ADVICE FOR H/J DREAMER

Hi! First off I would like to say thank you so much to whoever is looking at this, and is willing to give me some advice!:slight_smile: I really do appreciate any advice I can take from this, because it is something I really need an opinion on. I am a fourteen year old girl that has been riding horses since I was six years old. Since the first day I got on a pony I have been riding hunter/jumper. Since the day I got on, I knew that this is what I wanted to do, and had an extreme passion for it. I love everything about riding. Not just competing, but also putting the work in that is required around the barn, and just being around a horse in general. Currently, I take two riding lessons a week, and go as many other days as possible to work, and earn a free ride on any animal that hasn’t been worked yet. My dream is to become a professional hunter jumper competitor, and trainer. I would like to make it to the upper levels of the competitive hunter jumper world, because it’s always been a dream of mine, and it is what I love to do. Sadly, I have met a dilemma that is restrictive of how far I can go in riding as of right now. My dilemma: I do not have the money to own a horse, or show regularly outside of my one or two local hunter jumper shows a year. Also, I am not in a suitable distance of any competitive barns, but our house is for sale. Do not get me wrong, I am extremely thankful that I have the opportunity to ride at all. Does anyone have any piece of advice you can give me? Whether it be through your own personal experience, or just your own personal opinion, I am open to any suggestions that might help in any way.

Thanks again!:slight_smile:

I am glad you have found something that you are so passionate about. At your age, I felt the exact same about riding. I was certain it was what I wanted to do with my life. As I grew older and learned more about the industry I was content with keeping it my passion instead of my work.

That said, there are many ways to learn about riding. Read books. I recommend GM’s. Work on applying parts of what you read in your hacks. Watch videos of Kent Farrington, Penelope Leprevost, Beezie Madden, Mclain Ward, Marcus Ehning, Katie Dinan, Eric Lamaze, Richard Spooner, etc. Notice the subtle cues they give to their horses. What traits do they have in common? How do they ride difficult courses? Watch a warm-up ring at an A show. Take notes for free.

If you have a good trainer, ask if you can be a part-time working student. Provided you keep up with school, you can never learn “enough” about this sport. Keep your ears open.

Look to see if there are clinics in your area. Try to audit ones from MULTIPLE backgrounds (dressage, h/j, eventing, western pleasure). Take notes. I find there’s something to learn from everyone.

Try to be more thoughtful about the chances you do get to ride. See if you can apply the lessons you gained from the above. Part of being a good rider is being able to observe.

Lastly, stay in school and get a business degree. People mistakenly think this sport is about riding. It is largely about having a sustainable business model and marketing yourself (whether it be as a working student, trainer, or selling a horse) to an interested party.

I would say the most important thing at your age is to HAVE FUN. Enjoy the animals, enjoy the lessons, and don’t stress too much about the rest.

Thanks so much! I will definitely use what you said to help me! I really appreciate it!:slight_smile:

Lace has some good thoughts. I would also recommend that when you go to college (whatever your degree) that you look into IHSA. Many, many universities have teams and it’s a great way to get rides on lots of horses and some show experience for relatively cheap. That’s how I got into hunters in the first place. I’m definitely not on the road to being a pro, but I now have my own horse and compete just about monthly at rated shows.

I would say chase the dream of being a trainer for as long as it feels right, but be flexible if you feel your mind changing. There are so many ways to be involved in this sport for life, you don’t have to be a pro to do it. If it turns out you have the talent and the right situation to be a trainer, then great. But if things don’t work out that way, it’s not the end of the world. My job isn’t my dream job, but it covers board and training at a nice barn and gives me the flexibility to take time off for showing. And that’s a great situation.

This! My life goals of being a wealthy, competitive amateur owner/rider looks far more glamorous than being a poor, struggling, weathered horse trainer.

You don’t have to be a “horse trainer” to keep enjoying riding (or showing) horses into adulthood!

I also second the recommendation for growing your knowledge by reading books!

I really do appreciate all of this! I want this career more than anything, and I appreciate all of your opinions!

I am a trainer who raised a horse crazy daughter who wanted to follow in my footsteps but I discouraged her as I have with all of my students. When you are a horse pro, you are on the job 24/7 ran, shine , sleet, or hail. You often need to skip outside affairs because you are at the barn. You do not get to opt out of going to the barn because it is too cold or too hot or you do not feel well or that you want to go shopping or to the beach. I strongly recommend to all of them to get a degree and an outside job that pays enough to keep a horse and remain an amateur so the joy is always there and you still do have options. THEN, if the call is still there, I suggest they buy a project horse, remake it sell it and repeat, while still in the regular job. Don’t worry about remaining an amateur so you can ride other horses and do a little teaching on the side. Make sure you do it in all the weather extremes of your area and make sure you do not cancel a lesson or two because of some other event you wanted to do. If your passion remains, then you should consider changing to become the horse pro but at least you will have a fall back job. Not all that easy to make a living as a trainer and rider!

You have gotten some great advice here already and I can tell from your post you are a thoughtful person. When I was your age (wow I feel old saying that) I was in a very similar situation. As previous posters have said, don’t worry right now about if you can do this sport as a career or not. You have a long time and I lot of life to experience before you have to make that choice. What you can do now is LEARN. Learn everything you can about everything related to horses and riding. Don’t limit yourself to HJ either- try dressage or cross country or western if you can. There is something you can add to your “tool box” as a rider from all the disciplines. Watch as many lessons as you can and try to take something from the trainers and other students you observe. Learn to braid, wrap, clip,pull manes, and practice a LOT so you get very good at it. Braiding and clipping could help pay for shows when you get to an area with more of a horse scene. And a couple years from now start looking at schools with an IHSA or an equine program. Double major in Business. and HAVE FUN! Horses are for life, so don’t feel like you need to make it all happen before you turn 18. (I know that’s a tough one to grasp at your age - or mine haha- but if you are a rider who works hard and is considerate of the horses, there will ALWAYS be someone who can use your help. Trust me!)

[QUOTE=copper1;8573984]
I am a trainer who raised a horse crazy daughter who wanted to follow in my footsteps but I discouraged her as I have with all of my students. When you are a horse pro, you are on the job 24/7 ran, shine , sleet, or hail. You often need to skip outside affairs because you are at the barn. You do not get to opt out of going to the barn because it is too cold or too hot or you do not feel well or that you want to go shopping or to the beach. I strongly recommend to all of them to get a degree and an outside job that pays enough to keep a horse and remain an amateur so the joy is always there and you still do have options. THEN, if the call is still there, I suggest they buy a project horse, remake it sell it and repeat, while still in the regular job. Don’t worry about remaining an amateur so you can ride other horses and do a little teaching on the side. Make sure you do it in all the weather extremes of your area and make sure you do not cancel a lesson or two because of some other event you wanted to do. If your passion remains, then you should consider changing to become the horse pro but at least you will have a fall back job. Not all that easy to make a living as a trainer and rider![/QUOTE]

THIS is exactly what our trainer tells my daughter and her other students.

To the OP, I realize what you have is not the dream life of showing that you want, but lessons twice a week, being a “barn rat” worker in exchange for ride time several times a week, is still great exposure and experience. :slight_smile: I agree with the poster who suggests auditing clinics and reading as much as possible. And above all have fun, focus, learn as much as you can, whenever and wherever you can!

I grew up in your shoes. My parents so badly wanted me to have all the chances, but simply couldn’t afford it.

I was lucky to be surrounded by top-notch trainers in all the English disciplines, as well as the Pony Club. I was the work-for-rides kid and the crash-test dummy. I learned a ton.

I too wanted a career with horses, but two very smart trainers discouraged me. They told me to go to college. They provided me with horses to ride, good part-time and summer employment while I got my education.

I opted to stay an amateur and be successful in my field so I could afford to own a good horse or two, and to show. I realized that the slog of working and riding all day every day was too much for my body. Injuries meant I wasn’t going to make a top pro, and I didn’t want to be a FT groom.

I am very happy with my decision.

[QUOTE=Equitational;8573702]
This! My life goals of being a wealthy, competitive amateur owner/rider looks far more glamorous than being a poor, struggling, weathered horse trainer.

QUOTE]

THIS!!! :yes:

Lots of good advice here.

I would add, though, that if you want time in the saddle, actual hours riding, being an amateur with your own horse can be more satisfying than being a pro who is actually spending all day giving lessons, mixing feed, sometimes cleaning stalls when the barn help doesn’t turn up, and riding other people’s green horses walk/trot. I ride more than my coach, for sure!

Lots of careers are pleasant ways to spend the day (seriously!), and pay enough that with a little careful management, you can afford a horse. Plus, when you get off work after a day at a desk job, you have energy to ride. Not always true if you had to clean 20 stalls that day because your barn girl had the flu.

On the other hand, if you want to find out if the horse life is for you, try to get a “working student” position somewhere when you are a few years older. It’s like an apprenticeship. Make sure it is with a good trainer, and you will learn a lot, have lots of opportunities, and find out if you are a good fit for the field.

OP, you’ve gotten some great advice! I wanted the same thing when I was your age, and my trainer told me the same thing that several others on here have posted–go to college and get a degree with something else that you love as well, that way you have options(: I’m a senior in college now, and between the time I was your age to now, I’ve thought I wanted to be about 7 different things (trainer, elementary school teacher, biology teacher, vet, wedding invitation designer…). It’s not that there aren’t days when I wouldn’t love to be a trainer, but on days when the high is 98, or the low is 25, I’m kinda glad that I’m not. THough that doesn’t change the fact that I still want to ride and train a greenie up to Grand Prix, or show in Welly over the winter, or one day be that ammy that everyone comes to with questions. However, that being said, after working for 4 years in a non equine related job, I’ve decided that I do want a job that allows me to combine my degree (graphic design) with horses. Although I haven’t found a job yet (I just started looking about a week ago b/c I graduate in May–eek!), I do know they’re out there. That way I can still do something related to horses without feeling like I’m getting burnt out.

But, talk with your parents and see what you can do now to further your knowledge-- go and hang out a shows, watch the live stream of the big shows online, read everything you can, see if you could be a working student over the summers (or do it part time while you’re in school), and just hang out/work at the barn as much as you can!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!

Care.com offers dog sitting and dog walking ads. Have your mom or dad sign up and you go and apply like crazy for those after school and weekend jobs. Trust me, those dollars will add up to maybe one horse show a month! You might even build repeat customers if you provide good, honest work !

I’m going to echo what the other posters have said but add another perspective. I wanted to be a professional, too, but discovered that it wasn’t nearly as much fun once I had to ride for a living. When I was your age, I didn’t realize how hard it is to pay bills, support myself, get food on the table, all the things my parents just took care of. I thought juggling school and horses was hard. It’s nothing like trying to figure out how to pay the electric bill because your client’s check was late, or having to ride horses that you can’t stand in terrible weather when you’re sick because they’re the only 2 paying horses in the barn. It sucks to be broke, and I really strongly suggest that you have something to fall back on (or fall into; I have no problem with putting off college and giving the horse thing a try, but make sure you have a nest egg so you CAN quit and go to school. Don’t be working at a slightly sleezier version of Hooters, like me :)).

So I will give you some ideas about how to get more rides on more horses. I was in your shoes at 14 - parents who couldn’t support the addiction, but gave me a lot of freedom to pursue my passion. In a strange way, I lucked out in the gene pool. I was an extraordinarily small teenager, and I’m so old there were no age restrictions on riding ponies - as long as you were a junior, any pony was fair game. So I had a career riding bad ponies - even smalls and mediums - until I lost my junior status (yes I was riding smalls after I graduated from high school!), because when I was 18, I was the size of your average 10 year old. If you can find a niche like that to get into, you may find people handing you rides, even if you aren’t “local.” My trainer got people to bring the ponies to us!

When I was 17, I wanted sooo badly to do medal/maclay classes, but didn’t have a horse. My trainer, who was getting me all the ponies to ride, put me in touch with an amateur who had a jumper she was kind of afraid of. Plus, she had more money than time. We made a deal: I could ride her horse in the medal and maclay classes if I would pack her stuff, clean her tack, make sure the horse was clean, warm him up and get him over the fences before she showed up at 4 pm to get on for her class. Then she would throw me the reins and go get a glass of wine :slight_smile: It was a fair deal - I had more time than money, and she had more money than time!

Another good way to get something to ride – work your connections, be reliable, be honest (and mature, and poised) and have something to offer (I would say your best bets are your time and the attention to detail I strongly urge you to develop). I learned how to braid, and when I started braiding for people outside my own barn, I was able to make friends with new people who had new ponies that needed riding (since the ones I was riding were usually always for sale, and the better job I did, the faster they sold – so I had each new pony for progressively shorter periods of time!!). If you show that you are reliable, polite, ambitious and trustworthy, lots of doors will open. And trust me, the more horses you ride, the better your skills will become; you will learn that every horse is an individual, and how to get the best out of each one. That will help you get better raw material for less money as you get older; if you have the skills to deal with a horse with a hole, or a major greenie, you may be able to get into the sport as an amateur (or even as a professional, should you go that route) for much less than a nervous nancy who HAS to have a packer!

I personally would find you, assuming you are as polite, humble, earnest and dedicated in real life as you are here, to be a breath of fresh air given the entitled brats I mostly see at my local barns. I would be willing to give any kid who proves to me that she’s serious and won’t flake on me a hand up, the same way I was given a hand up! And I’m sure I can’t be the only one!

Life is long, given adequate luck. You are young, and only just starting. Be patient, keep your goals in sight. Everyone (except the mega rich) have limitations as to what they can afford to do in the equine show world. There are jobs available where you can be paid to ride horses, if you have enough skill and experience at that time in your life. As most people have said, this lifestyle is perhaps not as glamorous as you may expect at this stage, but, you may need to try it out for a while and gain your own opinion about this. Being in the show horse h/j world and not having money of your own makes you ripe to be taken advantage of, worked until you are broke and broken, and have nothing to show for it. You may have to try this lifestyle for a while, and experience this for yourself, and perhaps learn the trade and gain skill while you are at it. But, IMO, it is a better life when you can to compete to the limit that you can, when you can, with your own horse, on your own terms. And have a life away from horses and the show world that pays for your fun.

Good luck! When you are old enough, consider entering the racing world, first as a groom or pony girl, then perhaps moving on to exercising race horses, if you have the riding skill. IMO, there is more fairness and payment for work done in this discipline for workers and riders than there is the hunter/jumper world (if you get in with the right folks).