Comments on: Is it possible to work for a stable but get payed with horse riding lessons?and can i have some info about it.?

By: Jesus Christ is the Messiah

Jesus Christ is the Messiah — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:22:59 +0000

Yes I did this when I was a Kid! We had no money for lessons so after my paper route I went to a stable and mucked stalls and earned my riding lessons! This has been nearly 70 years ago!
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By: Horse girl

Horse girl — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:56:59 +0000

Yes.

Answer mine? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Avx_ryUS7yWjIRWnQ8dKebfsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20090918014200AA4YDdb
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By: ???English & Western Cowgirl???

???English & Western Cowgirl??? — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:40:59 +0000

Yes that is possible and thats a great idea! Two things you enjoy… for FREE!

All you have to do is ask the barn person at your barn. I mean like the person who runs it!

Hope this helped you! Good Luck!
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By: winchester babii ?

winchester babii ? — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:11:59 +0000

i actually work on the weekends at my barn to ride during the week, but my trainer is very flexibe with things like that. it all depends on what the owner of the barn you ride at is willing to do. good luck
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By: Karin C

Karin C — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:55:59 +0000

To what the others have said, I’d add just one thing: make sure that if you exchange work for lessons, you and the trainer you’re working for both keep a written tally of what you’ve earned. I’ve known a couple of situations where there were some bad feelings because the trainer and the person working for lessons didn’t agree about how many hours of instruction the worker was owed. In one of the situations, I think it was a genuine misunderstanding between the two, just miscommunication; in the other situation, I would have bet money that the trainer was exploiting the kid who was doing the work. This was the trainer who I found out was charging me and other clients for supplemental feed our horses weren’t getting and doing other fradulent things. (FWIW, this trainer had the student working as a groom for her at horse shows and was charging clients $35/day for the groom’s services. None of that money was ever passed along to the student. Half a dozen clients billed $35 each for every show they went to. Money straight into trainer’s pocket. Can you say RIP-OFF???)

Also, make sure you and the trainer you work for have an understanding of how you will be compensated if for some reason you are still owed lessons and can’t take them. If you’re okay with not being compensated if you can’t take lessons you’re owed, that’s fine; but you should bring the subject up so you know the contingency is covered.
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By: xXHunterJumperXx

xXHunterJumperXx — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:39:59 +0000

It is possible! My friend does that. Works a whole saturday and gets a free hour lesson! It really depends if the stable wants to hire a extra hand and if they have the time on thier hands to look after someone under 16. There isnt a certain age- but some stables do have to put an age limit on it. Beware- the work is awfully hard and people working there often have to be strict because of the saftey issues. Mostly it would be poo-picking in the fiels- cleaning out stalls- cleaning tack- Not the good stuff, the tedious, hard stuff. good luck.
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By: Greg B

Greg B — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:18:59 +0000

Yes, that is possible. It is called bartering for lessons or sometimes called being a ‘working student.’

The answers to all your other questions will depend on the policies of the particular stable. So, you’ll need to contact stables in your area to ask those questions.
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By: britjayhawk0405

britjayhawk0405 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:58:59 +0000

This is what is called a working student position. Some barns allow it, and some will not. I worked at a barn over the summer that had kids who looked about 11-12 (but I did not ask their actual age) working for them sweeping up the lesson horse barn and feeding/grooming/tacking/catching horses for lessons. Instead of getting paid, they got free riding lessons.

I am 20, and I did various task such as: handwalking injured horses, tacking up boarder’s horses before rides and untacking after, catching lesson horses, working with the vet/farrier/equine dentist to ensure that all the horses on their list got done, taking care of injuries, bathing, cleaning tack, clipping, and riding horses in rehab or training. But I have been riding for 13 years. What you will get to do will probably depend on your age and horse experience.

I worked 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, and for that I got 2 lessons per week. They were 45min private lessons right after I finished a shift (or sometimes during a shift), but I am sure the length of the lesson and when or how you ride depends on the barn.

Look for large boarding barns in your area or barns that have big lesson/show programs (like the place I worked had no less than 30 lesson horses- a big program). They will probably be glad for the (technically unpaid) help.
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By: Joy

Joy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:45:59 +0000

Yes. I think though 16 would be the appropriate age. See what your Parents think also. Lessons are about 15 an hour, at least that is what I charge.
Make sure it is a reputable Stables. The lesson should be at least one hour long.
What I teach is not just riding, but the care of the Horse. Behavior and grooming, and most of all. Safety first!
Remember to always wear a helmet!
Good luck to you, and have fun.
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By: Alpha Mare

Alpha Mare — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:56:59 +0000

Yes! I started doing this when I was 9 years old. Every Saturday, I donned my overalls and muck boots and traveled to a farm half an hour away. My parents signed all the consent and risk waivers and since I wasn’t getting paid money and I had no set hours, there was no minimum age requirement. I mucked stalls, cleaned run ins and paddocks, groomed the arenas, swept the aisle, and fed, watered, hayed, turned out/brought in all of the horses. I also helped get horses ready for other lessons, exercised and groomed horses that needed it, learned how to run an AI business and held horses for the vet and farrier. It taught me so much, and never cost me a dime! It was fantastic. With my particular agreement (yours will be different and you are allowed to haggle with whomever you work for) I was allotted one half hour semi-private lesson per Saturday, as well as how ever many supervised exercise rides were needed. There were often other opportunities to ride, and I was always invited along to shows, clinics and seminars. I was also allowed discounted private lessons if I wanted to pay for them (and I did!). I spent my whole Saturday at the farm, doing chores and riding and it was great! I stayed at this farm until I was 14, and they were forced to close due to bankruptcy (unfortunately, it costs a lot to run an equine business and when you don’t charge for your services and you keep buying tack, horse trailers and horses, you run out of cash quickly!) From there, I moved to another farm and did essentially the same thing, however, this farm had no where near the horses, the experience or the trainers that the first had. I was very thankful to have learned under some very knowledgeable and smart equestrians first, so I would know if what I was being "taught" by other so-called-horse-experts was correct or not.

For you, you have to find a farm that is willing to agree to such a proposal. A lot of larger farms will have one or two kids "working" for lessons, as they always need more hands to get things done, and one more kid in the group lesson isn’t that much more work. It will help if you have some experience, but a lot of the time someone will be willing to teach you, as long as you are willing to learn and respectful of their wishes. I would avoid private farms, as, at least in my opinion, the quality of horsemanship and the drive to know more about horses seems to be considerably less at these farms, when compared to larger farms who employ the best and expect more from their staff. Good luck! Have fun and learn as much as you can!
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