Owning your own horse as a working student is in no way “practically free”! Having been both a working student with a horse, and a barn owner with working students, only the board and training are paid for. Farrier, vet, transportation, supplements, equipment, show expenses, etc. are all on the student. Since most w/s are already having to pay for food, a phone, car, car insurance, health insurance (in other words, someone is helping them financially), owning a horse is not in the cards for many of them.
Its tough to find a position with a horse, or horses, to ride in the US. Not impossible, but hard.
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Ok now I’m confused. You said in your first post you were a recent college grad. Now you say you are in college full time and working two jobs.
If that’s true then I honest don’t know how you would have the time to go to another state to do the kind of full immersion 18 hour days that being a real WS at a real competitive barn would entail.
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I am in college until I graduate in May. So for now I am in school, but won’t be soon as I am looking for a working student position when I graduate.
Ok that makes sense.
Sometimes, Carol Seaman has openings for working students in New York but try some event barns. They are pretty active
This. This is how I was able to ride (for free) a grand prix schoolmaster for free. Knowing the right person and being there at the right time.
I was a part-time working student for one trainer on and off over the course of a few years (high school and college got in the way). The first time I worked for her, I rode a 2nd level horse. The second time I worked for her, I rode a crazy first level horse who loved to buck and turn on a dime. After several weeks, she let me ride one of her client’s GP horse that her family bred and trained. Owner of GP horse was really really nice and didn’t have a lot of free time, so I ended up just riding him on my own when she had to work late.
All this to say that yes, it is possible. Networking is key and is so important and has been the biggest factor in my life and things always eventually worked out for me.
I found that even following several BNT on Facebook is good to see what is available. I’ve seen several trainers post that they are looking for a new WS.
Morton Thomsen had an opening for a ws in Denmark; not sure if they’ve found someone yet.
