Alicia Benben Prepares for a Career in the Equine Industry

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Alicia Benben with Demon Fever, one of the horses she cared for during her intership.

Internships provide college students with hands-on experience and new ideas about their chosen careers. Alicia Benben, of Putnam Valley, N.Y., a Cazenovia College equine business management major, says, "My internship opened my mind to all the career possibilities in the equine industry."

Benben found herself in a unique position – doing two separate internships concurrently. She worked with Amy M. Gill, Equine Nutrition Products & Consultation, and with John Booker Jr. Racing, both in Lexington, Ky. She says, "I was able to directly participate in two very different sides of the equine industry. Working with Dr. Gill's business showed me the marketing and promotion aspect of an equine business. Mr. Booker, a thoroughbred racehorse trainer, gave me the opportunity to work with him at his racing stable."

Every morning during her internship, Benben worked at Booker's stable, making sure the daily exercise schedule was kept on track, made sure riders knew which horses they were exercising that day, and assisted with the daily care of the racehorses. "I've had horse management and care experience," she says, "but this was my first time working with racehorses."

In the afternoons Benben assisted Dr. Gill with marketing and promotional material for her revamped equine nutrition business. "I helped Dr. Gill build her Web site, www.equiforce.com; I also created brochures, assisted with developing advertisements for equine publications, wrote and mailed direct marketing letters to former customers, and letters to veterinarians about Dr. Gill's equine nutrition and health products."

"I had no experience with marketing," Benben says. "The work opened my eyes to the possibilities for different kinds of jobs in the equine industry. I saw the importance of networking and face-to-face interaction, which I think gets overlooked with the expanding use of online communication tools."

One of Benben's major learning experiences during her internship was assisting Dr. Gill at the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) convention in Baltimore. "I learned about the planning process and components necessary for marketing a business at a convention of this caliber," she says.

At the convention Benben shared information with attendees about Dr. Gill's services. "It was a great lesson in communicating Dr. Gill's vision and offerings to potential clients, who typically have only a few moments to spare. I had to be constantly aware of how the dialogue was going."

Benben was able to see the offerings of other convention exhibitors, and learn about changes in the equine veterinary field and animal science. She also spoke with people from several organizations that she thought might be beneficial to her education.

Education in all aspects of the equine world was Benben's primary goal. "Both Dr. Gill and Mr. Booker were great mentors," says Benben. "I learned to be resourceful – they each worked closely with me, helping me to be effective and efficient, but gave me space to figure things out on my own. I learned to be more confident in my communication skills, and to take the time to create relationships with the people I met."

The internship experience also assisted Benben with her Marketing Research course, a senior level course that begins the Cazenovia College Capstone experience. "I was able to apply what I learned from my internship to a semester-long project that I worked on with two classmates. Our proposal, survey, and final report needed to be clear and concise; bringing information to a level that is understandable without leaving anything out."

Carol Buckhout, assistant professor in the Equine Business Management program, coordinates internships for students in Cazenovia College's Equine Business Management Program and teaches a variety of courses. Benben was a master student for Buckhout's equine anatomy class, where she learned to interact with other students in a teaching role. "I discovered a love of science when I worked with Carol," says Benben. "She has an ease of explanation that presents things in a light I hadn't seen before."

Benben continues, "Carol has an incredible capacity to know all her students – who we are as individuals. She goes beyond academics, helping us to believe in ourselves. If Carol knows I can do something, I CAN do it."

Benben's internship made such a great impact that she hopes to return to Lexington. "I love everything about Kentucky," she says. "There's a vast equine network there. I'd love to work for Dr. Gill again – internships are a great way to learn and I'm open to doing a second one with her; or a full-time job would be a dream come true."

Photo: Alica Benben with Demon Fever, one of the horses she cared for during her internship.Photo provided by Alicia Benben.

Cazenovia College, named one of "America's Best Colleges" by US News & World Report, is an independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college, located near Syracuse, N.Y. Cazenovia, selected as a College of Distinction by www.collegesofdistinction.com, offers a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.

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