Horse experience on application?

[kakurubird]

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I feel like I've seen something similar answered before, but I've tried a few different search combinations and can't find anything, so...

For those of you who have been riding for years, how did you (did you even?) list this on your application?

I do have a while until I apply, so this obviously isn't pressing, but I'm just curious how others have dealt with it.

 

[KittyRex]

I feel like I've seen something similar answered before, but I've tried a few different search combinations and can't find anything, so...

For those of you who have been riding for years, how did you (did you even?) list this on your application?

I do have a while until I apply, so this obviously isn't pressing, but I'm just curious how others have dealt with it.

Hi Kukurubird.
There are several different categories for listing experiences on the VMCAS application (Veterinary, Animal, Work, Honors & Awards and Community Service... if I remember correctly)

I would definitely list your equine experience, even if it wasn't veterinary-related because it shows that you have some experience with and are comfortable handling large animals. I listed my equine experience (training, working for a horse breeder and competitive riding) under the "Animal Experience" and that seemed to work out well. The most difficult part was finding current contact information for horse people that I worked for AGES ago.

Good luck! And

 

[Raimes]

I also listed my "work" under animal experiance, because I volunteered to do the work, I was a barn rat, and I have been showing competitively for years. I am still currently showing also.

 

[No Imagination]

If you can't work it into your "work" history, and its important to you (Above poster is right, many schools hold large animal experience in high regards), work it into your personal statement.

If its important, work it into both your work history (or volunteer work) as well as your personal statement. I certainly wouldn't leave that kind of experience out.

 

[tpad40]

Definitely include it!! At least in my case, horses are a huge part of my life, and a major factor into my decision to pursue a career as a veterinarian.

I've been riding my whole life and listed it under animal experience on my VMCAS app. I am primarily interested (as of right now) in equine medicine so I aslo brought up my experience in my personal statement. I also taught riding for many years and listed that under employment. In addition, I listed a couple very significant awards I had won under awards + honors.

In fact, I should probably go to the barn today...I have been a very dead-beat mom this month - I swear this application process is taking over my life! Hopefully it will all be worth it

 

[kakurubird]

tpad40, since hours have to be listed for animal experiences (right?), did you just come up with some general estimate going all the way back?

 

[tpad40]

Ya...it was a little random and really large! I made a little chart on excel and estimated the number of hours each school year and each summer and then guestimated from there.

 

[DVMorBust]

Another lifelong horseback rider here...I just included my actual work experience, although I was lucky enough to have a few thousand hours between a few stable hand jobs, a working student stint, grooming, and instructing. Then for the 'just riding' part (whatever I didn't get paid for), I mentioned in my personal statement how riding affected my decision to go to vet school - work ethic, owning a horse and the responsibility it brought at a young age, etc. etc.

 

[Groominator]

Hijack - would you count animal-related work under animal experience or under work experience. For example I've been grooming for four years now, which is of course small animal experience. Would that sort of thing be better put under animal or work experience? Or would animal experience be more for miscellaneous stuff like volunteer stuff, dog shows, etc?

 

[DVMorBust]

I put all of my animal-related work experience under 'animal experience'. I think I remember someone (here?) saying that it's best to do it that way so all relevant info is in one area - and non-related work experience is all that should go in the work experience.

Edited to add: There is a section on it for "did you receive payment for this experience". Format's the same for all animal/vet experience, you just mark the box if you were employed for it. Which led me to believe that 'animal' was the defining quality for that group of experiences, not the payment or lack thereof...

...it's been a long day. It goes in animal experience.

 

[Groominator]

I see, I see 🙂 Thank you.

Sorta a follow up, for those of you that are involved in riding, horse and/or dog shows and stuff like that - how do you calculate the hours put in? Or can it be quantified in something other than hours?

Heh I'm not familiar with the application yet, just speculating.

 

[DVMorBust]

For each animal experience you input, there are the following fields (starred are required):
*Type of experience
*Location (city/state)
*Description of duties (480 characters max)
Contact phone number
*Start date (month/year)
End date
Average weekly hours
*Total number of hours
and then a checklist for what type of animal experience.

so, basically, calculate an average weekly hours and multiplied by length of time, then put in the explanation section clarification if it was seasonal/etc. a sentence along the lines of '50 hrs/week June-August' (if it was, say, an intense summer position) would work fine.

Once you get into longevity, it's not as imperative to have exact hours. I doubt anyone would nitpick about putting '200' instead of '202.5' or even '1500' over '1490'.