NG: Hi, I’m Nylah, and today I’m going to be interviewing Josie LeBlanc, who is a junior here at MVHS, about what it’s like to work on a horse farm and the pros and cons of having that job as a student. So, can you please provide a brief description of your job?
JL: I work at Webb Ranch, which is up near the Stanford Hospital, and basically we just do different tasks around the ranch the whole time. I muck stalls, I feed the horses, I get their poop, I take horses up and down to the lesson office and I help take people on trail rides, like little kids, especially. It’s less riding and more of just basic ranch management and work around.
NG: How did you choose this job?
JL: So, I have always kind of wanted to do horseback riding lessons when I was a kid, but it was too expensive. So now that I’m able to do them, I started doing lessons at Webb Ranch, because it was cheaper than doing it at Garrod Farms. So when I started doing lessons, after a while, my trainer asked me if I wanted to work there, and I said yes, because I needed a job. And also, it was a good opportunity for me, I think.
NG: And when did you start working with this job, and what was your prior experience with horses?
JL: Well, I have had some prior experience with horses. I’m not too experienced of a rider, just because I couldn’t take lessons when I was a child or anything. You don’t really need to know much about riding to actually work there. You kind of just need to be able to lift heavy things, and do basic tasks and management of the ranch outside. You also need to know how to be around horses. I work five hours Wednesday after school, five hours Friday after school and then six hours on Saturday and Sunday.
NG: That’s a lot of time working on the farm. So how do you balance it with academics, school life and family life?
JL: I think for academics, my academic workload is very light this year. So I also have not been too stressed about academics this year. Last year, if I were to do this, I would have probably been dying, but this year, I’m doing pretty well managing that. And I just generally, I really enjoy my job. So I think that helps. It’s not something I dread. I look forward to it, and I get very excited about it every week. So, it’s not something that truly takes too much stress on my life, because I like spending my free time that way, on top of the fact that I get paid.
NG: What is the part about your job that you love the most, and keeps you wanting to stay there for five hours after school?
JL: I like just being around the horses in general. I like animals, and I like nature, and I like being outside, and at Webb, it’s just a very beautiful area; it’s surrounded by mountains, and it forces you to look at the sky, and the sun’s really pretty there, because it’s just sky. I work more hours, too, because I like the money. So that’s another part of it. But I also just really just enjoy being around horses. So I think that’s the biggest thing. I can pay for my friends’ food at Chipotle. Also, I’m saving. I’m glad that I can save a lot of my money now, and I’m trying to save up, so eventually, I can have enough money to get a car, pay for gas, do that stuff. Having a job in general is nice after school, because it gives you something. For me, it gives me something to look forward to because I really enjoy having this job.
NG: Definitely. Is this job in specific very important to you, or do you think it’s a job in general?
JL: For me, this job, in specific, is very important to me, because I want to do something like this in my future. Especially in this school, I feel like I have a different idea of what I want to do in my future than a lot of other people. I like having this job because I can get that experience and work experience for going into agriculture, ranch management or maybe being a park ranger in the future. Or a Wrangler. And so for me, this job, not only do I enjoy it, but it’s also just really important to me, because I can get that experience.
NG: And then what values has this job taught you? Like, what’s your biggest takeaway?
JL: This job is important, because it’s taught me a lot about how to multitask. There’s a lot of different tests that need to be done. And a lot of the time, there’s not a lot of people on shift. So, it’s really important that you are getting stuff done quickly and efficiently. There’s a lot of different things that need to be done, like supplements and all. And it’s a good way to just kind of get thrown into something, and being told to figure it out instead of, like, being slowly taught how to do it, you can figure stuff out, doing, you can figure out how to do stuff on your own. And I think it’s also just really important. I think it’s really important for me to be outside. I just really like nature, and I think that that’s important in my life.
NG: Okay, well, thank you so much for this interview, and for sharing your experience with this really impactful job, and your passion for it was really, really inspiring.
JL: Thank you, thank you for having me on your podcast, Nylah.
Music: “Grass Skirts” by beacon trees | Used with permission
