Wrangler Internships

Painted Bar Stables is proud to offer our Wrangler Internship program.
This Program is fast paced and filled with opportunities only gained by working in the industry.

Fill Out Our Intake Questionaire!

For More information about our program please contact us by email [email protected].

A leader in the trail riding industry in the Finger Lakes Region, Painted Bar Stables is a 120 acre ranch and stable located on Seneca Lake in the beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country. The stables owns and maintains roughly 35 head of well trained and versatile trail and lesson horses along with mares, babies and our stallion.

Internships allow individuals to dabble in all aspects of what it would be like to own and work in a public equine facility: Trail Guiding and Instruction, Tourism Industry and Client Care, Equine Schooling and Training, Public Relations and Marketing, Working with Young Stock Handling, Veterinary Care, etc...

As an intern you will have the opportunity to work in the riding and general management divisions of the farm. Every day duties will include feeding, checking horses, grooming, guiding trail rides, helping with camp programs, and maintaining a clean professional working environment.

Depending on the ride schedule and time of year, interns may be involved with supporting:
trail rides, clinics, endurance races, hunter paces, trek guiding, horse sales prep, foal handling,
routine medical care such as worming, vaccinations, farrier and dentist scheduling.

And above all else, Interns will be able to further develop their own riding and training skills while riding in lessons as well as recieving unlimited access for recreation to the available horses at the stables.

We require a commitment of an 10 week minimum, with priority given to those who will stay longer.

What's Happening in the Barn Seasonally

While Painted Bar Stables is not a seasonal business, there is a seasonal shift:

SPRING SEASON
Reboot of our lesson program, preping horses for spring endurance races for students,
steady increase in trail riders, breeding of our stallion to a couple mares, birth of foals usually in late spring or early summer

SUMMER SEASON
Tourism Trail Rides, Summer Camps, Youth Programs

FALL SEASON
Foliage and wine tourists trail rides, boost in our lesson program, organizing for winter

WINTER SEASON
Schooling and training of horses, incoming training clients, winter maintenance,
winter trail rides as requested, lessons focused on bareback riding and technical riding

Because Summer (July - September) is our busiest season as well as the highest demand for internships, we usually do specific interviewing for internships at that time in March or earlier. All other seasons have lower competition for internships because most students are at university.

Compensation:

This is a full time commitment for on-site staff.

We provide everything you need to live on the farm:
Shared housing on the farm in our furnished intern apartment
Utilities and Internet
Laundry On Site

Unlimited Recreational Riding

Inclusion in Riding Lessons

Cash pay includes a weekly food and living stipend of $150

Additional commission pay available for guiding trail rides.

Shared tips and individually earned tips (averaging $150+/month)

Total Compensation of Above Listed Barter + Cash Pay = $2400 / month

Requirements:

Riders of all skill levels accepted as riding skills can be taught and improved; however, assigned duties with the horses will vary based on proficiency with horses. Preference is for accomplished riders as a main benefit of the internship is the opportunity for unlimited schooling.

Must be 18 years or older.

Individuals must be quick and proactive learners, energetic, optimistic, reliable and professional.
Capable of interacting with clients and the public on a regular basis, extroverts preferred

Must be able to lift an 50# bag of grain unassisted.

Must have a cell phone with text and email capability.

Basic Computer skills required

We suggest having a vehicle of your own

Preferred Skills and Abilities include: advanced riding skills, topographical and map reading skills, experience in tourism businesses, public speaking, marketing and public relations, and experience designing and implementing projects.

Minimum Commitment: 10 Weeks

We do not allow personal horses to accompany interns as past experiences have proven them to be a distraction from the learning benefits of working with a multitude of different horses within our stables.

Pets and companion animals are not allowed to reside in the shared intern apartment.

For More information about our program please contact us by email [email protected].

If you would like to apply, please fill out our intake questionaire and send a resume, references and a short video of you riding and/or pictures by email. You can also follow us on our Painted Bar Stables facebook page.

Fill Out Our Intake Questionaire!

Internship Q&A

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BARN COMMUNITY?

Our stable is a bit different than many East Coast stables. We are a very relaxed and casual community. Our community dress code ranges from western casual (jeans, cowboy boots and a t-shirt) to breeches and tall boots and the goal for every rider is just as different and far ranging. Everyone here is treated as equals and employees and clients are also friends. It's not just about the money and the hierarchy. Erika is always the boss-lady, but it is more like visiting a friend out of town - it's their house and you need to follow their rules, but everyone is an equal person at the table.

Interns are given a lot of freedom but also a lot of responsibility in the barn. The goal of the internship is not just to do chores and school horses (though that is a part of it) but to also participate in what it would be like to run a barn of your own. The only way to do that is to have the freedom to try, fail, succeed and figure it out.

WHAT IS DAILY LIFE AT THE STABLES LIKE?

At our stables, things do ebb and flow depending on the season but some things remain the same:

Morning chores are at 8:00am (unless there are no clients and we decide horses are getting a morning off in the fields).
Finish any stalls that were not finished the evening before, Feed Horses Grain, Fill Water Troughs, Check Horses (wounds, sickness and lameness), Turn out any horses on daytime turnout, Fill water buckets, groom horses
If multiple people do tasks simultaneously this can take just an hour or just a little more.

Afternoon chores are done around noon.
Feed hay in stalls, Afternoon grain, check water buckets, make sure arena manure buckets aren't full

Evening chores are usually done around the start of the last lesson or trail ride of the day.
Check hay levels in field, fill water troughs, turn out horses, clean stalls, empty arena manure buckets, sweet aisles, tidy up
The seasonal extras change a bit. Right now in the winter, for instance, we don't have a lot of trail rides.

Our interns are working on projects and keeping the horses working and schooling. We are also starting to train some of our younger horses how to "ride" (meaning walk and steer with a rider, they are too young for much else). We also have a couple horses that were injured that are getting back to work as well.