We're Looking for a Horsemanship Student!

Anna & Celena are pleased to announce that our
student position has been filled and we're looking forward to
an awesome summer with Robyn!

We would also like to thank all the great applicants
who inquired about the position and invite you to get
in touch with us again next year .

Buddy in the river

Heartwood Horses is looking for a keen horsemanship student to work with us this summer!

We are seeking an enthusiastic, dedicated individual who loves horses and is focused on improving their horsemanship. We use a blend of classical and progressive techniques with our horses, so our student must be keen to learn new horse skills and open-minded to different training philosophies. She must be able to take initiative and work safely and effectively both independently and as part of a team.

Due to the nature of this position, candidates must have previous horse experience and we would like it if they could provide us with references. We also encourage candidates to send in photos and/or a video to demonstrate her riding ability and what she’s done with horses. Lots of hours spent in the saddle – Western or English – is an asset! Though we will be working with the student most of the time, there may be times when the student will need to handle or ride horses on her own. Because of this, she needs to be mature, safety-conscious and feel confident handling horses without supervision.

In the summer, Heartwood operates at full tilt, so our student will be working with us five to six days per week and will need to work hard and play hard! The days can be long and physically demanding– we are typically out with the horses for more than eight hours a day. The climate in Kamloops during the summer is very hot and very dry – it’s not unusual for us to have days in the 30 to 40 degrees Celsius range - but on the plus side, we have very few mosquitoes! On hot days we often start early, take the afternoon off and ride again in the evening.

Our student will play a key role in the day-to-day operation of Heartwood and will be truly immersed in horses. She will help to prepare horses for training sessions, including grooming, tacking up and warming up. Depending on her experience, she will be working with a variety of horses in the arena, on the trail and doing ground work such as round penning and trailer loading.

There will be plenty of opportunities to learn about horse care and facility maintenance. She will be assisting us with our vaccination, deworming and farrier programs, and performing veterinary care as needed. Around the barn, our student will be feeding and watering the horses, doing some tack cleaning and keeping the barnyard in good order. She will help with basic repairs around the barn and fences. Most of the horses are kept out at pasture in a herd, therefore the position requires minimal mucking and stall cleaning - leaving us more time for riding!

We usually have eight to twelve horses in full training, so there is a lot of time to spend one-on-one with the horses to really build on their foundation. The horses are at varying levels of training, from very green to well-trained, so there is the potential for our student to get a huge amount of training and riding experience with a good variety of horses. We have an outdoor arena and a round pen, but some of our favourite training areas are out in the mountain meadows. We also spend lots of time on the trails, negotiating natural obstacles like logs, ponds, rocks and creeks. We are based out of a 160 acre ranch where we have endless breathtaking mountain trails right out our back gate! We plan to attend some clinics and shows this summer and there may be an opportunity for our student to participate or audit.

This is a volunteer position, and we will provide room and basic board for our student. There will be opportunities for her to come into town and go on outings with us, but she will often be on her own in the evenings – a perfect time to do some riding on her own, watch horsemanship DVDs or just enjoy the amazing setting. We also have lots of great horsemanship resources to share.

We are looking for someone who can commit about 3 months to us, and there is potential for that to be extended and/or to come back next year. We’re pretty flexible, though, so if you think we would be a good fit for each other, talk to us about your plans!

If you think that you might be the perfect person for the job, please contact us for more information. We look forward to hearing from you!