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I'd steer her to horses, but see what she really likes. She may want to do something more than having a horse ranch and by the way, she can probably make good money owning and running a boarding stable. Is she taking riding lessons? If she's 11, this is a very good time to start this. She may find herself drawn to rodeo, show jumping, dressage, driving, or endurance racing. She may find she wants to work with a certain breed of horse. In that case, she may end up a trainer or someone who shows horses for a living.
There are famous horse stables that have tours. That's something she could do now and ask a lot of questions. There are also horse clinics she might be able to attend and you could also take her to horse shows after finding out what discipline she's interested in.
At one time, Bazy Tankersley had a program for people to learn about horses and work on her Arabian ranch. One of my friends did that. I'm sure there are other horse farms that do the same thing, although I think your daughter would have to be over 18 to do that.
I wanted to be an astronaut @ 11. (I'm currently NOT an astronaut)
I don't think you should worry about it right now. Just let her be a kid. See where the chips fall later on in life.
If she doesn't do this as a job, there is nothing saying she can't always do it as a hobby.
Exactly...think of all the kids who want to sing or be actors, or pro sports - well, any of those hobbies are far more attainable and likely more enjoyable than trying to make those into careers. Truth is, you can't always work hard enough to be a "pro" at the thing you like most - and that's okay! As long as you accept that it's okay (and the parents do too!).
Tell her that her guidance counselors at school can best help her with this and email them, CC'ing her school email, with exactly this message.
They have the resources and experience to help her along with this, or know people who can help. Ask them for help; it's what your taxes pay for... <3
It might be what you THINK your taxes pay for but as a retired high school teacher my experience is most school counselors are way too busy to counsel students on proper job paths...
They have all kinds of other tasks taking up their time
They do maybe three things in a student’s high school life about career/college...
OP—your daughter might want to own a horse ranch but she needs to consider what the future holds for that type of endeavor—
Likely going to be very $$$$ and ecologically difficult==
She might consider just riding horses as a hobby and working with them in other ways
There are psychology programs that use horses as therapy
She could get degree in psychology and learn how to do that
She could get degree in public relations/communications and help create charities to protect animals including horses
She could become a scientist and work on equine disease, learn how to do artificial insemmination/breeding, create various forms of virtual horses
She could become attorney and deal with animal rights
If she is artistic she could design apparel for riders and leather goods, become photographer specializing in animals, create games/toys around horses
Hi, I have an 11 year old daughter who's an animal lover. Aren't they all? She's very smart, talented, and beautiful. Aren't they all?
Anyway, her goal is to have a horse ranch someday, which I can't really help with. I live in Colorado, but I'm originally from NYC, and I wouldn't know a ranch from an iceberg. I won't have the resources to buy a ranch, and my daughter knows that.
I've tried to steer her towards Vet school, thinking that would be make sense, that she could be the vet in a small town or rural area, and that she could buy some land and start her ranch that way. However, she doesn't want to do all the yucky stuff, surgeries, etc.
Any ideas regarding how I can help at this point? My daughter's ok with her dream ranch being in Wyoming, North Dakota, etc. I'm interested in any colleges that offer programs that might steer her on her way. She's been volunteering at a local farm, but there must be more she can do. At this point, I'd say "get a degree in Animal Science or something and an MBA to teach you how to run a farm/ranch."
And yes, I realize that she may do a 180 and end up on a completely different path, but you have to have a plan, even if we know what happens to plans.
Actually, no, you don't have to have a plan so far in advance. Steering her to her pre-teen dream may just limit her breadth as she gets older.
OP, she's 11. That's an age when some girls go through a horse-y phase. Let it play itself out. By 15, she may well be on to something else. But owning a horse ranch does involve "yucky stuff"' breeding, births, illness, perhaps breaking wild horses or training difficult ones, cleaning up after them, etc. If she wants to pay people to do all the yucky stuff, she'll have to figure out a way to make enough money to be able to do that.
How is she with math, btw? To own and run a horse ranch, she'll need business skills.
There may be a lot of aspects of horse ranching, that she hasn't thought through. Property taxes, for one thing...
And how much in buying the ranch to start with!
Seems that at the age of 11 she needs to concentrate on all the math and science classes - which can hardly do her wrong, regardless of what she ends up deciding.
Anyway, her goal is to have a horse ranch someday, which I can't really help with. I live in Colorado, but I'm originally from NYC, and I wouldn't know a ranch from an iceberg. I won't have the resources to buy a ranch, and my daughter knows that.
Why would you think you would have to buy the ranch for your daughter when she's an adult?
Your resources shouldn't have any bearing on what she does when she is grown up, it's her life.
Why would you think you would have to buy the ranch for your daughter when she's an adult?
Your resources shouldn't have any bearing on what she does when she is grown up, it's her life.
Same reason parents use their retirement to pay for expensive colleges, or are willing to risk jail to get their kids accepted at a fancy college Same reason they buy teenagers brand new luxury cars. Same reason they let their kids live at home and mooch off them when they are thirty five.
If people read the OP she clearly stated it may change, but wants to help her now. Nothing wrong with that. I say kudos to the OP helping her daughter explore the possibilities!
No, there is nothing wrong with exploring different interests and hobbies. But when a parent starts asking what master's program their 11 year old child should enroll on, that goes a bit beyond just exploring different possibilities.
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