Meet Our Summer 2026 Equine Industry Readiness Interns

Texas Equine Education & Horsemanship™ welcomes five interns for the Summer 2026 semester

This summer, Texas Equine Education & Horsemanship™ is excited to welcome a new group of interns ready to take their equine education beyond the classroom and into the barn.

Our Summer 2026 internship cohort includes Grace Garland, Jaden Holt, Luke Painter, Emerson Rowe, and Josh Shibler. They come to Texas Equine™ with different educational backgrounds, levels of horse experience, and long-term career goals, but they share an important common interest: gaining the practical experience needed to better understand the equine industry.

One of the goals of the Texas Equine™ internship program is to help bridge the gap between learning about horses and learning what it means to actually work with them. Interns have opportunities to develop practical horsemanship skills while participating in the everyday responsibilities that come with caring for horses and maintaining an equine facility.

For some of our interns, the semester will build upon years of previous horse experience. For others, it will provide some of their first opportunities to consistently work with horses outside of a college classroom. We believe both starting points have value.

We are excited to introduce our Summer 2026 interns!

Grace Garland

Grace Garland is an Animal Science student in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at Texas A&M University and plans to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine after completing her undergraduate degree.

Although Grace did not grow up in the horse community, she already brings considerable animal-care experience to the internship. She completed the Allen High School Veterinary Medicine Program and accumulated more than 300 hours of hands-on clinical experience while training as a Certified Veterinary Assistant at Timber Ridge Animal Medical Center.  She also works at the Winnie Carter Wildlife Center, where her responsibilities include feeding, cleaning, restraint, habitat maintenance, and routine care for a diverse collection of animals—including horses, goats, zebras, camels, deer, and other species.

Grace hopes her time at Texas Equine will help her build both her practical horse-handling skills and her confidence. Her long-term goal is veterinary school, with equine medicine as the specialty she currently hopes to pursue.

For Grace, the internship represents an opportunity to complement a strong academic and veterinary foundation with something that cannot be completely replicated in a classroom: consistent, hands-on experience working with horses.

Jaden Holt

Jaden Holt comes to Texas Equine from Oklahoma State University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science on the pre-veterinary track along with an Equine Certificate. She previously earned an Associate in Agriculture from Paris Junior College.

Jaden's interests within the equine industry are broad. She is particularly interested in breeding as well as equine rescue and rehabilitation, but she is still exploring where she ultimately wants her career to take her.

While she entered the internship with limited hands-on horse experience beyond two college courses, Jaden has an extensive agricultural and animal background. Her involvement in FFA included horse judging and veterinary science, as well as showing chickens, goats, and pigs.  She has also gained professional animal-care experience as a pet stylist and through veterinary shadowing.

Jaden came to Texas Equine hoping to gain as much experience as possible and, especially, to encounter the kinds of situations that aren't always available in a traditional classroom. That willingness to learn is exactly what experiential education is about. There is a tremendous difference between knowing a concept academically and learning to apply that knowledge while working with real horses in a real barn.

Luke Painter

Luke Painter brings a unique combination of equine education, leadership, military experience, and a strong interest in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industries.

Luke attended Middle Tennessee State University and studied Horse Science for three semesters, completing 10 credit hours of Horse Science coursework, including two riding classes. His goal is eventually to work within the racing industry, preferably on the breeding side, although he remains open to exploring other areas of the industry.

Luke also serves as a Sergeant in the Tennessee Army National Guard. His military experience has required him to work effectively under pressure, adapt to changing situations, and lead others toward a common goal.  Those skills transfer remarkably well to an equine environment, where situational awareness, teamwork, responsibility, adaptability, and attention to detail matter every day.

As Luke works through his transfer to the Texas National Guard before resuming college, he hopes to use his internship at Texas Equine to continue building his knowledge and experience rather than allowing that transition to interrupt his professional development.

We are especially excited to help Luke continue exploring how the skills he has already developed through college, employment, military service, and previous horse experience can translate into a future career in the equine industry.

Emerson Rowe

Emerson Rowe joins the Summer 2026 cohort with veterinary medicine firmly in her sights.

Emerson is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology on the pre-veterinary track at Baylor University, with a minor in Business, and is a member of the Baylor Pre-Vet Medical Association.  Her previous horse experience includes several years of participation in Equine 4-H and riding while growing up.

She has also begun building clinical experience through veterinary shadowing at the Animal Hospital of Collin County. There, Emerson has observed examinations, surgical procedures, treatment planning, diagnostic procedures, and patient care while assisting with animal handling and room preparation.

Emerson views the Texas Equine internship as another important step toward becoming a veterinarian. While she has not yet selected a veterinary specialty, equine medicine is a strong contender.

Through the internship, Emerson hopes to increase both her skills and her understanding of working with horses. For a future veterinary professional, that experience extends beyond learning individual horse-care tasks. Understanding normal horse behavior, safe handling, routine management, and the realities of daily equine care can provide an important foundation for recognizing when something isn't normal later in a clinical setting.

Josh Shibler

Josh Shibler brings an entirely different perspective to our Spring cohort—and that is one of the things we love about having interns from varied backgrounds.

Josh is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at East Texas A&M University with a minor in Equine Science. He has completed Basic and Intermediate Equitation as well as additional equine coursework, owns three horses, and also grew up around horses.

He also comes to Texas Equine with significant professional leadership and operations experience. As a Regional Operations Manager for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Josh has been responsible for multiple locations, managers, employees, vehicles, safety initiatives, and multimillion-dollar operations.  Earlier in his career, he served in management positions with 24 Hour Fitness and Amazon and spent eight years in the United States Marine Corps, including service as a Non-Commissioned Officer.

Josh is still determining exactly where he wants to fit within the equine industry. One possibility he is considering is eventually opening his own facility while bringing in outside professionals to provide courses, lessons, clinics, or seminars.

During his internship, Josh hopes to gain additional industry experience and continue developing his riding skills. His background also gives him an interesting lens through which to examine the equine industry—not only as a horseman, but from the perspectives of leadership, safety, business management, operations, and entrepreneurship.

Different Paths, One Barn

Perhaps the most exciting thing about our Summer 2026 group is that there is no single definition of a "Texas Equine intern."

Some arrive with years of horse experience. Others arrive with very little.

Some already know exactly where they hope to go professionally. Others are using the experience to figure that out.

Our interns are interested in veterinary medicine, breeding, racing, rescue and rehabilitation, facility management, riding, and other areas of the equine industry. They are studying animal science, biology, agriculture, equine science, and related fields. They bring experiences from veterinary clinics, wildlife care, agriculture, business management, military service, FFA, 4-H, and college equine programs.

What brings them together is the desire to learn.

At Texas Equine Education & Horsemanship, we believe preparing for a career involving horses requires more than knowledge gained from a textbook. It requires time in the barn. It requires learning to observe horses, handle them safely, care for them consistently, solve problems, work as part of a team, and understand that many of the most important lessons in the equine industry are learned by doing.

Throughout the Summer 2026 semester, Grace, Jaden, Luke, Emerson, and Josh will have the opportunity to build on what they already know, identify areas where they need to grow, and gain practical experience that can help prepare them for whatever part of the equine industry they choose to pursue.

Most importantly, we hope they leave Texas Equine with more than additional lines for their résumés. We hope they leave with greater knowledge, stronger practical skills, increased confidence, and a clearer understanding of what it means to be an equine professional.

Please join us in welcoming Grace, Jaden, Luke, Emerson, and Josh to Texas Equine Education & Horsemanship. We look forward to watching each of our Summer 2026 interns build their skills, expand their knowledge, and explore the many career paths available throughout the equine industry.