I am proud to introduce Jenny as the latest guest blogger added to our autumn lineup. Jenny has ambitiously decided to spend the next year of her life as a working student. Everything in eventing depends on working students, from the development of new talent to the financial viability of top programs. I look forward to following Jenny’s experience over the coming months. Thanks for writing this Jenny and thank you for reading.
Hello Eventing Nation!
Before I introduce myself, I want to give a BIG thanks to John, as well as all the EN fans and readers for creating such a great place for us eventers to connect and learn! It is an honor for me to be able to share my journey as an eventing working student, and I hope to share some amazing lessons and stories, as well as reveal the tough and, at times, highly unglamorous side of being a working student (sometimes I think I’m crazy for doing this, but then I just remind myself I’m not ready for an office job yet!)
My name is Jenny, and I am a 21-year-old from a suburb outside of Boston, MA. I just recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a major in Animal Science and a minor in Therapeutic Horsemanship Education. Instead of following the habitual path in my family of carrying on to receive my masters or PhD, I have decided to spend the next year of my life, as well as every penny I have to my name, working for an Advance level eventer in the heart of Kentucky. My sister tells non-equestrians that I’m going off to “Horsey Grad School,” which is pretty accurate! I am lucky to own and be bringing with me the sweetest six-year-old gelding anyone could ever ask for, whom I bought two years ago. He is a PMU rescue from Canada, hence his name: Molson. We have not done any recognized events thus far, only a dozen schooling shows, since most of my time has been focused on school, but I hope to be competitive at Training Level by this time next year…which means we have LOTS of learning to do! While I would love to write a novel on Moo (one of his many nicknames!), I would rather not bore you all, plus I know I will get to write about him more later!
Well, that is my background in a nutshell, and now, with a week left until I pack my life up and drive down to horse country, I am preparing– mentally, physically, financially (or at least attempting to!)– for the job that will hopefully change my life. The first thing I have already learned is that I am going to be very, very poor for the next year. Actually, I will be poor as long as there are four-legged money-pits in my life, but you all know how that goes! SO, my summer has been dedicated to saving, saving, saving! I have done it all- house sitting, pet sitting, fence painting, selling my organs… just kidding, but the thought did cross my mind. My favorite job, and probably the one I am going to miss the most, is my job as an instructor for the able-bodied summer riding program at Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation. I spend my days teaching ten children, and will truly miss explaining that Chester is an “Ap-pa-loo-sa,” not an “Apple-Sausage,” and will also miss the giggles I get when explaining why Tory and Woody get Tractgard in their feed (the campers are at the age where the word ‘diarrhea’ is absolutely hysterical). But this all ends in a few short weeks, and my new life will begin. I am absolutely thrilled, anxious, nervous…and somewhat terrified…all at once. However, a new feeling of excitement has come over me as I will be able to share my experience with Eventing Nation! I look forward to my next post and writing about my trip down to Kentucky, as I am sure something will go wrong–doesn’t something always go wrong when you absolutely don’t need it to??
Until next time 🙂
xo Jenny
