One of the articles posted above said that the seed money for that huge new equestrian complex was donated by the billionaire son of a DVM who had received his veterinary degree from Texas A&M. So the statue is to acknowledge that vet.
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Yes, I knew it was something along those lines.
I agree, the horse related agriculture industry jobs, especially feed and pharmaceuticals, are good career paths. But they are not horse pro Grand Prix careers. Also in ag industry jobs you probably want to think about livestock generally because the larger companies do a full range, chickens to cows.
This is not however what a student at an arts oriented super elite girls boarding school is getting prepared for.
You absolutely want your math and sciences fo do animal nutrition or pharmacology. And you would be very well served by getting out an working on neighboring cattle ranchers and getting to know the kind of people typical of your future clients.
But none of this leads to riding. And the OP wants to navigate high school and university to end up a Grand Prix pro
OP, do you under how the high school and university riding teams work? You donāt compete on your own horse. The host school provides the horses and the riders draw random numbers to get a horse. You then compete on a strange horse that you only have a short time to warm up. Thatās a good part of the reason these leagues never go above 2 foot 9.
These leagues could be extremely helpful in creating good catch riders with flexible skills. And a fun thing to do in college.
But the skills that you need as a pro are bringing along young horses, moving up the levels, and developing an ongoing relationship with these horses. Multiple of these horses. The college leagues donāt have this component.
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The high school and college shows Iāve seen do not provide any time at all for the competitors to warm up on the horses.
The horses are schooled by riders who are not showing that day, and the exhibitors just get on and walk into the ring. Period.
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Ok, even more challenging than I thought!
Itās potentially great experience but it doesnāt really ladder into developing and problem solving your own.horse
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I spent 10 years in academia (animal/equine science), including at a school with a top-tier NCEA equestrian program, and now work in the feed industry. OP, if you and/or your parents would like to talk with someone who has experience advising students and working with equestrian teams of all levels, Iām happy to provide you my contact information. I think I have my profile set to private, but let me know in this thread if thatās something youād find helpful, and I will send you a PM.
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The help offered in the post above sound invaluable. 
There is no argument in this thread that a degree from anywhere, high school or college, will not secure a future as a pro trainer.
I think the other point that many in this thread are trying to make is to also get a good education with a fallback plan, a degree in whatever other career direction Lilah may be interested in pursuing.
Having a backup plan doesnāt mean that someone wonāt make it as a pro trainer. It just means that they are a more well-rounded person with options in life. Something we all need to have.
And it does seem that Lilah and her parents are on that track.
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I also know soneone who has made a career out of college admissions advising specializing in equine studies. I donāt believe Montanas_Girl is the same person I know.
If your end goal is a D1 riding career, Montanas_Girl and my friend (who I can get you contact info for via DM) would be very good sources for the best way to spend your money and time.
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This is what makes it fun!
Finance internships are alive and well, cutthroat as ever and paying the $$ for 80+ hour work weeks.
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Your post reminded me of some old friends of mine whose daughter got a scholarship to Yale. I went to two state universities, undergrad and grad, and Iād never even heard of students having the opportunities this young woman had at Yale. A completely alien world to my (and friendsā) college experiences.
My oldest friendās dad went to UVA undergrad. Yes, itās not the average state university.
Yes, I am very familiar with how NCAA teams work. My plan is to go to the boarding school to gain experience and compete at top shows to help me get into A&M. From there Iād like to double major in equine sciences and another category to be able to fall back on, but I still am not sure what kind of regular job I would have as a backup. During this time Iād like to compete on the Hunt Seat team. After college, I would try to intern at a top barn and gain experience in training, riding, coaching, etc. If I didnāt get the amount of experience Iād like I could continue to intern at different barns, like breeding barns where I could learn to train young horses. I also would love to assist a braider and learn from professionals so I could earn income from that. Eventually, I would like to own my own barn and ride but possibly teach as well. Youāre thinking I would like to just start a barn from scratch as soon as I get out of college, which is completely unrealistic.
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IMO this is a well-thought-out fantastic plan and Iām here for it. 
All future questions donāt have to be answered now, of course ā in fact they canāt be, as things will evolve naturally over time. This is an outline roadmap style of plan and for now thatās whatās needed.
I hope you check in from time to time over the years and let us know how it is going. I have a feeling that whatever bumps or turns come up in the road, youāll figure out a way forward.
Gig em Ags. 
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@LilahEquestrian, DM me if you feel comfortable doing so. I may have some helpful info for you & parents re A&M.
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Actually itās not that unrealistic, especially if you diverted that money youād otherwise spend on boarding school as seed money for your barn. I know people who started with less and made a business out of it. One young woman I know started by acquiring a cheap lease on an old racehorse training facility in exchange for doing the maintenance, trained a few kill pen/rescue projects into a solid lesson string, took boarding and training clients here and there, and then expanded into hosting a successful local horse show series. Donāt get me wrong, itās a lot of work, much of it thankless. And itās not like sheās getting to jet off to WEF and jump in Grand Prixs. But sheās a local fixture, heavily involved in the community and getting kids started with horses and giving people a fun, affordable place to show, and I imagine thatās gratifying in its own way. And believe me, she started out with a lot less than 3 yearsā worth of $50k tuition!
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Some advice ā definitely try to intern/working student during the summers, and would look to try to be an assistant trainer for an āolderā trainer that you could possibly inherit the business of or be in line for. There will be lot of BNTs turning over in the next 10-15 years.
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This is a good point. Taking that money as start up capital, and doing less costly school (Guelphās equine management courses might be good for example, and you donāt have to wait to graduate high school to do them, and the CHA coaching program), might be a realistic way to get into the industry a less glamourous, but more in demand way. Lots more demand for entry level coaching and barn management than for high level showing, but it can lead to the latter as you develop clientele.
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The Rein family is a big client of Lauraās-- I think it is not accurate to call her an intern.
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Lilah, you have gotten A LOT of very sound advice from a collection of very wise adults.
They are, for the most part saying two things:
- You really canāt afford your private boarding high school and
- You need a plan B.
You have received a lot of reasons why you canāt afford it and been given a myriad of good ideas for Plan B.
Sometimes in life we donāt get what we want. Thatās lifeā¦and facing that is part of growing up.
But life is a funny thingā¦sometimes, years later, we wind up grateful that we didnāt get what we wantedā¦because what we actually did get was better.
Life is paradoxical that way. Be open to alternative dreams.
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I canāt like this enough!
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