Heeley administers an ointment to her horse, Zoey’s eye.
Some people spend their summers at the beach, and others spend them in the barn. Rachel Heeley’s summer was spent in the barn, caring for horses and learning how to manage an equine facility. Her love for horses didn’t begin with her internship, but at age five, when she started riding horses. Heeley’s mother rode horses while she was pregnant with her so, you could say Heeley’s love for horses started before she can even remember. Even with parents who didn’t have much of an agricultural background, Heeley rode horses and participated in The United States Pony Clubs throughout her childhood. Heeley also described riding as an opportunity for her and her mother to bond.
Now, Heeley is a second-year student in the agricultural business management program at the Institute of Applied Agriculture. Heeley completed her internship during the summer of 2018 at Windsor Manor Stables, a horse boarding and training barn located in Sandy Spring, Maryland. Windsor Manor Stables is a family-run operation that focuses on dressage although it is open to all equine disciplines. Heeley stated she chose Windsor Manor Stables because “I knew the manager for a long time and felt confident she could teach me the skills needed to run an equine business.”
During her internship, Heeley spent her time caring for the horses and maintaining the facility. Heeley stated that her favorite aspect of her internship was “being able to care for and interact with the horses.” This included caring for her own horse that had a major injury. Her horse was kicked in the chest, then contracted uveitis, inflammation of the middle layer of the eye called the uvea. Heeley was responsible for the care of the horse including applying ointments to the eye and giving injections. Heeley’s knowledge and skill set grew significantly during her internship, learning more about medical terminology and applications, as well as learning to work with a team and managing her time. In regard to what she learned from the experience, Heeley said, “I got a sense of a manager’s point of view rather than a boarder’s. Getting a managers viewpoint was a major learning experience for me.”
Some may consider this experience as a turn off, and never want to step foot in a barn again, but not her. Heeley’s internship helped solidify her career choice to pursue becoming an equine veterinarian because of all the vet and ophthalmologist appointments she got to learn from. Heeley has a backup plan to run an equine business, however being exposed to more veterinary tasks, Heeley decided that’s what she wants to pursue. After graduating from the IAA Heeley plans to get her bachelor’s degree in animal science at UMD, then go to veterinary school or graduate school to study animal genetics. Heeley stated “I love genetics, I’m a huge biology/genetics nerd. It’s so cool and interesting to learn about what makes us who we are.” With her aptitude for learning, it’s clear that Heeley will exceed in whichever career path she chooses to pursue.
