The Thriving Equine Professional | Career Connections, Equine Industry Resources, Career Advice. · JodiSpeaksLIFE: Speaker, Career Success Coach, Podcaster

55 | Ryon Springer with Kentucky Equine Research Shares Tips on Internships and Career Growth

·48 min·3 clips

Ryan’s three-part formula is simple: show up, be inquisitive, and care.

1. The Thriving Equine Professional episode centers on Ryan Springer and his path through Kentucky Equine Research, Tarleton State University, and Ocala, Florida. 2. Ryan Springer is a research coordinator at Kentucky Equine Research, and Jodi Lynch-Findley is the host who connects his story to career advice for equine students. 3. The episode asks what internships, research experience, and industry networking actually do for a young equine professional’s career. 4. Ryan says he is an Ocala, Florida native with “full Texas blood,” and he grew up around thoroughbreds and team roping. 5. He describes a family history that includes his father’s work with Purina, Texas Tech, and Ocala Breeders Feed and Supply. 6. Ryan explains that Tarleton State University required an animal science internship, which pushed him into a month with his father and then into Kentucky Equine Research. 7. He says Dr. Joe Pagan invited him back after a summer internship, and that experience led to a published abstract as an undergraduate. 8. Ryan talks about earning his PAS certification through ARPAS at ASAS Nationals in Oklahoma City while presenting abstracts. 9. He defines ASAS as the American Society of Animal Science and says the conference helps graduate students present unpublished work professionally. 10. He explains that the PAS credential is a pass-or-fail exam in a specific field such as equine, beef cattle, dairy, or swine. 11. Ryan says the credential matters because it signals professional competence before a doctorate is complete. 12. He says his PhD at Tarleton is in animal and natural resource science, a program that bridges those two fields. 13. Ryan notes that his current research focus includes nitrogen fractionation and how horses process feed in the hindgut. 14. He says his first PhD class was a feed manufacturing course from North Carolina State, and he calls it one of the hardest classes he has taken. 15. Ryan describes KER Performance Center in Ocala as a 16-horse barn with two-year-olds galloping five days a week and a live rider. 16. He also describes KER South as a sport-horse and older-horse herd used for treadmill research, fitness work, and heat-stress analysis. 17. The interview style is practical and conversational, with Jodi pressing for concrete advice and Ryan answering in direct, example-driven language. 18. The tone stays supportive and career-focused, with repeated emphasis on internships, mentorship, and industry-based education. 19. Students, interns, and early-career equine professionals looking for practical advice will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners only interested in veterinary medicine or show-ring stories may find it less relevant.

As heard by us

A warm career talk that makes internships feel like real turning points.

Ryan Springer and Jodi Lynch-Findley present internships as a practical way to learn what matters and build relationships that last. He traces that idea through an early internship with his dad, a mentor connection with Dr.

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Need a grounded internship-to-career story from the equine industry?

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