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The State of the Industry

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The Competitive Advantage of Training Average Horses

Horse people spend a lot of time looking for, talking about, watching, and obsessing over extraordinary horses. And let me tell you, as a professional, that obsession gets heightened. Nearly every professional is looking for “the next big thing” either for themselves, or to sell to a client, or if you really hit the sweet spot, both. The problem is you will spend the beginning of your career, or your whole career, never riding those superstar horses. And I am here to tell you, finding those horses should not be the goal.

Let’s Get Specific

Now, let’s get a little more specific about the housing itself. Your housing must include running water, electricity, and heat, and must be free of mold, pests, and insects. I should not have to specify that, yet here we are. I have seen the jobs ads with housing that does not meet at least one of those basic housing rights.

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Memoirs of a Working Student

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Don’t Model Your Riding after the Top 1%

I understand why the next generation of aspiring professionals are disheartened. All they see is the stories of wealth, beautiful barns, six-figure horses, and winning. Success looks expensive…I once wished I had learned to ride correctly sooner. I wished I hadn’t spent so many years running around bareback on my horse, and I had fewer years foxhunting, and less time on New Mexico ranches chasing cows in my English saddle…But you know what, two years into my solo professional career, every single one of those things that made this hard in the beginning, is making me more successful in the end.

How I Became An Equine Professional (With Gratitude to Heidi)

You have to understand, being a working student is not like being an assistant trainer, its not like being a client, and it’s not like being a friend. It’s a very particular combination of all of those. For me, Heidi was my mentor, my manager, my instructor, as well as my friend. I’m not going to romanticize it, however, there are parts of being a working student that are incredibly hard.

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What I Wish Horse Owners Did Before They Sent Me Their Young Horse

I will be honest, not all horses start from the same starting line. Some horses (like some people) come with baggage, and other horses come will less. Because despite what 10,000 sales ads on social media will tell you, unicorns do not exist, and every horse has something to overcome. However, there are things you can do to help your young horse succeed before they even get to me.

Through the Eyes of a Young Horse Handler

I handle everything from foals to 5-year-old stallions at inspections, keurings, shows and jump chutes. For many of these babies, it is their first time off the farm, first time away from their buddies, and their first show. Some owners can be nervous handing me their young horse, and others are just grateful to have someone else hold on to their fire-breathing dragon.

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The Young Horse Diaries

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“To be ethical in this industry, you must love. You must recognize that you are able to eat because these animals exist, that you can support your loved ones, and that you can fulfill your own needs, all because they exist. If that doesn’t offer a reason to be kind, gentle, attentive, and most of all caring, then I do not know what does. Paychecks cannot get you out of bed every morning with a smile. You don’t hear thunder in the middle of the night and worry about the horses because you are paid to. What makes you do this job well, what makes you viable in this industry, is your love. Love for these beings who sustain you, who carry you, who give you a place, a purpose, a people.”
— Victoria Lee Lustig