Biology studies helped one graduate build her dream position

When she decided to pursue a career working with horses during her senior year at Albion College, Emily Galka ’17 knew chasing her dreams would require paying her dues. 

It took seven years, but Galka’s dream job appeared on what was otherwise a particularly rough day. She recalled it was the kind of bad day that ended with mindless scrolling on Facebook.

That’s where Galka saw it-–the opportunity to build a trail-ride operation from the ground up, which she saw as doable with the extensive trail-ride and equine-management experience she had built since her student days. Because the trail rides would be offered in and around Florida’s Goethe State Forest, the employer also wanted a manager who could educate the staff and visitors about the local flora and fauna.

“They didn’t know it, but they created that job for me,” Galka said. “I couldn’t wait to apply.”

Over the first year or so on the job, Galka became even more enthusiastic about her work as trail ride operations manager with Black Prong Resort in Bronson, Florida. To establish the program, Galka selected the horses, hired the staff, mapped miles of trails and, drawing on her biology major, developed the guided field tours that have made the program a success. To date, more than 400 people have enjoyed one of Black Prong’s trail rides, none more than Galka herself.

 “My job is so cool,” she said. “It really is a perfect representation of liberal arts at work.”

For example, Galka points out the work involved in setting up each ride, beginning with matching each visitor to the horse most suited to their needs and ability. 

“My guides need to monitor horse interactions and the sights and sounds that might influence horse behavior. They need to help guests steer their horses, all while providing information on their surroundings,” Galka explained. “It’s a demanding job that has to look easy, and having the right horse for each person is so important.”

Galka credits her biology studies with developing the professional skills that help her create an exceptional experience for guests. “I am essentially a horseback nature guide,” she said. “Additionally every month I write a blog for our newsletter, highlighting a plant or animal that is prevalent in the Goethe State Forest at the moment.”

Galka’s new expertise includes research done on venomous snakes, alligators, orb spiders, and raptors, all of which she’s seen on her trails. 

“Five years of riding trails on Mackinac and in Albion did not prepare me for the jungles of Florida,” she said. “But I loved the ornithology, botany, and ecology classes I had and the professors who taught them. Every time I get to tell people about the plants and animals around us I hope they are having the same learning experience and amazement of the natural world that I felt at Albion.” 

Galka cheerfully noted that the hours, coordinating horse care and people management, on top of being guest-facing in the Florida heat are pretty intense if you don’t absolutely love this job. Nonetheless, she added, “My horse Lisa and I are on the billboards and magazines, we are the face of the trail-riding operation and I’m hoping to be here for a long time.”