THE WILLIAM H. MINER AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Summer Experience

Equine Management

Overview

The emphasis of this program is the management of a commercial equine facility and improved horse handling and training skills. Students will learn ground training techniques including halter breaking, lungeing, longlining, and ground driving. The versatility of the Morgan and varied ages and abilities of horses at Miner Institute allow for students to experience many different disciplines to varying degrees: saddleseat, huntseat, dressage, western pleasure and driving. Students become proficient at stallion handling, semen collection, and processing as well as broodmare management. Students will have an opportunity to participate in other Miner Farm operations including milking, pasture management, and a variety of field work activities. All students will be asked to work long hours on occasion, but no more so than would normally be expected on a busy farm. Students work approximately every other weekend.

Sessions on relevant topics such as nutrition, reproduction, training, health and field crops will be held throughout the summer as well as occasional field trips. Instructors include Miner Institute faculty members Katie Ballard, Heather Dann, Wanda Emerich, Rick Grant, Karen Lassell, and graduate students. The small group size makes it possible to tailor the program to better meet the needs of each student. Students interested in careers in stable or breeding management, agricultural extension, and veterinary medicine have found this program to be particularly useful.

Each student will choose a project horse to evaluate, train, and work towards marketing for sale. Responsibilities for this project will include working closely with Miner faculty to progress the horse's skills and may include preparing photographs and a video of the horse as well as accurately describing the horse and its strengths for advertising. Miner Institute's research program includes aspects in the equine area such as stallion semen preservation, nutrition, and horse behavior. If equine research is underway, students will be involved in many aspects of data collection and evaluation working closely with the principal investigators.

Enrollments, Credits, & Compensation

This program is available to agriculture and life science students in their junior or senior years of study. The number of students for the Equine Management program is limited to ensure the intensity of this “hands-on” experience. Equine Management applicants must be at least intermediate riders. Students are encouraged, but not required, to register for college credit at their home institution. Students are responsible for determining which option best suits their courses of study. These programs are designed as 4-credit courses, although other arrangements may be made through the student’s home institution.

Each student’s wage for the semester is $3,000, this includes housing in the Middleton Miller Student Housing Complex and breakfast and lunch each weekday in our on-site cafeteria.  A refundable $100 security deposit for the room is deducted from the first paycheck.

The 2024 program begins May 20 and ends August 16.

To Apply

Applicants are required to provide the following:

  • Completed Summer Experience application
  • A copy of college transcript, does not have to be official
  • Two letters of recommendation, one must be from a previous employer
  • Letter outlining career goals and reasons for application
  • Short video of you riding (DVD, MPG digital clip, or link to online video)

* Non-US residents should contact Miner Institute for additional details prior to completing application process.

Miner Institute provides equal employment opportunities.

Send completed applications and letters of recommendation by Feb. 15 to:

Karen Lassell
Equine Manager
Miner Institute
1034 Miner Farm Rd.
P.O. Box 90
Chazy, New York 12921
lassell@whminer.com
518-846-7121, ext. 120
518-846-8445 (fax)

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