weekend my trainer would braid my horse for free. When I did get a ride, I returned the tack clean, even if it wasn't clean when I got it out. I said thank you, even if the owner approached me. I rode it when I told the owner I would, and sent them a text so they were sure. I only got more rides as I got older. I volunteer at a camp every year for a week or two, and I know I can always call the owner of that facility if I want to come out and ride.

The key to getting rides is patience and kindness.

[RiderInTheRain]

Another thing that always got me extra rides as a teen and now as a young adult is to follow through with plans to ride horses for the first owner I have committed to, even if I'm approached with a "better" offer and have limited time.

For example, if on a Friday afternoon, I had time to ride 4 horses and had already committed to riding a walk/trot school horse for a tuneup, a bratty pony, a rehab horse who needed 30 minutes of walking and a draft cross who pulls like a freight train, I wouldn't drop one of those rides if asked to exercise an upper level dressage horse or one of the "fancy" jumpers. Thought it may have lost me a few cool rides at the very beginning, overall people noticed that I was committed and would follow through, which in the long run scored me more rides on all types of horses. Other riders who were only interested in riding the "nice" horses, simply didn't have the opportunities for as much saddle time as I was offered.

[french fry]

Also, if you happen to get a ride on something, unless specifically told otherwise for god's sake just do a w/t/c flat! I cannot tell you how many times I see someone get on a nice horse and start drilling lead changes or (god forbid) jumping. You're not the trainer! What a great way to ensure you only get to ride the horse once.

I've (surprisingly frequently!) gotten rides over more talented riders because the owner/trainer can be 100% confident that I will follow their instructions to the letter.

[mroades]

Oh my goodness French Fry, this times a billion. WHO TOLD YOU IT WAS OKAY TO SCHOOL LEAD CHANGES ON A HORSE YOU DO NOT OWN??? (not you, but you know what I am talking about)

[Narleta]

I too went through university without horses. It was 8 years from the time I graduated high school to having a full time job in my field. I spent many of those years without riding at all. The horses I did ride, I worked my ass off for. I house-sat, cleaned stalls, and did whatever to help out. Things do not come free in life. Horses included.

[jn4jenny]

Amen, y'all. When I was young, I was (as the OP so accurately put it) "competent but not the best rider." I can stay on a horse, but I'm absolutely nothing to write home about. Yet I had no problem finding rides. I was willing to do barn work until I dropped, I could muck a mean stall, and on the rare occasions that I was offered a nice non-green non-psycho horse to ride that didn't require barn work in exchange, I would do some barn work anyway. I would ride any horse, in any discipline, provided they weren't dangerous or beyond my capabilities as a rider.

Now that I'm older and on the other side of this equation as a horse owner, I'm amazed by a few other basics that young riders often fail to grasp:

--Say thank you a lot. Find something to compliment about the horse, even if he's a stinker. Unless it's a safety or health issue, don't bitch about the quality of the owner's gear or the conditions at the barn.

--Communicate well. If you say you'll be there at Time X, be there or reschedule in a timely fashion. If the owner is absentee for a good reason, like an injury/pregnancy/being out of town, send the owner short updates or send them an email/text picture of "their baby." Be gracious if/when the opportunity ends.

--Leave the barn, the horse, and the equipment better than you found it. Be diplomatic and well-liked by everyone, including the barn's gossip queens. Learn to be unconcerned when a stranger is watching you ride; they may be admiring what they see and eager to offer you a ride on another horse.

That said, there are good eggs out there. I'm indebted to the college student who's been riding my horse while I was pregnant. She's been great!

[PNWjumper]

Everything jn4jenny said!

Especially the "leave everything in better shape than you found it." I can't figure out why this is such a tough concept?! If I borrow someone's car, even if it's to run a 2-mile errand, you can bet that I'm going to top off the gas tank. And yet so few people seem to understand that leaving something in better condition means you'll end up with someone who *wants* you to borrow their stuff

I can't tell you how many kids I've had through to hack horses for me who leave the place (and tack, and horse, and everything else) worse for the wear. Boy does that grate on me quickly. Coming into the barn to feed in the evening and finding a disaster makes me much less interested in letting someone come out at all.

Like the OP, I have a kid who's not a highly skilled or experienced rider who comes out here regularly (and always comes when she says she will). She happily rides whatever I throw her way (knowing, of course, that I would never put her on something dangerous), she asks before she does ANYTHING that she's not sure about, and probably most importantly, she leaves everything in better condition. So the horses are groomed well, she sweeps my barn as thoroughly as I do (and that's a big deal to me!) and she does odd jobs like stall/paddock/shed cleaning and always asks if there's more she can do.

Because of that attitude, I scramble to find horses for her to ride and jobs for her to the point that I will give up a ride on one of my horses to get her an extra horse if she wants to ride more. And on those days where someone else might text me to ask if they can ride and I'm not in the mood? I ALWAYS say yes to her.

This is in contrast to many kids I've had in the past who only want to ride my top horse(s) and have no interest in sitting on anything less "important" (be it my daughter's small pony or any of the sales horses I used to bring through regularly). Let alone menial tasks like sweeping, stall cleaning, and tack cleaning. Those people lose my interest and patience almost immediately!

A while back I had a kid who came out to hack one of my horses regularly. Every time I'd ask her if she had time to ride my small pony she'd roll her eyes and give me a sarcastic answer of some sort or another. It came time to take the pony to a show and she was the first one with her hand up asking to show the pony. Um, no. You wouldn't ride him a single time over the prior 2 months and now you want me to pay for you to show him? I handed him over to my daughter's trainer and let her find a pony-jock. And what a lovely surprise that the pony-jock cleaned all of the pony's tack before my daughter got to the show for her first walk-trot class Oh, also she was super grateful for the opportunity to ride him and still thanks me just about every time she sees me (which is cute, but absolutely not necessary! She was doing *me* the favor more than the other way around!).

It's a pretty easy equation. Make yourself invaluable and you'll end up with a lot more than you expect!

[RugBug]

Agree with all of the above. We have one teen that comes out the barn and I swear it's not more than 10 minutes from her being off the horse before it's put away, sweaty marks and nastiness. I tried to tell her it wasn't a great idea as people would take it into consideration when looking for someone to ride their horses and while she was very polite in how she received the advice, it did nothing to change her behaviour. Oh well, guess she'll never be riding one of mine.

I've got one horse that honestly is no fun right now. I get that. But for the kid that will stick by him during this time, I WILL make sure that there are fun rides in the future. Sadly, there are no capable takers. The one little girl that has tried just cannot keep doing it...he's too much for her right now...but you can bet, when he's back to his usual self, she'll be the first one I let on him. She's earned it.

[BeeHoney]

So much great advice on this thread. I think another thing to add is that it isn't reasonable to expect to go to someone's barn and ride all their best horses right off the bat, no matter how fabulous you think your ability/credentials are. If I were to let a teenager help ride some of my show horses, you bet I would want to see them riding some other horses first--the husband horse, some large ponies that would benefit from a more mature ride or two, etc. During those test rides, I would be not only checking out ability and skill, but looking for someone who treated a "lesser" horse/pony kindly (and not beneath them), was reliable, helpful and responsible around the barn, and basically all of the other stuff that has been discussed in this thread. I also would want to have a chance to get to know someone a little bit and feel like I had a working relationship with them before allowing them access to a valuable animal.

[equestrianathlete]

Such a cool post to read from a teenager's perspective Some good advice for me here! As a girl with the goal of achieving her coaching license as well this is super helpful to understand exactly what people are looking for when they're willing to let someone ride their horse!

And from the horse owner perspective, this post is also really cool as I currently have a girl riding my horse 2-3 days of the week so that I can work(in order to keep the horse!). Honestly she just looks so happy every time she sees him and tells me how much she loves him!

[trubandloki]

Great posts.

Let me add another tid bit. If you are begging for rides and someone is interested in offering you an opportunity do not then toss out there that you want to get paid because you are just that good.

[merrygoround]

And also, if offered a ride on a horse, with/without pay, and the owner asks that if you are willing to ride can you work that horse three days or two days a week, if you agree, then get there. And keep a careful accurate log of your rides. Nothing will ruin your reputation or turn an owner off as fast as not delivering on promises, or worse, yet charging for rides not ridden.

[RiderInTheRain]

I definitely agree with the suggestions to keep a log (even if its as simple as a calender per horse with descriptions such as "Stormy - Walk/trot 30 min" or "Misty - hack around the farm 45 min).

And the suggestion to ALWAYS follow the owner's instructions is imperative. While I am not usually the best rider available, the owners do know that if they ask me to ride I will follow instructions and not go messing with training or movements I have no business messing with. Basically, unless the owner states otherwise, I consider riding their horse to be a session to help maintain the horse's fitness NOT a training ride.

Do barn work, do non-riding work with the horses. I rode many nice horses in high school as the barn I rode at frequently had horses in for rehab of various injuries. I was always willing to help hand-walk, cold hose, medicate, pick the stall extra times for a horse in 24/7, etc. and as a result often to help bring these horses back into shape under saddle even though more talented junior riders were available.

[Happyhooves]

This one shocked me. I wanted to be helpful, so offered my child's pony to a girl at our barn whose pony was off. She seemed like a nice kid, 11 or 12-year-old, who was a pretty good rider, so I felt safe trusting the pony to her, and I figured at least she'd have a mount for her lesson that day. The pony was an experienced reliable guy, a bit lazy, not the fanciest but had won some championships, but no major issues (which is why I had him for my kid) and the lesson went just fine. Found out later her mom told the instructor she shouldn't have to pay for that lesson because her kid was such a good rider and "schooled" the pony. Then the word got out that the girl told people in the barn that the pony was lazy. True or not, I felt bad that my kid heard a criticism of the pony. I'd expected a little murmured thank you, not the implication that someone had done me a "favor."

[lrp1106]

Thank god someone said it.

[french fry]

This one shocked me. I wanted to be helpful, so offered my child's pony to a girl at our barn whose pony was off. She seemed like a nice kid, 11 or 12-year-old, who was a pretty good rider, so I felt safe trusting the pony to her, and I figured at least she'd have a mount for her lesson that day. The pony was an experienced reliable guy, a bit lazy, not the fanciest but had won some championships, but no major issues (which is why I had him for my kid) and the lesson went just fine. Found out later her mom told the instructor she shouldn't have to pay for that lesson because her kid was such a good rider and "schooled" the pony. Then the word got out that the girl told people in the barn that the pony was lazy. True or not, I felt bad that my kid heard a criticism of the pony. I'd expected a little murmured thank you, not the implication that someone had done me a "favor."

I've noticed this a lot as well. A lot of kids seem to think that they are doing the owner a favor rather than the other way around.

Whether you are riding a rank school pony or an AA hunter, someone is taking a risk the second they let you put your foot in the stirrup. Riding any horse is an opportunity to further develop your riding abilities. Always, always be grateful. Even if it was "just" the schoolie or the one coming back from an injury that needs to walk for 30 minutes or the nutty retraining project. Even if the owner thanks you for doing them a favor, they have a lot more at stake than you do!

[arab_roots]

I have been very lucky in my adult riding career to be blessed with some opportunities to ride other horses. I got these offers due to the fact that whenever I was at the barn I was always working and helping out. I helped keep the school horses all trimmed up and nice. Helped clean stalls, do feedings, handwalking, medicating, filling up empty water buckets, whatever needed to be done I did it. I also helped groom at shows as well to further my own education. I did it all just because I love being around horses and if I see someone running around with a million and one things to do I want to help them out. Not trying to sound like an old fogey but I have been around this younger generation and its all about "what do I get out of this".

Case in point we helped move a generator and the people that we moved it for where having a hard time getting everything hooked up. Me and a couple of my soldiers stepped up and helped them out. Well little did we know the Regional Command West commander had heard about it and put us all in for awards. We didn't do it for accolades we did it because it needed to be done.

[vxf111]

Great posts.

Let me add another tid bit. If you are begging for rides and someone is interested in offering you an opportunity do not then toss out there that you want to get paid because you are just that good.

Had this one happen to me. Pony clubber barn mate's horse is injured in a long-term way, upcoming rating scheduled in 2 months. Asks if she can use my show horse for the rating. I feel bad and agree.

She starts riding the show horse 2 days/week to get ready. She comes back and asks for more saddle time. I decline to give her more days on the show horse but offer her as many rides as she wants on my TB. She says yes. I suggest she spend a day or two hacking out of the ring, since I'm trying to get him a little more calm about that.

After a week some comes back and demands money for riding because she's
"going pro" and is now training both my horses for me. Told her I had a pro already, she lost BOTH rides and my horse for her rating.