Surviving Your First Working Student Position (PART 1)
So you're ready to give this working student thing a try, huh? Well let me give you a list of things you will need as you set out on this journey. I have accumulated this list after many “I wish I figured this out years ago” moments. Now, to save you years of unnecessary pain, I give to you: The List
10 and 9: Epsom Salts and Hot Baths You are going to hurt. Your feet, your hands, your knees, and your back. Pretty much any part of you that bends, bears weight, or moves, yeah, it’s going to hurt. Just the normal wear-and-tear on your body from bending down to put on bell-boots (I pray for your sake they are not pull-ons), walking 20 horses back and forth from their paddocks, carrying water buckets, and pushing manure carts will get to you. Not to mention when and if you get to ride, that’s a whole different set of aches and pains. Anyway, epsom salt and hot water will become your best friends. They help relax soar muscles, relieve inflammation, and bring back the feeling in your frozen fingers from washing muddy legs in 20°F. And, if combined with a warm drink and a good book, can make you feel a like a real human again. Personally, I recommend a very hot epsom salt bath once a week.
Here’s the catch, if you are a working student you probably live in employer provided housing. There is also a very good chance you do not have a private bathroom, let alone a bathtub. So, here is an additional tip I will throw in for free. Grab a clean bucket from the wash rack and fill it with warm water. Even if you don’t have a bathtub, chances are the horses probably have warm water in the wash rack. Mix in a couple of handful of epsom salt, and if your feeling extra fancy, some nice bath oil. Now, even if you don’t have a bath tub you can still soak your feet and lower legs.
8: Liniment Yes, the same kind of stuff you put on the horses. Now, I’m not saying you should use equine liniment, just that it has been done before. There is a “people version” of liniment and its usually available at your local drug store. Rub that stuff in. Massage it into your ankles, knees, and back. It will offer some nice cooling and temporary relief from hot or stiff joints and tired muscles. Now, a word of caution. Again one of those “don’t make the mistakes I did” parables. DO NOT rub it anywhere near broken or chaffed skin, cuts, and especially not sunburn. I swear liniment will put the burn in sunburn.
7: The Genie Brush This brush is AMAZING. I will right off the bat tell you I am not compensated in anyway for telling you how much better this product will make your life. This is as honest as a review as it comes. Beyond that, I am a skeptic when it comes to horse products. I have tried a lot of grooming/ horse care products and really come to the conclusion that almost every “revolutionary” brush, shampoo, or “special” halter, is the same or worse than the normal version, just 200% more expensive. This is not one of those. Its cheap, you can find it between $3-$12 depending on where you buy it. You can find online or in many tack/feed/livestock stores around the country. I use it for dried on mud on short summer or long scraggily winter coats. This is a multi-tool that does the job of a metal curry, a rubber curry and a hard brush, all in one swipe. I can tell you its one of three products in this world that actually saves me time on a daily basis. Its plastic, easy to clean and disinfect, small enough to fit into a pocket, and strangely durable. Its so magical it is aptly named the Grooming Genie Brush and is made by various companies (apparently no one has a patent on it) including Tough-1, Intrepid and Shires. They are all almost exactly the same. If your farm doesn’t have one, seriously buy your own and guard it jealously.
6. Shoes and Shoe Insoles My very first summer as a working student, I made it about one month in before my feet rebelled. I did not know I could be in so much pain just from walking. My feet were so sore and tender, I knew I needed to do something. I opted for the cheaper option of getting shoe insoles instead of new shoes. A word to the wise. If you are working in a position that will last more than 3 months, buy better shoes. Period. If it 3 month or less, you can try to make it work with insoles. I know “wear good shoes” sounds like boring advice, but stay with me.
I have kept a step tracker on me my whole professional equine career, and if, like me, you walk a lot for your job, the kind of shoes on your feet begin to matter a whole lot. I should qualify what I mean by “ a lot”, because that means different things to different people. In 2020, my step tracker told me I averaged walking 7.5 miles a day. That means in an average month I walked 225 miles. So yeah, trust me when I tell you have have pushed my boots (and body) to the limit. I have yet to find a pair of work shoes/boots that have lasted me more than 11-12 months. When I say lasted me, I don’t mean that they got a little worn or dirty, I mean I literally wore through the lining, separated the foot bed from the rest of the shoe, or had large holes open up in the toes or heels.
Only very a few work boots can make it a full year with me, nothing has yet lasted longer. Whatever you decide on wearing, you need something waterproof, very comfortable, and very supportive. I have found leather really doesn’t last for everyday work boots. Even when treated with chemicals, they never stay waterproof long. Cheap rubber boots, like rain boots, also don’t last and do not offer the kind of support you need. Again, with no affiliation or incentive at all, my hands-down favorite, most durable, most comfortable, and actually waterproof work boot is a Muck Boot. I resisted for a little while because I thought them so ugly, but one week into wearing them, stomping water tanks with them, and standing for 6 hours on a concrete floor, I was a convert. I also advise a light weight pair of shoes/boots for summer, and a heavy weight pair for winter. I am all for being conservative with your money and looking for the best deal, but your shoes are not the place for you to skimp. They can make your work life so much better, or so much worse.
Stay tuned for even better tips, tricks and life saving advice in part 2.