first-time Large Animal experience

[akitavet]

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Okay so I have ridden horses on trails a time or two in my life. I even did equestrian clinic for a week the summer I was 9, LOL. My point is that I have very very little even animal experience with large animals. I would like to strenghten my application by getting some large animal experience, but how would one start. I have a special interest in small animal reproductive medicine, so I though the logical choice would be to find someone doing theriogenology for large animals and go from there. I am going to at least one equine clinic and maybe two if necessary this afternoon to talk to them and see if I cant job shadow for a day.

Here's the crux of my question...with my limited experience, Im afraid they wont be wild about me volunteering there once a week because of liability. Do you guys think I should go to one of the local barns (this is hunter jumper heaven up here in Chicago's north suburbs) and have some kind of horsemanship lessons or clinic or something like that to learn about everyday care for a horse? Alternatively, my cousin has a horse and maybe I could go down to Indiana and hang out with her for a day or two and have her show me a lot of what goes into caring for a horse. I have seen her as she preps him to ride and cleans him up after, etc. She's only 16, but she's very comfortable and knows exactly what to do.

 

[JIKJen124]

Sounds totally reasonable to call some of the hunter-jumper barns (if that's convenient) and explain that you're interested in learning some horsemanship as you wish to go to vet school. Every barn I know is always looking for extra hands, especially in the summer. They might put you to work grooming, doing turn-outs, and cleaning stalls, but it's all good large animal experience.

My suggestion is don't get discouraged in your search, have a positive attitude when you call, and work hard. If you have time, I'm sure spending a day or two with your cousin? might help make you more comfortable before you start.

 

[silverelf]

maybe see if you can work with small ruminants or pigs too...they are a lot smaller and not as dangerous if you are inexperienced....a kick from a goat isn't exactly going to land you in the hospital.

 

[Sassygirl]

Depending on the clinic, they might be more open to you volunteering if you do a lot of watching from outside the stall/pen at first. You might not get a lot of hands on experience but at least you will be able to see things and ask questions. As you get more comfortable around large animals, they might be willing to let you do more...

 

[Habibti]

Here's the crux of my question...with my limited experience, Im afraid they wont be wild about me volunteering there once a week because of liability.

Are you talking about the liability because you could get hurt or the liability because you could do something wrong to one of the animals? If you're talking about the first one, I'm almost certain they will have you sign a liability waiver saying 'I know I could get kicked and land in the hospital and I won't sue you for it'

 

[akitavet]

I cant imagine hurting one of the animals because I cant imagine them letting me do something where I have the potential to hurt one of the animals without being incredibly stupid.

 

[ckgilabert]

well, i know at cal poly pomona there is an equestrian center and students were allowed to join this new program where we could do foal watch. while the mare was pregnant we walked and groomed her. when she was about to give birth we got to check her milk and stuff and then when she was showing signs we got to sleep over and watch her give birth. Then there's the equine research center that i get to volunteer at where i groom the horses and maybe hold the lead when they're running on the treadmill.

my point was to see if there are any agriculture schools near you so that you can take advantage of learning with other students.

there's also an equine hospital that has a foal watch here where if there's a problem...then you can assist with handling the foal and bottle feed it if necessary.

good luck!

also, check if there's a petting zoo nearby. i worked at one during the summer and there were a couple of horses that i got to handle. i called uc davis and they said that a petting zoo applies as animal experience.

 

[KittenKiller]

As for liability, those wavers dont hold water if something does actually happen. The law doesnt let you sign away your right to be hurt and/or killed. I dont know why they have those wavers, I think maybe they discourage people from suing because they think "oh damn but i signed a waiver."

Your situation sounds a bit tough, akitavet. Its hard to get experience working with horses since there are a ton of people willing not only to work for free, but to PAY to learn how to do things like tack a horse, groom a horse, etc. You might approach barns in your area about volunteering, but you might be disappointed with the amount of things they let you do, due to liability and the worry that something might happen to an expensive horse. You could also try shadowing a large animal/equine vet.


You might also consider taking a month to get out of the chicago area and into the countryside. People are less fussy outside of cities about things like liability, theyre more likely to let you get your hands dirty, especially in other countries where people dont sue eachother left and right 😉 People were talking about WWOOF in another thread, thats a cool program where you work on an organic farm in exchange for room and board. There are lots of animals you could work with through WWOOF. There are also working student programs both in the states and internationally, that teach you how to work with horses in exchange for room and board and sometimes pay.

Anyway, thats everything I can think of. Im from an urban area myself so I can relate to your predicament. Good luck!