The University of Connecticut’s Horsebarn Hill Equine unit will transition to a “professional staffing model,” eliminating almost a dozen student worker positions, according to a statement from UConn Spokesperson Stephine Reitz.
The 11-animal care technician student workers will be replaced by two professional full-time employees at the barn. The equine unit currently has around 70 horses, according to seventh-semester animal science student Helena Hand, who currently works as an animal care technician and serves as the vice president of the dressage team.
According to Reitz, the shift to the professional staffing model will “[strengthen] our ability to provide consistent, year-round care for animals while ensuring operational continuity and accountability.”
Currently, the animal care technicians work at most 45 hours per week with no ability for overtime, according to Hand. Normally the students work in the morning from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., on weekends from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and other smaller shifts to water or move the horses to different pastures throughout the day, according to Lane Swanson, a seventh-semester animal science student and current animal care technician.
During these hours at the barn, the animal care technicians muck stalls, feed horses, administer medical needs and generally complete upkeep of the barn, according to Swanson. During the week the barn is overseen by these student workers and Lisa Streff and Kim Syme, the barn manager and assistant barn manager. Swanson said on most weekends the barn is run entirely by students.
During these shifts, there are also students from UConn’s Stable Management class which is part of the new Equine Science and Management major. These students help in the barn as part of their lab credit for this class. These students are not paid for their efforts in the barn. Reitz said this major will help students work with professionals to learn how to care for animals.
“New academic opportunities [are] available through the Equine Science and Managment major, allowing students to work with their professors and animal care professionals to integrate hands-on experience directly with their coursework and career development,” Reitz said in a statement. “Most importantly, this change does not represent a reduction in our commitment to our animals, students or the unique experiential learning opportunities available at UConn.”
The class requirement is about four hours a week, which Hand said is not enough time to learn the whole job.
“These stable management students don’t have the same work ethic or are held to the same work standards as interviewed student workers,” Hand said. “I don’t know how two staff members are going to manage around 26 of these students. They are students; this is a class, not a shift. They don’t have the same obligation we do to make sure these horses are cared for. We go through war to make sure these horses are cared for.”
Many student workers are frustrated by the change to a professional staffing model in the barn.
“UConn has shaped who I wanted to [be] in my career, it is a hard pill to swallow that we only have to the end of the month. I am very attached to the horses and friends in the barn, with this opportunity being taken away younger students are not going to be able to have this experience,” said Mariah Repscher, seventh-semester animal science major and current animal care technician. “You come out of this experience knowing how to manage a barn. Student work has been a tradition for so long; my old high school teacher worked here. Future students not having this experience are missing out on a crucial learning experience.”
The students also expressed concerns that two professional staff would not provide adequate coverage for the barn.
“Burnout is real, especially with having to be there almost every day. It is a big consideration, I cannot imagine it will be safe for these workers to work all these horses with no outside assistance,” Repscher said.
“There will be an adjustment period to train the professional staff,” Hand said. “It is a lot to learn who all the horses are, their behavior patterns, their pedigrees, who they get along with and their health history.”
Reitz said the barn would have, “approximately 200 to 300 student-worker hours in total to the Horse Unit during the Spring 2027 semester.” Reitz added that UConn would be willing to adjust that based on the search results and staffing needs.
UConn Department of Animal Science is also looking to work with the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Foundation “to secure funding for paid, semester-long internships. If funding is secured, these internships could create additional opportunities for students during the academic year and summer,” according to Reitz.
Reitz assured that the animal science department will continue to provide opportunities to work with horses at the barn.
“Students will continue to have hands-on, experiential learning and career-development opportunities through the Equine Science and Management major and other academic pathways such as independent studies, Extension/outreach activities and equestrian-focused teams, shows and competitions year-round,” Reitz said.