I am not planning to talk about how awful or hard or unfair it is to be a working student because if I did that I think that would prove I've learned nothing. Being a working student is a lot of things. It is hard. It is fun. It is fulfilling. It is an amazing opportunity for growth. And it is not for everyone. I have never been a working student prior to this experience but I know for a fact I do not have it anywhere near as hard as some people pursuing the working student path to success. I have been blessed with an amazing opportunity to work with a trainer/rider/coach who understands the person I am and can see the potential within me, but better yet, she knows how to get all of that out of me.
As a working student I have learned more than I thought was humanly possible. This knowledge has made me realize that not only DID I not know anything, but what I now know is but a drop in the vast ocean that is horse riding, training, nutrition, and care. The more I have learned, the more I know that there are things that exist that I know nothing about and the endless cycle continues. Aside from sailing over a big jump, it is the most exciting and terrifying feeling I have ever known. I feel both that I am more prepared than I ever was at the start of my journey to own my own business, and also that I will never in a million years of experience be able to think about owning my own business. And neither of those feelings is in any way related to the money.
I have had the pleasure to work with green horses, young horses, highly trained horses, a yearling, stallions, spooky horses, jumpers, hunters, eventers, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, ponies, giant horses, hot horses, dead heads, pregnant mares, and everything in between. Every experience is a new one that, as my trainer says, "adds another wrench to my toolbox." Meaning that every experience you have makes you more able to solve problems and correct issues you will eventually be confronted with. But every horse is also an individual and will always throw something new at you. This is why it is so crucial to be a working student and watch training actually happen. To encounter as many horses as you can and learn as many things as you can so you are best equipped to be out on your own, one day, when you decide to spread your wings.
A day for me is relatively straight forward. Do all the things. Feed, water, hay, muck stalls, add shavings, tack up horses, watch them being ridden, bathe horses, fly spray, clean tack, sweep, rake, and anything else that needs to get done. It isn't crazy, It isn't really a long list. But it is all important. If I have learned nothing else (but believe me I have learned a lot of other things), it is that you have to take care. It's hard to explain in 2 little words. It is more than that but just that at the same time. Take care of the horses. Take care of the tack. Take care of the facility. Take care that you are paying attention and that things are done right. Take care that your words and actions are above reproach. Even those things don't help me sum it up.
Horses come to the barn and they are beautiful, because they are horses. They leave the barn and they are whole. Not just because they are trained, but because they are taken care of. Mentally, physically, emotionally, inside and out. They are taken care of. There are no short cuts because short cuts produce results sometimes, but doing it right produces results every time.
Horses don't really come to us abused and neglected with a sob story about their past. Most of them come from barns that are nicer than my house and cost more per month. They are eating top quality feed and hay. They have saddles that fit them like a glove. Most are happy. And yet there is a transformation. It's not a miracle.
I will not talk about how awful life is and how I am a slave. Everything I have learned or am asked to do has a purpose. There is a reason for everything. From the way the stalls are cleaned to the layout of the entire barn there is a reason. If you go about training horses or even caring for them by the seat of your pants I think you'll get far enough. But if you have a plan, a routine, a schedule, a goal and a vision, you will get so much farther. This is why being a working student is important. Seeing how a program works, or does not work, is so important. Watching horse after horse after horse go from a regular old horse to a glowing, confident animal might get you thinking it's more than just luck. The time you spend grooming, and lunging, and hosing, and treating, and cleaning all culminates into the beautiful, amazing animal that leaves when it is time.
It is never too late. You can be a working student. Find a reputable (key word here) trainer and learn as much as you can. Work HARD. Do as much as you can and then a little more because there's always a little more you can do. Have fun. If you do something wrong, it's ok, you're human and accidents happen. Just do it better next time. Sweat, cry, laugh, and enjoy. Then the hard work doesn't feel so much like work anymore. You'll be in awe of what you don't know. And if you're not, you're doing it all wrong.
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