Choosing a career to support my horsey dreams...

[zaparaquah]

I am a young college student who has ridden, owned and leased a huge rangeof horses over the past ten years. I know that I want horses to be a central part of my future, but I also know the barriers to becoming a pro rider/ trainer/ etc… I’m a good rider, but I haven’t had much consistent training and I haven’t shown much before this year. I’m in IHSA and also leasing a nice dressage mare, so I’m riding regularly while in school, but even then I know I probably won’t be able to go pro or have a full-time horse career that will support the kind of lifestyle I want.

So my dream is to become a (hopefully internationally competitive) GP dressage rider, and have enough jumping and training experience to do some eventing and train some horses… And then eventually to open and co-own a stable with a few of my good friends, one of whom is well on her way to becoming a vet. The facility (ideally) would house a small lesson program, a training program, and a little knabstrupper/sporthorse breeding program, as well as offering boarding and a vet clinic… Anyway, it’s going to be an expensive endeavour, even with the bills split three ways.

So I’m trying to figure out what kind of career paths I might pursue that could help fund and support (and compliment) that dream. I have no problem working hard, going to grad school or whatever. I’m a good student. But I’m not sure what feild I could go into that would give me a high salary in addition to having the flexibility and freedom to also show, train, and care for the horses (not that I’d be doing all of that… I realize it’s a full time job).

I’ve seriously considered becoming a professor, a researcher or a doctor… I’m currently majoring in neuroscience. But I was just wondering if you guys could offer any advice or insight, maybe things I should consider when choosing a career path? Or things I should know when considering opening this type of facility?

I know it’s all very hypothetical but I’m committed to this dream. So any input is appreciated!

Edit: I’m also looking for ways to enhance my equestrian education over the summers. Is it possible to find something like a working student position that’s only for the summer, and would leave me enough time to work part time and show on the weekends?

[clanter]

The median annual wage for air traffic controllers was $122,530 in May 2012.

The lowest 10 percent earned less than $64,930, and the top 10 percent earned more than $171,340.

There is need for about 23,000 at this time

Also retirement is mandatory at 56 years of age.

[AKB]

Physician, dentist, veterinarian, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, computer/software engineer, are the careers that immediately come to mind. There are lots of others. Professor is not so good as a career these days because schools try to hire cheap adjuncts instead of tenure track faculty.

It is good that you are thinking ahead. If you want to own and ride nice horses, your career selection is really important. You may have to work summer jobs that will get you recommendations for grad school. Being a working student may not be practical unless you have perfect grades and perfect SAT/GRE/MCAT scores, and consequently don’t need a summer job in your career area.

[zaparaquah]

That’s interesting… I’d never even considered that.

[UlysMom]

Marry rich? Just kidding!..well kind of.

Good luck to you and kudos for being a planner!

[zaparaquah]

[QUOTE=UlysMom;8021320]
Marry rich? Just kidding!..well kind of.

Good luck to you and kudos for being a planner![/QUOTE]

Hahaha thanks. Hoping I don’t have to fall back on beig a gold digger… But my current beau is planning to be a lawyer soooo…

[NoSuchPerson]

Pharmacist

Biomedical Engineer

If you want to do a PhD, toxicologist or pharmacologist.

[zaparaquah]

[QUOTE=AKB;8021280]
You may have to work summer jobs that will get you recommendations for grad school. Being a working student may not be practical unless you have perfect grades and perfect SAT/GRE/MCAT scores, and consequently don’t need a summer job in your career area.[/QUOTE]

That’s true, but I have been working part time while I’m in school and plan to continue doing so, even over the summers, in addition to everything else. Hopefully I can get some internships in my area during the coming semesters so my summers can be a little more horse-centric. I may very well need to take a few summers to focus on resume building for grad school, but I’m mostly thinking about this coming summer (which is my freshman year), which should be flexible enough to allow for some kind of working student set up, provided it was part time. I don’t know if such a thing exists though…

[cheerio280]

[QUOTE=AKB;8021280]
Physician, dentist, veterinarian, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, computer/software engineer, are the careers that immediately come to mind. [/QUOTE]

Vet school is NOT the place to go if you want to make a lot of money. Student debt is out of control, starting salaries are decreasing, and with more vet schools opening and Caribbean schools getting accredited there are increasing numbers of new grads competing for the same jobs. Plus if you choose to do an internship or residency, the pay is absolutely dismal.

You may also want to relay this information to your pre-vet friend. In terms of debt I’m better off than a lot of my classmates, and I still would not be in a position to fund 1/3 of the facility you describe for a very long time after graduation. Unless she is independently wealthy, she probably needs to adjust her expectations.

[zaparaquah]

Yeah, she’s in the process of reassessing things. She wasn’t able to get into vet school right out of her bachelors program, so she’s working at a clinic (to boost her resume and pay for her loans) and planning to reapply in the summer. She’s also looking at other thing she could do… Equine management programs and the like. She’s not rich and statistically her prospects aren’t great. But it’s what she loves so were just hoping for the best. (Ie she needs to marry rich too )

I am fully aware that opportunities in the vet industry are fading. Which is the ony reason I have never seriously considered that path.

[findeight]

There are many opportunities in research that can lead to higher paying positions and more sensible houris. Plus you can get them as an undergrad and better companies will help with post grad study expenses. Used to ride with a few Juniors that went to work for big personal care products companies, two chemistry majors and a pre med that discovered there was no realistic way to handle med school costs. They are doing pretty well for being such recent graduates.

Finance is another track to decent hours and a nice paycheck.

And marrying well is always a good choice for somebody who wants to ride.

[2ndyrgal]

Ok, I’m not trying to rain on your parade, but your dream is a:really lofty and b: very broad. You want to ride and compete internationally in dressage at GP, ok, you want to learn to jump and event and train, ok, you want to own a stable, have a lesson program and oh, breed Knabstuppers. Ok. Let’s focus a bit. One of these dreams, might, in time, be attainable. All of them? Well, what’s the time line? The really rich people I know, and I know a bunch and from time to time I get to play in their sandbox, are all Doctors, lawyers or Captains of Industry with family money. Mostly, they all work 70 hour weeks, come home of the a weekend, foxhunt or go show, then rinse and repeat. Their wives get to play, much more, a dear friend of mine winters in Florida every year, the price has been, for 30 0r so years, is her husband is traveling from Monday morning and gets home Friday night. Any big $$ career is likely to include $$ debt, my brother is a very high powered lawyer, nice house, wife is lawyer, they are comfortable, very nice house, nice car, nothing close to the kind of money you’d need for your dreams and he’s been at it a while. The problem with what you want is, if you are busy making money to attain the dream, you don’t have time to enjoy it. If you want to enjoy it, you have to have the money to begin with and that is going to take a while. So buy a quick pick lotto ticket, finish school, get a job, find a nice horse to do what your job and finances allow you to do in the left over time you have to do it. That’s what reality is. My DH and I have a lovely farm, a couple of horses, and I get to compete a bit during the summer. We both work 5-6 days a week. Yes, I have a nice barn, and indoor arena, a nice home. My husband is 65, I’m 54 and we’ve both worked since we were 18 and likely won’t retire as long as we’re able to work. You can have money, you can have time, and you can have horses. Unless you have family money or marry someone who does, you likely can’t have all three at once!

[zaparaquah]

I realize it’s broad and lofty, but I’m looking at a long-term timeline, and I don’t need to necessarily be able to do all of these things at once. I’m not unwilling to downsize, compromise, prioritize or delegate. If I never get to train or teach lessons, fine… I’ll share my barn with a trainer who does. If we can’t have a breeding operation, fine… I’ll buy a single warmblood riding mare and cross her to a knab.

I dream big. So sue me.

But I figure that if I start early, work hard, and set my goals high I might surprise myself with what I can do. I appreciate the reality check though.

[happilyretired]

The path to becoming a doctor is very long and intense. You wouldn’t have time or energy to ride along the way. If you’re good at math consider engineering. Lots of job opportunities and a desire for well qualified women in the field.

[Frosty_M]

I love the fact that you dare to dream and dream big. Go for it. But be careful about choosing a career just because it’s lucrative. My DH and I taught our sons that school exists to teach you what you need to know in order to do what you LOVE to do well enough someone will pay you to do it. That way you love your work and you have a happy life. Hopefully, you’ll be happy in your work life and your horse life. If I were you, that would be my goal.

[zaparaquah]

[QUOTE=happilyretired;8021418]
The path to becoming a doctor is very long and intense. You wouldn’t have time or energy to ride along the way. If you’re good at math consider engineering. Lots of job opportunities and a desire for well qualified women in the field.[/QUOTE]

That’s a good point. I don’t know if I could be an engineer, but it’s worth considering.

[zaparaquah]

Thanks for that, Frosty!
I have tried to make this decision based on what I love and what I would enjoy - but not knowing which path to pursue got so aggravating that I started to realize all I really wanted to do was ride and be with my horses. Hence the framing of this question. XD
I hope I can find a career path that makes me happy and also allows me to fulfill my equestrian ambitions, but I haven’t found it yet. And I’m starting to think it may not exist.

[AKB]

One advantage of being a physician is that there are lots of part time jobs. I used to work in an urgent care where most of the docs were part time.

Research is good except that federal research money has really been cut over the last 10 years. A lot of PhDs are struggling to get jobs. My younger daughter, a biomedical engineer, struggled to get a good job after she finished her PhD. She has a great job now but was quite concerned when she first started looking.

Vet medicine is still a good career if you can get into your state vet school and only need minimal loans. My older daughter’s former roommate earns very good money at an emergency vet clinic, and has lots of time off.

Engineering is a good field except that most jobs are full time, allowing you little time to ride.

[danceronice]

I’m not going to suggest anything specific, but I will say…don’t pick something you really don’t like just because it makes money. I avoided the ‘fun’ majors involving things I actually enjoy doing because they weren’t ‘reliable’, and I’ve hit the point I realize I go into every job planning on leaving it, and when interviews ask “what did you like about your previous job” I have to come up with something creative because “going home at the end of the day” is generally not what they want to hear.

[Moonboots]

[QUOTE=UlysMom;8021320]
Marry rich? Just kidding!..well kind of.

Good luck to you and kudos for being a planner![/QUOTE]

As someone who often feels “too poor for horses” this seems like a completely legitimate suggestion :winkgrin: