Rebel and the Working Student

This is Rebel, a school horse at Reddemeade Equestrian Center in Maryland. Standing with Rebel is Nina, who is part of Reddemeade's Working Student Program.


Working Student Programs help riders earn more lessons and ride time while teaching them all aspects of running a busy stable. Typically a stable will have a minimum age requirement for a student to become part of the program. This is for safety reasons.


On a typical day a Working Student might groom and tack horses and ponies for lessons, help students get their mount to the ring, clean stalls, wash buckets, polish tack, feed, turn horses out, and hold horses for the vet or farrier. 


More advanced Working Students get to school (ride and refresh the training) new horses, and are often responsible for working a horse through a particular issue which may be keeping him or her out of the lesson program. This is done under the supervision of professional trainers. Many working students end up as professional riders and trainers, or go to college and study equine business management.


* Do you know the difference between a flea bitten gray or a dapple gray horse?