Working Student & it looks like I'm getting back into riding!

[lupinfarm]

Uhhh... I've been dying and itching to get back into horse back riding since the day that I gave up in 2004. This past fall we went to look at horses for me and we took a look at an 18hh Belgian mare, I rode her and felt so at home in the saddle despite the fact that the saddle I was in was for someone far smaller than myself [very uncomfortable!]. Way too poor to pay for riding lessons and far too rusty to feel comfortable buying my own riding horse right now, I decided to contact a local riding school about a Working Student Position at their barn, where I would turn-out, do stalls, feed, help with lessons, and help with trail rides in exchange for riding time and a lesson. There are obviously other working students, but this is the dream position! I get to ride and I only work on Saturdays.

Anyone else on here a working student?

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Congratulations!

 

[TxMom]

Congrats...that is awesome! I'm sure my daughter would love to have that kind of opportunity some day. She's only 10 right now, but she loved having lessons last year. They were very expensive and I wasn't completely happy with her trainer...so I stopped taking her. If we had the money, I would find somewhere else for her to go. When she's a little older, maybe we'll look into that type of situation.

 

[lupinfarm]

TxMom, I started riding when I was 9 years old at a local and very small riding school (two or three schooling horses, only a handful of riders...). At the time it was fairly cheap, $25.00/lesson (that was 14 years ago or so), this farm that I am going to be working at charges $40.00/lesson and there are many around here that are much more expensive. The best age for your daughter to start as a working student would be 14, most barns around here start at 14 and this one in particular takes people who have never ridden to those who have competed regularly.

 

[appytaz]

That's a great way to get back into riding! Also, look at sharing a horse. I have a girl that comes out to work my gelding 2x's a week. I don't charge her for riding, I just like that someone else is working his butt also. Works out great for both of us, she gets to ride, and my brat gets ridden!

 

[lupinfarm]

That's a great way to get back into riding! Also, look at sharing a horse. I have a girl that comes out to work my gelding 2x's a week. I don't charge her for riding, I just like that someone else is working his butt also. Works out great for both of us, she gets to ride, and my brat gets ridden!

I had thought about that, I'd actually been contacted by a lady that had 10 horses and her daughters 3 needed working but I was really hesitant because I hadn't ridden in a while and opted to go with Tanglewood because I would get a lesson rather than just the ability to RIDE. I spoke to the owner today and apparently they work in the morning, and ride in the afternoon AND she provides lunch.

 

[appytaz]

That sounds like a great deal! Good luck and let us know how it goes for ya!!

 

[Oklabarrelracer]

I wish I could find someone like you. I would give anything to have someone like you help me with the horse's. No one in my area wants to do anything. And I pay decent to. So I just truck along & clean, feed, ride, work with, etc, etc. And I have a hubby to clean & cook for also

 

[lupinfarm]

I wish I could find someone like you. I would give anything to have someone like you help me with the horse's. No one in my area wants to do anything. And I pay decent to. So I just truck along & clean, feed, ride, work with, etc, etc. And I have a hubby to clean & cook for also

Hahaha... I ended up taking lessons at a closer barn in the end but I am more than happy to do that sort of stuff, cleaning, riding, and so on.

Working student stuff is very hard to find around here, they're usually filled from within riding schools.