While many high school students have a passion for learning about animals, not many have the opportunity to work with animals and get hands-on experience in the field. Justin Walters, a senior at Trinity High School, has taken care of horses since childhood and now has a job that allows him to work with horses at The Meadows Racetrack. 

Because Walters’ parents have been involved in equine training since they were children, Walters’ family always had horses while he was growing up. 

“I first started going to the barn and trying to help out when I was three years old,” Walters reminisced on his introduction to equine management. 

Because his parents work at The Meadows Racetrack, it was natural for Walters to begin working there to help with various tasks regarding horse care and training.

While Walters has many duties at The Meadows, he mainly cleans stalls and gets horses ready for their training sessions. He also has the opportunity to help his father, who trains horses that are just one year old. Together, they work to teach the young horses how to become racehorses. 

In describing the rewarding aspects of his job, Walters expressed, “My favorite part is training the horses with my dad because it is fun and exciting to see a horse’s transformation.”

Not every task at the racetrack is pleasant to complete, though. Walters commented that cleaning stalls and filling water buckets in the winter are his least favorite aspects of the job.

Walters isn’t discouraged by these challenges; instead, he comments that “they show me what hard work is.”

Even though there were no races held at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the horses still had to be taken care of every day, so Walters continued to work despite the racetrack’s temporary inactivity. 

Although many students do not have the opportunity to work with horses like Walters does, there are many job experiences available for those who are interested in working with animals. Local pet stores and humane societies can always use help cleaning cages, grooming, and completing other animal care tasks. There are also internship opportunities available at the Pittsburgh Zoo for students who are serious about pursuing a career in animal training and care. Even simple tasks such as pet-sitting and dog-walking are great opportunities to work with animals!