Riding Internship
The internship program at Oldfields is our own creative take on the traditional working student model. Our interns are an invaluable part of the team. Beyond basic barn duties, they are also responsible for managing the care of each horse, riding school horses to maintain fitness and training, leading trail rides, assisting with events and clinics, ensuring the success and wellbeing of students, and so much more. Interns receive lessons with our trainers, hands-on instruction in barn management, showing and clinic opportunities, networking opportunities with industry professionals, and the ability to learn from a dynamic team with a combined 150+ years of horse experience.
We support our interns' individual riding goals and encourage them to discover how they fit into the Oldfields and greater horse community. Applicants are encouraged to reach out early if interested.
Our ideal intern
- A recent college graduate or young adult with a solid English riding and horse care background who is…
- passionate about the horse industry
- enjoys the intellectual spirit of a school
- seeks and takes advantage of opportunities
- wants to involve themselves in a close-knit community
There is unlimited potential to become involved on campus or in the surrounding community. It is our hope that our interns will stay with us and grow, or use this position to prepare themselves for the next step in their professional careers.
Internships are a six-month to a year-long commitment with acceptances made on a rolling basis. Interns work approximately 50 hours/week and are eligible for benefits, health insurance, on-campus housing, and an hourly wage.
MEET OUR current INTERNS
Emma Lach '18
Biography coming soon
Past Interns
Gabrielle Bernier '16
Gabrielle graduated from Oldfields School in 2016 before attending the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC. While at Oldfields, she competed in IEA; local and national Hunter, Jumper, and Equitation circuits; and catch rode sales horses for various A circuit trainers. She competed at USEF Pony Finals with her large pony, Molly Bloom, who later lived on campus with a leaser after Gabrielle graduated! While here, she also purchased Belmonte, her jumper horse who never left and is still a beloved school horse in the stables. After leaving Oldfields, she began exercise riding steeplechase horses, galloping in timber races, and exercise riding race horses at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD and Saratoga Race Track in Saratoga, NY.
Gabrielle returned to Oldfields to join the internship program while pursuing her Master’s in Public Health. She is a gifted and tactful rider who enjoys the training process from start to finish and brings that same focus to her work in the barn. The students love learning from her and watching her work with the horses who are transitioning from their competitive careers to their new lives at Oldfields. Gabrielle lives on campus with her roommate and coworker, Chloe, and her cat, Caper.
Chloe Bates
Chloe graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Communication and Spanish in 2020. While studying abroad in Spain during her junior year, she turned to local riding opportunities to ease her homesickness. These experiences became a catalyst for her future. During the winter break of her senior year, she spent a month in South Africa working at a riding company. When she returned, she accepted a job as a wrangler at a working guest ranch in Wyoming.
During this period of self-discovery and globetrotting, she discovered her passion for promoting diversity, equity, and representation for equestrians of color across disciplines. She joined Strides for Equality Equestrians, a nonprofit that is committed to this very mission, to coordinate their design and marketing efforts. She is also an active Eventer in USEA Area 2, volunteering at local events and serving on the Organizing Committee for the MARS Maryland 5 Star in 2022. Now, she brings these same interests and passion to Oldfields. She loves working with the horses and riders to improve their fitness through dressage and trail rides. She enjoys sharing her non-traditional experiences with the students to encourage them to think outside of the box. She works closely with Amy to bring Eventing opportunities to our riders.
Chloe lives on campus with Gabrielle and Gabrielle’s cat, Caper. Chloe competes in Eventing with her pony, Stella, who also lives on campus.