Annie, a grade 12 student at Gisele Lalonde, has just completed a 100-hour co-op with Centaur Riding School in Navan. Mike, owner of the school, taught the aspiring vet about grooming, breeding, giving medication. “It was really great for me,” Annie says. “I learned more than I thought I was going to get to learn.”
During the co-op, Annie took care of a sick newborn foal, and went on a trip to the closest animal hospital in St. Hyacinthe, where the baby horse was treated.
“It is life experience which is so valuable,” she says. “I’m a lot more certain now that that’s what I want to do”
Annie’s interest in horses was sparked seven years ago when she started riding at the school. She approached Mike in hopes of gaining some practical knowledge and see if it was a career she might want to pursue.
“This kind of experience will really help me to stand out in the application process for school,” she says. From her and her mother’s research, only 33% of students who apply to veterinary school get accepted.
Mike, who runs the farm along with his wife Shirley, says he couldn’t be more pleased with how the partnership worked out.
He says he was sceptical at first when approached about having a co-op student; he hadn’t always seen it work out very well. “I tend to make spontaneous decisions and there was something about Annie," Mike remarks. "I thought, why not give somebody a chance and I really lucked out. She has really good work ethic and you could tell she is here for the animals and for a chance to learn.”
“She was a hard worker – she did lots of physical labour, mucking out the barns, feeding the horses, and she never even complained,” he adds, giving Annie a wink.
“I really wanted to do something to give back to the community and it turns out this was a great way to do it.”
Annie’s mother, Suzanne Perron, says she was floored by the time and effort Mike put into teaching. “I can’t tell you how much Annie took away from the co-op. Mike went above and beyond to make it a good experience for her and she learned so much.”
“As a single mother of two teenagers I can say that these kinds of opportunities are difficult to come by.”
The school also offers a chance for young students have opportunity to work for their lessons, which can be expensive. Youth 12 years and older can work on Saturdays for school credit or for horse leases.
Mike says he would consider taking on another co-op student. “We will look at it on a case by case basis – but it’ll be hard to find someone like Annie.”
