Jordan Parker 
jlpa255@g.uky.edu 

1st May 2020 

Bill Moroney 
CEO, United States Equestrian Federation 
Wing Commander Way  
Lexington, KY 40511 

Dear Mr. Moroney, 

I would like to provide you with a field report regarding the working conditions of hunter jumper 
working students, titled “The Overworked, Underrepresented Equestrian Working Student”. The 
report explores the challenges faced by working students in the industry, particularly regarding 
fair pay and working hours. As you know, the practice of having working students is critical to 
educating young professionals, but that there are currently limited job guidelines and protections 
on the working student position. 

From this report I hope you will see the need to implement guidelines regarding working student 
programs. Working students deserve fair compensation, rest and recuperation, and respectful 
treatment. Thank you for your time and careful consideration of an issue important within the 
equestrian community.  

Sincerely, 

 
Jordan Parker   

 
 
 

April 28, 2020 

The Overworked, Underrepresented Equestrian 

Working Student 
An examination into how equestrian working students lack financial and well-being protections in the world 
of hunter jumpers. 
 

   

 
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Executive Summary 

The hunter jumper world of the equine industry thrives on the work and dedication brought into it 
by working students and their participation in barns’ working student programs. Currently, the 
United States Equestrian Federation has no rules or regulations regarding how stables conduct 
their working student programs, leaving the jobs open to interpretation and often times 
exploitation. Since working student positions are highly valued in the industry as a way of 
educating future professionals and giving them experience, working students often find 
themselves working extremely hard for minimal pay, just to boost their resume. Through a survey 
and interviews with past and current working students, this field report explores the consensus 
amongst working students that they are overworked, underpaid, and have minimal job rights and 
protections. Working students begin by doing barn chores, riding horses, and grooming at shows, 
but find their positions evolving to be equivalent to what a full-time groom or stable manager 
would be responsible for with no changes in their payment. Additionally, they recieve lessons, 
reduced board, or housing as payment instead of money, with no paper trail that outlines the 
economic worth of these services in exchange for the economic worth of their work. The report 
hopes to bring these issues to light for the United States Equestrian Federation, in the attempt to 
help the organization recognize the importance of creating guidelines regarding an issue that is 

prevalent to the equestrian industry.   

 
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Table of Contents 
Introduction 5 
Fair Working Conditions 6 
Methods 7 
Survey of Working Students 7 
Interviews of Working Students 9 
Results 10 
Survey Results 10 
Interview Responses 12 
Discussion 14 
Limitations 14 
Conclusion 15 
References 16 
 

   

 
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Introduction 

In the equestrian world, particularly the hunter jumper discipline, working students are 
apprentice like positions taken up by aspiring equine professionals, horse owners looking 
for reduced boarding fees, and earnest horse people wanting to learn the ins and outs of 
running a professional riding facility. They are the overwrought cog that keeps an industry 
churning, through earnest labor, naivete, and ample opportunity to be exploited financially 
and emotionally. Marketed by industry insiders as means of breaking out into the industry, 
the positions can be highly coveted and critical to a young rider’s resume. Working student 
positions are offered by barn owners with various business models, ranging from barns 
that run introductory riding lessons to high end show stables that travel and compete 
almost every weekend. A typical working student can expect to do barn chores in addition 
to acting as a show or stable groom. Many working students are enticed by the prospect of 
being able to ride the stable’s horses, attend horse shows, make industry connections, and 
hone valuable grooming skills, though not all positions that advertise these perks fulfill 
these promises.  

A young rider might decide to take up a working student position for a myriad reasons, 
many of which are intrinsically tied to the compensation they are offered for their work. For 
example, if a barn owner is willing to provide reduced or free board in exchange for 4 days 
of work a week, a student that could otherwise not afford horse boarding may jump on this 
opportunity. Other means of compensation can be housing for the student, moderate 
hourly pay, experience, or free lessons. Most of these positions operate under the table, 
leaving students with minimal work experience open to unfair job expectations and 
economic compensation.  

Three main aspects of the working student model are cause of concern to the United States 
Equestrian Federation (USEF). The working student model often finds students in positions 
where they are overworked, underpaid, and have little to no concrete employee 
protections that accompany regulated employment. With a mission “to provide access to 
and increase participation in equestrian sports at all levels by ensuring fairness, safety, and 
enjoyment”, it would be a logical extension of USEF to attempt to regulate and protect the 
working students in its members’ barns (“Our Vision…”).  

 
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Fair Working Conditions 

Integral to the discussion of working student protections is the idea of fair working 
conditions. The U.S. Department of Labor requires that, in compliance with the Fair Labor 
Standards Act, employees be paid a minimum hourly rate of $7.25 and paid overtime for 
hours over 40 worked in a week (“Wages and…”). It is important to note that it is lawful for 
the employer to deduct housing costs or training fees, but that they must be recorded and 
given appropriate economic value. The act also requires working in conjunction with the 
Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) which requires employers to maintain a safe 
work environment by ​adopting “certain practices, means, methods, or processes 
reasonably necessary and appropriate to protect workers on the job” (United States 
Department of Labor). Employees have the right to sick days and compensation for medical 
costs incurred from a preventable injury on the job. Interestingly, the act does not restrict 
the number of hours a person over 20 years of age may work, only that they be paid time 
and a half for work they have done above 40 hours that work week.  

While legally there are limited capping requirements on working hours during the week, it 
is clear that overworking can lead to detrimental mental and physical effects. In a study 
published in the International Journal of Advanced Microbiology and Health Research, 
researchers found that employees who worked more than 40 hours a week had increased 
risk for anxiety disorders, sleeping disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other 
serious health related issues (Prasad, 12). An employee performs best when they work 
around 40 hours a week, are given breaks, and treated with respect. 

Based on the laws put into place by the U.S. Department of Labor and the correlation of 
working hours and health, fair working conditions in the context of the working student will 
be defined as working for a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, with overtime pay of time and 
a half for hours exceeding 40, and work week hours not to exceed 60 hours a week. 
Additionally, the working student should have access to the records of their compensation, 
be allowed sick days, and have consistent days off. For a working student’s working 
conditions to be considered fair, these criteria should be met. 

 
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Methods 

With the parameters of fair working conditions in mind, primary accounts of working 
students' experiences were gathered to address the claim that working students find 
themselves in an overly demanding job with little to no employee protections that offers 
them inadequate financial or economic payment. Through a broad strokes survey, 
disseminated to 40 working students, and personal, in-depth interviews with three working 
students, a picture of the true experience in these programs will emerge that validates, 
refutes, or gives an alternative perspective on issues of workload, payment, and protection.  

Survey of Working Students 

A short survey made on GoogleSurvey and distributed through email and text to working 
students around the country. The survey was to gather quantifiable data regarding working 
student’s demographics, income, responsibilities, and a short perspective on their working 
student experience. The questions were as follows: 

1. Are you currently a working student? 

a. Answer Options: Yes; I was previously a working student; No, I have never 
been a working student 
2. What is the riding discipline of the person you are a working student for? 
a. Answer Options: Western; Dressage; Eventing; Hunter; Jumper 
3. What USEF Zone do you work in (pictured 
right)? 
a. Answer Options: Northeast; 
Southeast; Mountain; Pacific; Central 
4. How long have you been, or how long were 
you, a working student? 
a. Answer Options: Less than 1 year; 
1-3 years; 4 or more years 
5. What are your responsibilities as a working 
student? 
a. Answer Options: Open ended 

 
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6. How do you receive compensation for your work? More than one answer may be 
selected. 
a. Answer Options: Cash or check payment; lessons; housing; reduced horse 
board; reduced show costs; other: fill in the blank 
7. How many days a week do you work? 
a. Answer Options: 1 day; 2 days; 3 days; 4 days; 5 days; 6 days; 7 days 
8. Does the work you complete accurately reflect the responsibilities, payment, and 
hours advertised when you initially applied for the position? 
a. Answer Options: Open ended 
9. What is your favorite aspect about being a working student? 
a. Answer Options: Open ended 
10. What is your least favorite aspect about being a working student? 
a. Answer Options: Open ended 

The survey was meant to be straightforward and take minimal time to complete to 
encourage participation. The wording of the questions was designed to be impartial, as to 
not direct the answers to a more positive or negative tone. The first question helps 
establish relevance and context to their responses to the survey. The second question is a 
screening question, to ensure we are looking only at the responses of hunter jumper 
experiences. While responses from outside these disciplines can provide information about 
how widespread working student issues are across the equine industry, the focus of this 
report is on specifically the hunter jumper world. The third question is for demographic 
purposes, to demonstrate that the data came from a wide variety of sources and reduces 
the argument that these working students’ experiences are endemic only to a specific 
region. Questions four through seven give a general idea of the kind of work students do, 
how they are paid for it, and their workload. Explicitly asking if the student’s responsibilities 
match what they were told they would be doing gives an idea of whether or not employers 
take advantage of a working student’s initiative for the employer’s benefit. Finally, the two 
open ended questions about a working student’s favorite and least favorite aspects of their 
jobs gives the opportunity to hear both the positive and negative aspects about such a 
program. 

 
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Interviews of Working Students 

To gain a more personalized and detailed account of a working student’s experience, six 
working students were invited to participate in phone interviews. Before the interview, the 
respondents were emailed to questions to give them time to organize their thoughts and 
let them decide if they wanted to participate. All respondents were granted the right to 
remain anonymous, so that any information they gave would not jeopardize their 
employment status. Their responses were written down by the interviewer, and the 
following questions were asked: 

1. Are you currently a working student? 

2. How long have you been a working student? 
3. What initially made you want to be a working student? 
4. Tell me about the application process. How did you find the working student 
position you are in and what was the hiring process like? 
5. What was the job description for the position you applied for? 
6. As you have continued working for your boss, how have your responsibilities 
changed? Have you taken on more work or have any of the responsibilities in the 
job description not been asked of you? 
7. How are you compensated for your work? As the responsibilities of your job have 
changed, as your compensation changed accordingly? 
8. How often do you work? Do you get consistent days off? 
9. How would you describe your relationship with your boss? 
10. What have you learned from being a working student? 
11. What do you wish to tell other working students? 

These questions were written to be impartial, as to not want to influence the answers given 
by the respondents. Some initial screening questions were asked to break the ice and to be 
able to compare answers from long time working students with that of short term working 
students. Asking about what made the working student position attractive to individuals 
allowed me to understand the motivations behind pursuing a working student position. 
Next, I asked questions regarding job descriptions and responsibilities to get an idea of 
how fairly the students were being treated, and to help decide if their workload was 

 
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excessive. Inquiring about compensation enables me to calculate whether or not the 
students are receiving fair wages, especially if their job changes and their payment does 
not. Additionally, I asked about how often students worked and how often they got days off 
to help demonstrate whether or not they could be described as overworked. The question 
regarding the student’s relationship with their boss can help shed light on why working 
students may or may not feel comfortable addressing issues within their job with their 
employers, and how that dynamic would affect what working students are willing to put up 
with in order to keep their opportunity. Finally, I wanted to know what being a working 
student taught them and what they would advise other working students on to help them 
maximize their experience. These interviews gave qualifiable data to address my concerns 
that working students are underpaid, overworked, and unprotected in their jobs. 

Results 

There were 42 responses to the short survey, 31 of which were from the hunter jumper 
discipline, our area of interest. Of the six people I requested to interview, four agreed to be 
interviewed, 3 of which wished to remain anonymous so as to not jeopardize their jobs.  

Survey Results 
After removing responses from people who had answered question 1 with “No, I have 
never been a working student” (2 respondents), and removing responses from respondents 
that did not select answers “Hunter” or “Jumper” for question 2 (9 respondents), there were 
31 applicable responses. Question 
3 demonstrated that the 
distribution of responses will best 
represent experiences in the 
southeast, northeast, and pacific 
regions, because only a combined 
total of 10% of responses came 
from the Mountain or Central USEF 
zone (figure 2, shown right). The 
majority (83%) of responses to 
question four established that they 

 
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had been working students for more than 3 years. Question 5 was an open ended 
question, and 
responses are 
shown in figure 3. 
Most working 
students appear to 
be in charge of 
basic horse care, 
like stall cleaning 
and feeding. A few 
respondents listed 
their only 
responsibility as 
teaching lessons or 
riding, and a few respondents indicated that they participated in farm maintenance, which 
would be beneficial if it was further defined. Question six demonstrated that students were 
compensated in a variety of ways, primarily with lessons or reduced horse board (figure 4). 
The blue bar 
indicates the 
“Other: Fill in the 
Blank” option, 
where one 
respondent 
indicated they 
were working in 
exchange for a free 
horse lease. 
Further 
exploration of this 
questions’ 
responses would look at the costs of horse board, housing, and lessons, at each of these 
stables, and compare it with the working student’s hours so that their ‘hourly’ wage could 
be calculated. This would help verify that they were being equitably compensated for their 

 
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work. The response to question seven demonstrated how much working students are 
actually working: just shy of 
75% of them work six to 
seven days a week, as shown 
in figure 5. Many 
respondents when 
answering question eight 
indicated that they took on 
more work than was 
originally advertised in the 
job listing. One survey 
participant wrote: “I am a 
barn manager with the title, pay, and respect a working student would get. The work I do is 
skilled but not paid for”. This sentiment is reflected amongst the responses to question 
eight. Question nine saw responses that ranged from considering all the different horses 
they rode to being exposed to new connections at shows, or learning what it takes to 
manage a farm as what they found most rewarding about being a working student. In 
response to their least favorite aspects, survey participants wrote answers like “It is not 
sustainable” to “My boss is hot and cold. Sometimes she likes me, sometimes she don’t 
[sic]”. The answers to the survey were thorough and compelling. 

Interview Responses 
The interview responses ranged in tone, with three of the interviewees expressing their 
dissatisfaction of their experience, and one who “loved the working student experience”. All 
four were current working students, and 2 of them began being working students at age 16, 
with the other two beginning their roles at 18 and 20 years old, respectively. Interestingly, 
all four cited financial reasons as the initial motivation for seeking out working student jobs. 
For one interviewee, she said that becoming a working student “started as needing to pay 
the bills. Then, I thought about how horses were really my only passion, so I kept pursuing 
better working student positions as a way to break out into the industry.” Interviewees 
found their positions through old trainers, word-of-mouth, and a service called Yard and 
Groom, that is an equestrian specific job search site. One interviewee described the 

 
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evolution is her job as “a sign that my boss had faith in me and trusted me to do a good 
job. I loved having the opportunity to take on more responsibility, so I seized the 
opportunity to take it whenever it came up.” Another had a different perspective on being 
expected to do more work, describing it as “intensely demanding” noting that she never felt 
like the work was an “option”. She admitted that she felt if she had tried to say anything 
was too much, her boss would become angry, take away opportunities given to her, or 
worse, fire her. Two interviewees noted that in the job description, the positions had listed 
travelling to high-end shows or being able to ride the stables horses, but their bosses never 
delivered on those aspects of the job. “If I had known I couldn’t ride”, said one respondent 
who did not own her own horse, “I would have looked elsewhere. The point was to become 
a better, more well-rounded equestrian”. The variety in payments was rather diverse, 
ranging from someone who received no payment, but 20% of the sale commission received 
by the trainer they worked for, to another who got housing, board, and a stipend of $125 a 
week for her 6 day, 12 hours a day work week caring for 30 horses. All of them noted that 
while receiving housing or board was helpful, they felt like the work they did warranted 
more economic recognition. The relationship between boss and employee ranged for each 
respondent as well. One said she “adored her boss. She was patient and understanding 
and really helped to support me”, whereas the other three had less healthy interactions. 
One boss was “prone to yelling, at least once a day”, and another left their working student 
feeling like they “couldn’t hold boundaries without repercussion, you don’t really have a 
voice in the matter...because they control where you live and what you are getting paid, you 
feel obligated to help. It’s hard to say no when you’re right there and they don’t see a 
reason why you’re available”. Finally, all four students felt they learned how to run an 
equine business--both in terms of what to do and what not to do--and wanted other 
working students to look hard for the right position for them. The responses to these 
interview questions showed personal and individualized experiences of the working 
student. 

 
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Discussion 

Based on the data, it is clear that working students do not find their payments for their 
work sustainable. The majority of survey responses and interview responses outlined that 
the payment they recieve for the work that they do is not equivalent, and that they find 
themselves unable to support their horse, love of the sport, or themselves. It is no secret 
that the equestrian sport is costly; however, this should not be a barrier to people wanting 
to participate in the hunter jumper world. The USEF motto itself begins with the goal to 
“provide access and increase participation” to the sport, which will be dramatically reduced 
if young professionals find themselves financially discouraged from entering the field due 
to the unfair underpayment they receive for their work. Additionally, by taking advantage of 
their drive, ambition, and ability to support themselves, employers will find huge rates of 
burnout amongst their working students. Many of the interviewees confided that their 
relationship with their boss did not make them feel like they could ask for sick days or 
vacation, which is crucial to people’s ability to perform quality work and feel like their 
employers care about them. With the advent of social media and global connectedness, 
now more than ever working students are able to share their experiences--positive or 
negative--with other equestrians across the country and around their globe, and start 
taking measures to reduce the chronic mistreatment of working students into their own 
hands. Not only does this have the potential to reflect badly upon USEF, but it has the 
potential to undermine their whole mission statement that aims to undermine their whole 
goal of increasing participation and ensuring safety and enjoyment in the riding world. By 
creating legislation that standardizes and protects working students, USEF can show they 
are sincere and proactive about promoting the best interests of their members.  

Limitations 
The report would benefit from a truly financial and in-depth analysis of the economics 
behind the exchange of work for housing, board, or lessons. Applying concrete 
mathematical calculations to this data will enable USEF to see a practical example of how 
these working student agreements are actually affecting their financial states and why that 
might drive people out of the industry. Additionally, the working student program is 
positioned uniquely in the letter of the law, with the Fair Labor and Standards Act not fully 

 
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encompassing the type of employment these programs are. Finally, a culture change in the 
industry needs to happen to help empower working students to set boundaries, keep a 
physical copy of their payment and working hours, and develop quality relationships with 
their employers. The fear that working students have around losing their jobs and 
opportunities by speaking out about injustices makes it harder to show the extent of this 
problem. Of course, not all working students have miserable experiences. The working 
student jobs provide many connections, practical experiences, and honest perspectives of 
what it is like to work in the equestrian world.  

Conclusion 

The USEF would benefit from bringing in more nuanced analysis from lawyers and 
economists to the issue that working students are underpaid, overworked, and exploited. 
From the primary research I have conducted, it is clear that in the working student 
population there is a sentiment that the work they do, payment they make, and treatment 
they receive, just does not equate economically to the experience and connections they get 
in exchange. The industry by no means should eradicate or discourage such 
programs--many barns rely on the exuberance and dedication working students bring into 
them. There is no doubt that working student positions have the capacity to develop 
well-rounded compassionate horse people. Most professionals take the route of being a 
working student to get perspective on the industry and break out into it. However, 
proactive regulation of the working student programs will ensure that the USEF mission is 
fulfilled, and truly fulfill the promises that these working student positions offer. 

   

 
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References 

Berendt, T. (2020, January 12). Education or Exploitation? The Alarming Financial 

Realities of Grooms and Working Students. Retrieved April 3, 2020, from 
https://www.noellefloyd.com/blogs/sport/education-or-exploitation-working-students-groo
ms-and-fair-compensation  

Mintz, L. (2019, February 12). Working Students: Tradition or Trouble? Retrieved 

April 3, 2020, from 
https://useventing.com/news-media/news/working-students-tradition-or-trouble  

Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2020 from 
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa  

Lenaghan, J. A., & Sengupta, K. (2007). Role conflict, role balance and affect: A model 
of well being of the working student. Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, 9(1), 
88-109. 

Our Vision & Mission. (2020). Retrieved April 4, 2020, from 

https://www.usef.org/about-us/our-mission-values 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. (2016, December). Retrieved April 28, 

2020, from ​https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/elg/osha.htm#EmplRights 

Prasad, B., & Thakur, C. (2019). Chronic Overworking: Cause Extremely Negative 
Impact on Health and Quality of Life. I​ nt. J. Adv. Microbiol. Health. Res​, ​3​(1), 11-15. 

 
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