That is why I was hated (not directly) for years for refusing to pay for theater major… I am glad that DD now understands I did it out of love and very pragmatic approach. We cannot feed our kids forever, unless you provide them millions in inheretance or can guarantee well to do spouse…
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My youngest was always in love with animals: horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, even cows. I have allergies so I said no numerous times for all types of animals (we had fish, and briefly one rat that magically appeared in our guarage on snow day - it turned out it run from the neighbor…) So we paid for a lot of riding camps and DD was walking and “babysitting” numerous cats and dogs in our neighborhood (and made quite good money.) Now in college she happened (totally accidentally) to get FWS at animal shelter, and decided that equestrian team costs way too much. So “hiking” club would work for nature lover.
Another vote for considering the gap year experience as a working student or simply barn help.
If she does want to pursue this, the hands-on lessons she’ll get in horse-handling will be invaluable. Horses are big and strong, and it’s not that hard to get hurt around them (even without getting on!) It’d give her education more purpose and relevance.
Perhaps keep the idea tucked away as you look at programs. If she feels like most of the other students have that backgrounds, it might seem more attractive as well.
Really, anything that puts her into this world will open her eyes to the options available as well as the lifestyle.
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This is fascinating thread.
IHSA & Equus Foundation has great tips. I think your kid would get merit at Washington State, Oregon State, or use WUE.
I think merit at Auburn and Iowa State.
Check out remote internship open to high school students with natl trade group in McLean, VA. Google American Horse Council - they have
list of scholarships and youth training resources.
And the various industry directories.
Also horse industry trade groups by state.
I’m pleasantly surprised to see horses are still major business in Maryland/ horse racing roots, now therapeutic services and advocacy for public trails.
See tips here, maybe similar resources in other regions you’re targetting.
Also see social media for American Horse Council.
I can clarify one thing-- that American Horse Council Friday Fact is just counting up which states have returned the most number of completed surveys. The AHC is trying to assess the economic impact of the horse industry, and is in the middle of attempting to survey horse professionals. This is just telling us who has returned those surveys, not which states have the most equine activity.
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I do not know much about Equine/Equestrian Majors. If it were my child, I probably would insist on pairing it with some Business and/or Education majors. We have a lot of Barnes in MD and I believe many focus on kids’ education including working with kids with disabilities.
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Equine assisted therapy is huge right now if she is interested in either special education or counseling. The program is, at least for the positions in equine therapy for children with special needs, they really don’t pay much, if anything at all. Many are volunteer positions.
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I do not know about paying either. However, this is where business skill can help. In big cities maybe funded contracts with local goverments, cities or social services to provide programs for kids with special needs.
Just found this fb page. Note: none of the jobs posted, and none of the job seekers, mention an equine studies degree. (That’s because the degree is pretty much irrelevant to the industry, which is what I keep saying). Also note the working student position: it’s 6 days a week, 8 hours a day, except some days are longer. That is fairly standard in the horse world.
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And I keep agreeing with you! 
I will add that I took a working student position when I graduated from college. I was lucky at the time to find a position that offered housing, board for my horse, lessons every day, often additional horses to ride, transportation to competitions, full access to a small car for transportation, and paid me $100 a week. In exchange I worked dawn to dusk, sometimes well into the night. With that $100 I had to cover my personal expenses: food, clothing, health insurance (I was able to secure a high-deductible plan), competition entry fees, vet and farrier expenses for my horse, and gas for that car. Eventually I took a job at a local tack store on my days off because the $100 wasn’t enough to cover it all.
I went into this position with my eyes wide open. I already had plenty of experience in the industry to know the realities. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I learned so much during that time and would not change a thing! I also worked my a** off seven days a week for barely enough money to cover my expenses. There were times I couldn’t compete because I didn’t have the money to pay the entry fees.
By the way, the trainer I took this working student position with had other applicants for the spot who were equine studies program graduates. She took me over them because my previous experience as a barn worker showed that I knew what a grind this type of work is. Again, no need for an equine studies degree. Real life experience is often preferable to a degree when horse people are looking to hire.
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While they are well known for their equine majors, Centenary has been trying to dig out of its financial problems for some time now.
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