Job Description

Join Land O’Lakes, Inc., and help us bring food from farmer to fork. We’re a global, Fortune 250 company and a farmer-owned cooperative. While benefits can vary by location and role, most offer:
 
•    Medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D; short- and long-term disability insurance 
•    Retirement savings plan and profit-sharing plan, both with company match
•    Paid time off and paid holidays, plus paid benefits for maternity and parental leaves

Equine Research Intern

Purina Animal Nutrition Center in Gray Summit, MO is looking for an intern for the equine research unit. The equine research unit at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center conducts research focused on four main areas of physiology including exercise, growth and development, palatability and eating behavior, and digestive physiology and the microbiome. The unit houses approximately 75 horses ranging in age from newborn foals to senior horses.

The primary focus of this position will be handling younger horses and working on basic groundwork and desensitization of a dozen or more horses. This role will require a minimum of 2 years’ experience in colt starting or young horse training. References will be required. No horses will be ridden during this internship. 

This includes but is not limited to:

Leading, tying, trailer loading, giving to pressure, clipping and running on the treadmill, if age appropriate. 
Assist with daily chores at the equine unit: daily feeding, maintenance, horse care, and husbandry.
Daily research and sample collection associated with the nutritional research projects being conducted at the equine research unit.
Opportunities to meet with local salespeople, researchers, and sponsored ambassadors may be available. 

Experience/Education Requirements:

Student pursuing bachelor’s degree in Colt Starting or a Horse Training or related field
2 years of horse handline experience
Ability to lift 50 lbs.
Ability to work primarily Monday-Friday 7-3:30pm, some weekends may be required and will be outlined in advance of scheduling

Preferred Competencies/Skills:

Passion for horses, training and an interest in a future career in the equine industry or feed sales. 
Strong verbal and written communication skills with customer focus
Self-starter with strong Leadership, Initiative, Accountability

Other Internship Details:

Housing is included as part of this internship (located at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center)
This is a paid hourly internship starting at $15 per hour

If interested, please submit the following:

A resume specifically focusing on horse training experience Cover Letter: A short (1-2 paragraph) explanation on your philosophy of horse training and reference contact information