Surviving Your First Working Student Position (Part 2)

This is a continuation of Part 1 of my ten top tips for surviving your first working student position.

5. Routine You will live or die by the routine you establish. Depending on your situation, that may be hyperbole or the God's-honest-truth. Working student positions vary widely in expectations and requirements. Some are full time 6-7 days a week, live on-site, 55 hour weeks, everything from cleaning the trainer’s boots and mucking 25 stalls, to sweeping the office, turning horses out, and if your extra lucky, some riding. Some are part time, a few hours here and there, with some riding, some grooming, and some cleaning. Depending on what you want to learn, or who you want to learn from, what you do as a working student may vary. No matter where you are, or what you’re doing, you need to have a routine. My working student experience was much closer to the first example than the second, so believe when I tell you, having a routine was what I fell back on when everything else came crashing down. For me, having a routine meant that even when I was so tired I could fall asleep sitting on a concrete aisle way , I still got everything done. If I had to think about which step came next when I was that tired, I would have surely missed several, but my routine prevented that. My advice is to make your routine very specific. A routine is not: first feed the horses, then turn the horses out, then muck the stalls. No, no. A routine goes likes this: you arrive, you unlock the door, turn off the alarm, feed the cat, put all the feed buckets on the floor, put the buckets in the same color coded order for every feeding, start with the same horse’s feed first, then the second, etc., then you feed horse A, then horse B, and then horse C, etc., in that same order every time, then you turn horse B out firsts because he finishes his food first and doesn’t mind being outside alone for a minute, then horse C goes out, and then horse A, because he cannot be outside by himself or he starts running like a maniac, and so on and so on. That is the level of specificity and thoughtfulness that has to continue throughout your whole day to ensure a good routine. Make your routine, adjust it when necessary, and then stick to it. Trust me.

4: Chiropractic/ Acupuncture/Massage I make deals with my body, and I bet you will have to too. I promise to give it what it needs, and in return I ask it to take all the abuse I throw at it, or really, that the world throws at me. I ask it to deal with being smashed into stall walls, thrown into the dirt, push over, dragged, stepped on, bitten, and kicked. Not only do I ask it to deal with those things, but I ask it to do so quietly. No moaning, no groaning, no calling in sick, no extra days off. Just deal with it and let me keep going. When I made that deal, I started looking for things that would keep my body going, and let me tell you, if it weren’t for the army of chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage and physical therapists I use, I can honestly say I would not be able to work with horses for a living. These therapies are not not hocus-pocus. They are very real, safe and effective medicine. Don’t take my work for it. Many of the best horses in the world have chiropractic care, acupuncture sessions, and visits from equine massage therapists. If it works for those top athletes, it can work for you too. Acupuncture can be so relaxing, and depending on your ailment, can really help you see major improvement. I have seen a chiropractor on a monthly basis for almost ten years and it is some of the best money I have spent. I always walk out with a palpable sense of relief. I have also used massage and physical therapy. They have each helped me in different ways for different things, and I often used them in conjunction. I do not see these as luxuries, and you shouldn’t either. This is not a splurge on a “spa day”. These are therapies that are necessary if I want to continue abusing my body. Some health insurance policies cover some or all of these, and if your’s doesn’t, do it anyway. If you want to keep doing this, pay up.

3:Heating Pad/Ice pack These are non-negotiable, so you are going to want the good ones. Sore muscles and bruises are as much a part of the job as the horse hair and the dirt, so a heating pad and an ice pack are your first line of defense. You can get them both at your corner drug store, grocery store, or online. There are many to choose from, so here’s my take. I like the electric heating pads you can pug in over the microwave kind. A measly 20 minutes of warmth doesn’t cut it for me. I also prefer larger heating pads, like ones that can cover your whole back, and if you use them like I do, you want one with a several year warranty. You’ll end up cashing that in. Depending on what part of your body tends to hurt the most, you have some options on ice packs. Don’t even think about using a bag of frozen peas or some such nonsense, buy yourself a good, flexible ice pack. My knees were often the first thing to go, so I bought a flexible ice pack that could be velcroed on around my knees. (P.S. hock ice boots do a great jobs for this too.) Also, just in case you need an incentive to use a real ice pack and not a bag of peas, the only time I would have to ice any part of me was after work and before bed, a scant few hours, if that. And inevitably, maybe because I had walked ten miles that day, or I had been up since 4:30am, or because I spent all day battling an ice storm, I would be exhausted when I got home. So if I sat down, or God forbid, laided down, to ice some part of me, I would fall asleep. Most times, I would wake up hours later, all the lights still on, and the ice packs still in place. If had been using a bag of frozen vegetables, I assure you they would not only have de-thawed, but would also most likely have burst open and covered everything.

2: Super Glue This was one of my most surprising finds. I know many horse people swear by duck tape and baling twine as the most useful things to have in a barn, and while those are very good for many things, they cannot touch the amazingness of super glue. I actually carried a bottle of superglue in my car with me so I would never be without it. I opted for one of the Gorilla Glue variations, but you should experiment and find what brand you like best. The most important thing that superglue did for me? Glued my fingers together. And I’m not kidding. Spending winters working outside really took a toll on my skin, but most of all my hands. Every winter my hands were red, dry, chapped, and covered with small and incredibly painful cracks. I tried absolutely everything to help this. I soaked my hands in more kinds of lotions and creams that I can remember, I always wore gloves, and I tried my best to keep them from the elements. Heres the thing though, it’s wintertime at a barn. I had to pull ice out of water tanks with my hands, I had to wash and dry the legs of 10-15 horses daily, I and had to apply medication to all of the dermatitis that comes with winter mud. There isn’t a glove in this world that I can do all of that with it on. So, in the end I got constant cracks in my fingers, around my knuckles, around my nail beds, and the backs of my hands. So what’s the best solution? Superglue, hands down. Superglue was the only thing that would hold the cracks together long enough for them to heal. It doesn’t wash or rub off, and instantly made them feel better. Superglue may not be the healthiest way to do that, there is also skin glue, or “tissue adhesive” as its properly called, and that can be ordered online but it is more expensive. Aside from its uses in field medicine, you can’t do wrong with superglue for so many other things. Ever had a horse pull a Velcro half off something? Superglue that thing back. Rip a part of your work boot? Superglue that too. And the list goes on. Double points for whoever has the most creative/effective use for superglue.

1: Carharrt Overalls Carharrt overalls are the greatest invention in the world. They were number one on my list before I even started. I would trade indoor plumbing for my Carharrts, that how much I LOVE them. I worked one winter without them, and that will be the last time in my life I make that mistake. They are the toughest item of clothing I have ever come across. I really put them to the test and they have lasted years for me. It took two years to put holes in the knees, which were easily patched, and other than that, there is nothing else broken on them. The zippers still work, the snaps still snap, and they only show a little wear. That is unheard of. I have two pairs, a “lighter” pair that I wear (with variations in layers) between 55° and 32°, and a heavy weight insulated pair that I wear between (again with variation in layers) 32° and -12°. They are so warm, surprisingly waterproof, and have so many useful and deep pockets. They also have the added benefit of keeping your clothes underneath clean. I have actually often wished they made an ultralight version that I could wear in the summer that would keep my clothes clean and let me have all the awesome pockets. For the fantastic quality they are, they are very reasonably priced and will last you years and years. If you are, or are going to be, a working student, groom, stable hand, or dedicated horse person anywhere in this country that drops below 50°, buy a pair of Carharrt overalls. If you only take one piece of my advice, get Carharrts.