Hi everyone. I’m considering becoming a working student in the near future, but I can’t decide what discipline I should go with or where I should go. I live in Ontario and have experience in english and some western. I have done hunter/jumper up to about 2’9, dressage up to some 1st and 2nd level movements, a little cross country, a little western pleasure, lots of trail riding and would be willing to try something new. I like everything I’ve tried except eventing, I’m not a huge fan of cross country unless the jumps are less than 2 feet. So I was wondering if some people could tell me about their experiences in different disciplines and what they liked best about them. Or what type of barn a first time working student would benefit best from, competition, lesson or private. Also should I stay in Ontario or go out of province/country. Thank you very much.
Honestly, you’re not going to get a whole lot out of a working student situation if you don’t even know what discipline you want to do. Working students are typically geared for people who are serious about a given disciple and want to work toward being a professional. (Usually, not always, I know)
Why not just find a nice lesson barn nearby and take some lessons? You’ll learn something, but there won’t be any real pressure from a “boss” expecting more.
I’m going to be starting lessons at a hunter/jumper barn soon. I want to become a trainer, show and teach lessons. There’s only schooling shows in my area and I can’t afford to show out of town, so I can’t get good show experience here. I’m not going to be seriously looking for a position until next year, so hopefully I’ll have decided what discipline I like best. I plan on working at several places so I’ll get more experience. If I want a future in horses I have to become a working student because there is no where around here I can get the level of training I want. I know wanting a career in horses is a bad idea, but it’s the only thing I love, and I want to know as much as I can.
If you look up on Google Tik Maynard’s series of articles you will get a good idea!
Also, working students have a thankless time - more work than free lessons, but good learning experiences, teaches you how to be tough and work harder than you ever thought, for an unequal amount of time on a lesson horse.
