by Autumn Jones, marketing director

The general public says that the little girl’s wish to have a pony is just a stage that will soon expire before she moves on to the next fad of her young mind. Many may find this theory to be true, but when you’re the young girl who grew up surrounded by ponies, it’s no longer a stage.

As a child, I was constantly watching my parents work together to train the unruly horses which would be sent to our barn for a 30 day training session. As I grew older and situations began to change, I became the one who would help my father train these horses which would come in for a multitude of reasons and at many different ages and training levels.

This experience training horses with my father further fueled my passion to make a career in the horse industry and led me to the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.

After visiting the campus and barns in the spring of my sophomore year, I was in love. My plan was to attend the school as a double major in Equine Business Management and Equine Western Studies. After much thought, I decided that I didn’t want to spend $50,000 a year on schooling and have to drive five hours to get there.

I began looking into other schools and talking to many people. All applications of business stem from a regular business management degree. This degree would give me many job openings as well as teach me how to properly operate a successful business, which I could apply while operating my equine facility. There is also a predicted increase in the business management jobs of 151,100 from 2014-2024 according to the U.S. Bureau and Labor Statistics, as well as a median annual wage of $99,310 in May 2016.

As of right now, I have not applied to any colleges. Over the winter months, I plan to tour colleges on a more local level such as Slippery Rock, Edinboro, and Clarion, which all have equestrian teams. The local aspect would allow me to get a head start on my business at home while I am still in school.

If you have any questions about the business management field or equine businesses, please feel free to email me at [email protected].