Try to think back to when you first learned to ride a horse with any finesse, i.e., when you learned to ride correctly as opposed to just staying on. For some of us, it may have been years ago, for others a few months, or for some who prefer to “just ride around”, not at all.

So, you want a career in the equine industry.... Many times people looking for career opportunities in this industry automatically begin to think about jobs that have the most direct contact with horses—e.g., veterinarians, trainers, riders. While these are valid careers in the industry, they are only a few in a field with a wide number of extremely varied opportunities.

Many people involved within the horse industry often do not consider their small horse operation a business. They are surprised to learn that you do not have to own a large facility or have several years of experience to be considered an equine business. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), if your main objective is to make a profit, then you are considered a legitimate business.

Since the inception of 4-H programs, we have touted that youth who are involved in animal science projects gain valuable life skills through animal ownership and exhibition. However, what we inherently know and what we can prove through evaluation data were two separate things.

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