Horse Management question

[IrishofNDMan]

I will be enrolling at Michigan State University in the fall (tough decision for since I am a huge Notre Dame fan, but had to do it) and my current Major is Education. Well, in Michigan that isn't a very good thing to go into now. I have been looking at new things and see that MSU has a Horse Management program. If I could really do this and find a good job doing so, I would absolutely love it. Anyone have any info they could give me on Horse Management that would be great.

[onebadbeast]

I Believe You Would Manage Horses.

[Honu]

Originally Posted by IrishofNDMan

I will be enrolling at Michigan State University in the fall (tough decision for since I am a huge Notre Dame fan, but had to do it) and my current Major is Education. Well, in Michigan that isn't a very good thing to go into now. I have been looking at new things and see that MSU has a Horse Management program. If I could really do this and find a good job doing so, I would absolutely love it. Anyone have any info they could give me on Horse Management that would be great.

The horse managers I know I have great jobs , they are the owners liasons , they go around and check up on things and report back.
Usually to get in this position you have to know owners in the buisness and have a pretty good knowledge of horses and their care. My best advice is to see if you can find a trainer to learn from , watch the horses train , see how the trainer interacts with their owners and go from there. Big outfits are the one's that need managers and the job usually requires you to be able to travel and also to be able to go and look at young horses at the sales and report back. A good knowledge of horses and breeding is fundamental.

[paisjpq]

If you are interested in management from the farm side rather than the racing side of the business it is also a great job...but if you want to work in central KY you will have to start from the ground up no matter what your degree says. Fortunately there are some really good internship programs that can get you in the door on some of the major farms and lead to rewarding jobs down the road.
Like Honu said, the more fundamentals you have and hands on horse knowledge you can get the better. No book or classroom can teach you as much about a horse, as a horse can teach you about a horse.

[Cannon Shell]

Just a guess but I would assume that horse management at MSU is directed at general horse farming, care, ect. as opposed to racing.

[Bigsmc]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Just a guess but I would assume that horse management at MSU is directed at general horse farming, care, ect. as opposed to racing.

You are correct. MSU is a big Agricultural school.

[dellinger63]

go work on a farm or at a stable and check it out this summer. Then continue as an Education major, move to Chicago and go to work in one of the suburbs for a public school starting at 50K plus with FULL benefits. Enjoy summers off at Arlngton and seeking your next career in your early 50's when the pension kicks in.

[IrishofNDMan]

I didn't really want to move away from Michigan because all my family is here, but Chicago wouldn't be bad. Anyone know how Education jobs are right now in Chicago, cause in Michigan it's not very good right now. Also considering changing to Nursing, cause I know there is always a demand for nurses, and from what I hear they actually would like some male nurses.

[dellinger63]

The market is good and the teachers I know are some of the happiest people around. Think it might be the summer off angle though most work at least part time summers.

You can always get your degree and then enroll in the masters in sports administration/management program at the University of Louisville. Then you can work in the mornings at Churchill Downs (you can literally walk from the school to the track) as a hotwalker and meet people, maybe even move up the ladder while in school.

A degree is a great thing to have, but in the horse business experience and contacts are everything. You would be shocked at how many complete idiots have good jobs in the business because they can talk and they know how to hustle.

Good luck. Working with horses is a great job. Maybe you can become the next Cot Campbell or someone like that. You manage a stable and sell off pieces of horses you buy and keep 10% for managing the horse. Good gig if you can get it.

[SentToStud]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

The market is good and the teachers I know are some of the happiest people around. Think it might be the summer off angle though most work at least part time summers.

Truth. My friend's son teaches at Stevenson and does some coaching. He loves it and is doing very well financially.

[Downthestretch55]

Originally Posted by IrishofNDMan

I didn't really want to move away from Michigan because all my family is here, but Chicago wouldn't be bad. Anyone know how Education jobs are right now in Chicago, cause in Michigan it's not very good right now. Also considering changing to Nursing, cause I know there is always a demand for nurses, and from what I hear they actually would like some male nurses.

Irish,
I retired from teaching last year after 32 years teachng. It's a great career, though, underpaid in my opinion. It's been full of fun.
If it's in your heart, do it for the kids, not for the summers off.
It's funny in a way, that the same things that work for educating children also work for horses (my "retirement job"). Build confidence in new situations,
routine and repetition, patience, and knowing that sometimes, events occur in a "blink".
Today, while working with my filly, Shot o' Bourbon, she reacted to something I didn't see. She was dancin' on the lead for a minute until I got her back to task. No problem at all, but very sudden.
Afterwards, lots of praise.
Same with kids.
We'll do it again tomorrow and add a little more.
So, just my humble advice, find what you think will be fun, follow your heart.
Prepare and expect the unexpected.
My mentor told me, "Ya take what ya got and ya bring it along."
I wish you a great life.
Excellent teachers are as rare as excellent horses, but they all start somewhere.
Bring em along.

[IrishofNDMan]

Elementary School teaching is something I have wanted to do for a long time now. I have 8 nieces and nephews, and have learned patience with kids through them, but also how fun it is to teach them and to see them learning. Like I said, the passion for teaching is there in me, but the scare of not being able to find a job is kind of pushing me away. I'm at the point right now where I have been accepted to MSU for the fall semester (they have me as an Education Major currently) but need to decide before this fall what I am going to do for sure. I would love to start out teaching and to eventually move up to a principle position.

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by IrishofNDMan

Elementary School teaching is something I have wanted to do for a long time now. I have 8 nieces and nephews, and have learned patience with kids through them, but also how fun it is to teach them and to see them learning. Like I said, the passion for teaching is there in me, but the scare of not being able to find a job is kind of pushing me away. I'm at the point right now where I have been accepted to MSU for the fall semester (they have me as an Education Major currently) but need to decide before this fall what I am going to do for sure. I would love to start out teaching and to eventually move up to a principle position.

Get er done....... You're 100 steps ahead of the average Spartan.......

[magic_idol]

Just dont take the course on being a STUD MASTER because as far as i can see this jobs main area is guiding the stallions Wang into the Mare & is thus a flash name for basically a person that Should be called PENIS MASTER maybe the course could entail Darts as its all about hitting the bullseye