Internships

Housing & Accomodations

DEFHR offers both residential and non-​residential internships, inviting interns from around the world to learn and experience the ins and outs of caring for abused and neglected horses as a nonprofit organization.

Residential Internships

Residential interns live on-​site, free of charge, at DEFHR’s main facility in Woodbine, Maryland for the duration of their internship.

In addition to free housing, residential interns receive a $75 weekly stipend.

Interns are engaged in hands-​on experiences or classroom activities Monday through Friday, from 8am to 5pm with a one-​hour lunch break each day. They also work a half day on Saturday, from 8am-12pm.

Residential interns may be responsible for night checks/​overnight watches for horses in critical care, rehabilitation, or mares close to foaling.

Note: Due to limited space, on-​site housing is typically only available to participants of the Equine Care & Rehabilitation Internship.

Non-​Residential Internships

DEFHR also has many interns who are local residents or prefer to secure private housing.

Working hours are flexible for non-​residential interns; however, in order to receive a certificate of completion and letter of recommendation non-​residential interns must 300 hours by the end of the session.

The following internship levels will help Equine Rehabilitation Interns better understand what to expect during their time at DEFHR.

DEFHR Equine Rehabilitation Internship Levels
Gallop: 50+ hours a week

DEFHR project horse (riding ONLY if you have previous riding experience), classroom instruction with staff, DEFHR intern shirt, equine workbook, staff instruction & hands-​on experiential learning with DEFHR horses

Canter: 40 – 49 hours a week

Classroom instruction with staff, DEFHR intern shirt, equine workbook, staff instruction & hands-​on experiential learning with DEFHR horses

Trot: 30 – 39 hours a week

DEFHR intern shirt, equine workbook, staff instruction & hands-​on experiential learning with DEFHR horses

Walk: 17 – 29 hours a week 

Equine workbook, staff instruction & hands-​on experiential learning with DEFHR horses

Halt: < 16 hours a week 

Staff instruction & hands-​on experiential learning with DEFHR horses

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