Studying Up on Working Student Jobs

Working student positions can benefit both the employer and the worker, but it’s important for each to understand what is involved to optimize the situation for both parties.

By Glenye Cain Oakford

Working students are a time-honored tradition in equestrian sport, and it’s easy to see why they’ve remained popular over the years. Ideally, the seasoned equestrian who hires a working student gets an energetic, enthusiastic worker who can help with a variety of duties, from mucking out and riding/training horses, to office tasks. While the student gets a ground-up education in what it takes to run an equine operation, including important hands-on experience and the chance to ride, show, and make valuable contacts.

For hunter/jumper trainer Andre Dignelli, who owns Heritage Farm in Katonah, N.Y., with his brother Michael, establishing a strong working student program was key to building a professional legacy. The Heritage Development Program, Dignelli said, is a way to give back to the sport he loves by helping train the next generation of horsemen and horsewomen who will carry equestrian sport into the future.

“I have a place in my heart for those workers, because I think they are future champions, future professionals,” he said.

Dignelli also believes programs like his are a golden opportunity for students, as he learned from his tenure as a working student for renowned hunter/jumper rider and trainer Judy Richter.

“There are people out there to kind of lend you a hand, and when that happens, what looks impossible at first can become possible if you put yourself out there, work hard, and appreciate it,” Dignelli said. “Then people gravitate toward you and good things happen.

“I basically have given these kids this platform where their first job often is at Heritage. After they are done with the juniors, they often spend a year or so with me, and it's their first job. Then find their next job, and their way, and sometimes they come back. Or they call me and say, ‘I’ve got an opportunity, what do you think?’ The mentorship and friendship are there, and that’s how the program has evolved. It's all encompassing, so that these people actually have a way of making it.”

Such opportunities aren’t lost on Jordan Allen. A working student at Kentucky-based Ashland Farms for the past six years, Allen has flourished. She has seen her role grow and has shown —and won with — Ashland Farms horses in some of the hunt seat equitation’s most prestigious competitions. Allen rates the horsemanship and riding education she’s gained from Ashland Farms’ working student program very highly but notes that the program has given her even more than skills with horses.

“I think the most valuable thing it teaches you is great people skills,” she said of the working student experience. “I’ve met so many people and it’s opened so many doors. People want to give you opportunities with horses when they see you work hard.”

“You gain so much exposure,” agreed Gabby Fournier, who got her first working student job at age 8 with trainer Lindsey Knight at Halcyon Show Stables and started working for a saddle company after college. “I was able to travel and go meet new people, ride new horses, and stand in warm-up rings and listen to different trainers. That’s amazing, and you learn so much.”

Working student positions can be a win-win for both employer and worker, but what should each party know before embarking on a working student relationship in order to make the situation work well for both?

For the Employer: What to Consider

If you’re thinking about hiring a working student, start by consulting your lawyer about any federal or state laws that might apply. For example, if you’re hiring a minor, child labor laws are likely going to apply, including how many hours the student can work. You’ll also want to understand whether minimum-wage laws will apply to your proposed arrangement, and if you are hiring interns, you’ll want to understand laws around paying them.

“It’s important to get a good overview of your legal obligations,” said employment attorney Jeremiah Reece of the Louisville, Ky., firm Reece Saiyed Parry-Johnson. It’s advisable to get an attorney in your state that has experience

with and knowledge of labor laws to examine that, because while there are basic federal requirements, state laws can be more restrictive than federal law.”

Some states, like California, also have additional permits or license requirements for businesses employing minors.

Reece recommends consulting with an attorney on these issues annually or every two years to make sure you’re in compliance with current law. “You need to check the law regularly, because it does change,” he said.

Reece also suggests looking at any insurance or worker’s compensation implications a working student program might have for your business.

“There are at least 16 states that offer some sort of exemption from worker’s compensation requirements at farm or agricultural labor,” Reece stated, so employers will want to determine whether their operation is considered agricultural in their state.

There are many online resources that can help, including

Department of Labor (dol.gov)

State Labor Cabinets or Departments

Industry associations

Equine law firms

Educational institutions with specialized programs on equine or agricultural law, such as the University of Kentucky’s Equine Law Society and Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation.

It’s also a good idea to be sure your SafeSport training is up to date and that you have familiarized yourself with the USEF Safe Sport policy and Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy.

For the Student: What to Expect

Before you embark on a working student experience, get prepared by talking to others who have been working students, and ask around about stables you think might suit you — both in terms of your equestrian goals and in terms of atmosphere. You also can check USEF’s online Ineligibility List to see whether a trainer is overdue on their Safe Sport training or has another current violation. The USEF website also has a Safe Sport hub that features resources for owners, trainers, competitors, and parents.

" I have a place in my heart for those workers, because I think they are future champions, future professionals" - Andre Dignelli

“The minute you go into a working student relationship, you do have a setup where there's an imbalance of power,” said jumping athlete Armand Leone, an attorney and who also rides and trains at his family’s Ri-Arm Farm in Oakland, N.J. “There’s an imbalance both from the point of view of employer/employee, but also the employer or the person who owns the farm: if they have horses, they have emotional leverage over the student, because the reward of being able to ride a horse is significant. Then the reward to be able to ride certain horses can be even more rewarding. People need to be aware going in that it certainly is a situation where issues can arise if the working student, the employer, and everyone involved are not aware of Safe Sport training. Because SafeSport training. Safe Sport certification by the employer and the working student, if they're 18 or over, is important. Everybody needs to know the rules.”

Reece suggests that working students or their parents also look into any potential insurance implications, especially if the stable is not required to carry workers' compensation that might offset medical bills due to job-related injury.

Once you’ve found a position, there are a number of things to know before you start. First, be clear on what the position entails. Leone recommends that employer and working student consider drafting an outline of basic duties, in order to avoid future misunderstandings.

“I think that's important to have an understanding, at least in principle, of the duties and to put some boundaries on what the tasks entail,” Leone said. “You come with certain expectations, the employer has certain expectations. If they're not overlapping, you have problems. Divergent expectations make for very unhappy situations, even if they don’t rise to a legal dispute.”

But if you’re over the age of 18, remember that if your employer asks you to sign a contract, it will likely be legally binding, Reece added.

Be prepared for hard work and long hours

Wherever you apply to be a working student, trainers and students alike say you’ll be expected to be on the job for long hours, especially if you are working for a competition-focused operation that will need you to work during shows. Allen suggests planning for 6 a.m.-to-5 p.m. workdays. “Go to sleep early!” she said. “It is so tiring.”

“Make sure that you're comfortable doing any and all jobs, because that's pretty much what the job is,” Dignelli said.

Learn and do as much as you can

“Insert yourself in everything you can,” Allen said. “I started off doing everything. I’d clean stalls, I’d clean tack, I’d hold horses for the farrier. You learn from everything, and not that you ever stop doing any of that, but you can work your way up. Your role can become a bit more managerial the longer you do it. Help the grooms whenever you can, because they work so hard. Honestly, I think a lot of our job is alleviating some of their stress.”

Professional grooms are also a source of deep, valuable knowledge. “They take care of horses day in and day out, and they know so much about horse and how to care for them,” Fournier said. “I just followed them around to see what they do, and I picked up so much from that. How they prepare themselves for the show ring, what they bring with them, how they fold blankets — it’s all so helpful to know.

“Be a sponge,” she continued. “Be kind of a fly on the wall. Stay busy and try to find things to do, but also take the time to learn. Listen to others and what they have to say, and watch others ride, too. Get everybody’s perspectives.”

Spend extra time with the horses

Any chance to get to be around horses—in or out of the saddle—contributes to your education. Volunteering for extra duties around their care or training marks you out as dedicated but also affords you another opportunity to learn, working students and employers say. “I think that, especially when you're showing at the top level in these equitation classes, when you do so much with these horses, you really do form a relationship with them,” Allen said. “All that time you spend with them is invaluable.”

Be positive

“Positive attitude and the character of a working student is much more valuable than the talent, in my opinion,” said Fournier. “So don't let your ego get in the way of anything that you're doing. You know, if they tell you to go wrap polos for three hours, definitely do it and do it to the best of your ability. Have a lot of pride and confidence in your work. Any opportunity is a good opportunity.”

Dignelli also encourages working students to let the equine operation know that they do appreciate the chance to work with the horses and staff.

“My brother and I basically own between five and 10 horses that go in this program every year,” he said. “The idea is that we're feeding the pipeline. It's an opportunity for these skilled riders to have rides and access to horses that they would not otherwise have access to. I want them to take part in understanding the program, both on the ground and on the horse — how we train a championship horse, how we pick the show schedule, the veterinarian, the blacksmith.

“For many, this is really their first look into having jobs and overseeing the care of a horse at a high level along with our staff of 40 people. But that's how they're learning it. “I stress that it's about talent, for sure, and a work ethic that’s above and beyond. And as I've gotten older, appreciation of the program and what I'm doing for a rider has also become important. I appreciate it when a student makes me feel like I'm making a difference, because it is an opportunity that I would say most could not afford or provide for themselves.”

" The most valuable thing it teaches you is great people skills" - Jordan Allen

It’s an opportunity that Dignelli remembers well from when Judy Richter opened her door to him, and he says he’s gratified to see that the knowledge he learned from her is now being passed on through his students to their own students. That legacy, he says, can help young students become tomorrow’s wise professionals — even if they think that’s impossible.

“My end goal is to give these kids an opportunity that they might not even believe exists,” he said. “I'm showing it does exist. I've got a 35-year history of its existing, and if you want to be a part of it, here are the tools. Here are the lessons and here's what you’ve got to do.”