Horse Career: Barn Manager

I predominantly work at the lesson barn. At the lesson barn, we have around 60 horses that either participate on our IHSA hunt seat or western team, and we have a few resident retiree horses, too. 

Lifelong Learning

Along with managing the horses, I get to work alongside students daily. I get the opportunity to share my knowledge with them and teach them about horses, which I absolutely love! Anyone is welcome to join our equine program regardless of how much horse experience they have.

Our barns are a great place for students to learn about managing our facility and horses, as well as important skills like time management, organization, and communication. The students also get to experience when days don’t go as planned and learn to be flexible in those situations. Our hours can be long, the days can be tough, but in the end the work is rewarding.

Hard work and long hours are all part of having a career as a barn manager at a busy lesson or competition barn. But if you love hands-on time with horses and can’t get enough, this may be your dream job! Photo by Michelle Habick

Since I love the university setting so much, I will be attending grad school while I work for St. Andrews. My goal is to earn my master’s in education, teach academic equine classes at a university, coach an IHSA team, and continue growing my photography skills.

The best advice I can give you is to never stop learning, work hard because your hard work will always pay off, and dream big! I am here as an example that dreams really do come true.

If you had told me in high school that I would manage both Anne Kursinski’s farm and a university’s farm, and be starting my masters this fall, I never would have believed you. I can attest that hard work, determination, and drive to succeed, learn, and grow will take you wherever you want to go in life.