The Importance of Being an Intern in Many Horse-Related Careers, and Beyond

By Loralye Page, Sage Argent, and Sarah Evers Conrad

In honor of National Intern Day, we wanted to share the importance of being an intern when you are headed out into a future career, whether it’s in the horse industry or beyond. It’s an invaluable experience to learn a lot and to get hands-on experience. We are sharing the experiences and tips from one staff member in the USPC National Office, our current marketing intern at the National Office, and also our current Marketing Director. Learn what it’s like from these tips for having a horse internship.

Loralye Page

Loralye, a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky, is USPC’s Activities and Events Coordinator, who joined the Activities Department in June 2025.

A good internship is the pathway to a great career. In this day and age, connections and experience will get you where you need to go. During my time at the University of Kentucky, I completed two internships—one with the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) and the other with the University of Kentucky (UK) Ag Equine Programs. Before considering these internships, I assumed I would end up using my degree in Equine Science and Management to work on a farm. I never dreamed of enjoying an office job. That all changed with internships.

My first experience with an internship was fully remote. CHA, being a small non-profit which certifies riding instructors and riding facilities, allowed their interns to work from home, meeting consistently with a supervisor throughout the process. This challenged my integrity to work when no one was watching. Through this internship, I realized my love for improving corporate structure and function. I was tasked to redesign a membership survey, which led down many rabbit trails of other changes to be made in the future.

My internship with CHA lead me to apply for another with the UK Ag Equine Programs in Communications and Student Relations. Here I made invaluable connections in the equine industry through trade fair, prospective student, and alumni events. At this point I was in my senior year of college looking for career opportunities. Compared to what I was looking for in my freshman year, this was a complete 180. I went from looking for assistant training/farm management positions to communications and event planning. This internship provided me with opportunities to design curriculum, publish articles, and lead industry tours. All things I never would have dreamed of if I had not stepped outside of my comfort zone and picked internships in office positions.

Through these internships, I found my current position with the United States Pony Clubs. It was through word of mouth that I was made aware of an opening in the Activities Department. My supervisor in the UK Ag Equine Programs was involved with USPC and sent the application on my way knowing I would be a good fit. Every one of my professors was offering to be a reference for my job application for Pony Club because I had been an intern and they knew my work ethic. This was all because I chose an internship that I originally wasn’t sure about and put my best foot forward.

Internships are a college student’s best opportunity to make a name for themselves in their industry. They meet people with real-world connections and get firsthand experience. There are countless learning and skill development possibilities in internships. I am very thankful for the opportunities that I had through my college career program. Without those internships I am not sure where I would be.

My advice, if you are considering going to college, check out their career development programs and see what internships their alumni have done. If you are currently in college, try something new. This is the time to explore, because you will never know you love something if you do not try it. Just remember, whether you love your internship or not, always put forth your best effort. You never know who is watching and might have connections later down the line in your career.

Sage Argent

Sage, a recent graduate of William Woods University, applied for the marketing internship at USPC and is the current Content Creator for the Marketing Department for the summer.

Internships are great opportunities for you to grow as a professional in any field that you’re interested in. This is especially true for equestrian internships. While many internships in the industry are unpaid, the knowledge gained is the most valuable part.

For me, I have done two internships that pertain to the career that I have been working towards. I started at my alma mater, William Woods University, an equestrian college that focuses on giving students a chance to further their education in the equine industry. They have four disciplines for students to ride in: hunter/jumper, western, dressage, and saddleseat. The goal is to produce an industry professional who can not only handle horses efficiently and ethically but also build professional work relationships.

My focus was in equine general studies with a concentration in media, and my goals were focused on being able to have an artistic take on the equine industry. It is a niche corner of the industry compared to training horses or being a barn manager, but one that has a lot of potential for unique internship opportunities.

At the “Woods,” as we called it, my interest in equine photography allowed me to do an internship with the equestrian department. It encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and start networking with professionals who have aided me in my growth as a photographer. I was more than a student at this moment and really started to get my foot in the door.

Thanks to this, I was able to meet Avis Girdler, a well-known equine photographer who would come to the barn during the fall for portraits. I was able to learn a lot about my camera equipment and how it would impact my ability to take great photos during horse shows as well as being able to have good client relationships.

My internship with Woods allowed me to get where I am now. I am currently a marketing intern at the United States Pony Clubs (USPC) after finding a posting on the American Horse Publications (AHP) career page, and I have learned a lot more about the marketing side of the equine industry and Pony Club in general.

Having these two internships has really helped me find my place after graduating from college, and I couldn’t think of a better opportunity than USPC to start as a professional. I have been learning more about what readers would like to see in an article, how to design graphics that are appealing to the eye, and what the best course of action would be to attract more readers.

The most important thing about starting an internship is understanding that not knowing all the details is okay. You’re there to build your knowledge and learn. It is something to help you build your resume and will allow you to be a more desirable candidate when job-searching.

You get the most out of your internship when you express a desire to learn everything. Having an open-minded mentality during an internship guarantees you that you’ll have more to put on your resume. The more skills you’re able to show on your resume, the more an employer will see you as a potential candidate.

Sarah Evers Conrad

Sarah has been the USPC Marketing and Communications Director since 2022. She has had a career in marketing and in equestrian journalism, both inside and outside of the horse industry.

Many may already have seen my bylines on the blog and in the magazine. I actually kicked off my career as an intern, which was an amazing experience, and I have also managed interns. I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a double major in print journalist and agriculture with a focus on equine science. My career has included working for multiple equine publications (The Horse and Horse Illustrated/Young Rider), the United States Equestrian Federation, a travel agency that specialized in all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico, and also as a business owner with my own agency doing marketing, consulting, and writing content of all kinds. But it all started with an internship at the International Arabian Horse Association (IAHA, which ended up merging with the Arabian Horse Registry to become the Arabian Horse Association).

I found my internship through my equestrian studies professor, who had seen an advertisement for the internship sent out by the American Horse Publications, which has united equine-related publishing media, businesses, media professionals, colleges, and students for over 50 years. I was lucky to get it, and I traveled all the way from Kentucky to Colorado for a summer and lived with strangers, who are now some of my closest friends, and get to work for the official magazine of the organization. I think it’s where I first began to love working for an equine association. It’s where I feel most at home. I had a full summer writing, searching for photography, learning to edit, and work with editors and graphic designers.

My editor from that summer ended up telling me about the Editorial Assistant job at The Horse, and my career was off and running. Since then, I’ve also managed both virtual and in-person internships. Below are some tips from my experience as an intern and as a manager.

• Ask professors, other students, and any mentors you may have if they know of any internships or professional organizations that fit with your desired career path.
• Ensure your resume and cover letter are perfect. There’s a lot of recommendations I could make here, but the most important things to do are to ensure both highlight any prior experience or education and why you are interested and what you hope to learn from the experience. In addition, make sure you have someone who is really good with editing review both the cover letter and resume.
• Have someone give you a mock interview to practice your answers and to reduce nerves.
• Make sure you are professional, punctual, and follow through with anything you say you will do and with any assignments.
• Do not overcommit yourself when you have an internship, because you don’t want a busy life to impact your ability to learn and grow from the experience.
• Ensure you are aware of the commitment involved and all the specifics of your internship before you accept.
• Communicate well with your supervisor before and during the internship, ask questions while you work there.
• If there is anything you would especially like to learn during your internship, ask if that is possible.
• Be curious and try to learn all you can from the entire experience.
• Ask for a letter of reference afterward or if they will be on your list of references.
• If you get the chance to attend any events, see if your supervisor will introduce you to people within the related industry. The horse industry in particular is a small industry, and you may end up working with someone you meet later.

Share with Us

We would love to hear if you’ve had an interesting internship in the horse industry and how your experience in Pony Club may have helped you get the internship or helped during the internship. Feel free to email us your experiences to marketing@ponyclub.org.