Anyone given up an office job to 'do' horses?

[Petrie]

As I sit in my office, I wonder what life would be like if I gave up the 'proper' job and ran a little livery yard instead, with a bit of teaching thrown in too? Maybe some horses to ride for owners...that sort of thing.

Has anyone out there done it? What was it like? Are you happier? And can you actually make a living from it?!

It's a bit of a quandry, isn't it. The well-paid office job funds the horses, but means you don't have much time with them. But working with horses (eg. running a livery yard) is not very lucrative, and do you actually end up with more time with your own horses?

Interesting to hear from people who bit the bullet and actually did it!

 

[Henmen]

I didnt quite give up to run a yard, but i did give up so i could spend more time with horses and kids, and to be perfectly honest, unless you have a rich husband or win the lottery, the dream is very much a nightmare. Giveing up work was the WORST decision i ever made in my life. Yes it was great for a month, then you realise youve got bills to pay, house work to do, shopping, BOREDOM sets in, i had visions of 3 hour hacks everyday, lessons, clinics, lunch with friends ect ect, but none of it ever happended. I am a bored housewife with no life and no friends, and whilst i do my horse everyday, and its because of that i have a bit of sanity, its is very much a dream that rarely turns into a reality.
Think very long and hard before you do it. Feel free to PM xx

 

[Binky44]

That's really sad Henmen. I took redundancy last year after 11 years at the same company. I was looking forward to spending more time with horse, free time and all of the above. After a short while it does actually become quite lonely and it isn't much fun. It was six months before I found another job. Lost my confidence a bit and your friends are always working when you need company.

I really hate my new job and would love to do something different. It's just really hard to do it on your own sometimes. But one nice thing is that the horses loved the attention.

 

[KatB]

I was a bit different, but left my office job to be a working pupil on an event yard. I absolutely loved it, but was permanently broke, even though my horse was being paid for, and had no rent to pay.
I am now seriously thinking of taking my teaching exams to go back to doing it full time, and being a bit more self sufficient, but first of all am going to make sure have a good pro qualification to fall back on.
If you are established in your career, and know you could walk back into a similar job, why not give it a go. The worst that could happen is you have to go back to doing an office job, but least you will stop thinking "what if"!

 

[GTs]

I am in the process of doing that - I have left my full time job, and am currently at University on a Pre-Vet program. Not sure what will happen next as I am spending some time with race horses over the coming months, and that is very exciting.

Regardless this step was probably one of the only ways to ease my parents into the thought of me working with horses.

 

[ihatework]

I think the reality of it would not live up to expectations.

a) lots of hard work, 7 days a week, limited oppertunities for holidays
b) financially very difficult to make a decent living unless you are lucky enough to already have the land or you have a rich partner willing to support you.
c) you have to put up with liveries - we are a bunch of queer folk, some of us easier than others to deal with
d) if you are doing horses all day every day then having horses as your hobby may eventually become a chore
e) if you are used to a stimulating office environment then you might be surprised at how mundane you find the day to day horsey life.

I would love to give up my job and 'do horses', but in reality I think it would only work if I had plenty of funds and I could run a large show centre or something and have employees doing the day to day tasks. I know for a fact I would be bored out of my brains mucking out etc. all day.

 

[UKa]

very interesting post this - I am currently contemplating "doing something different' with my life as work bores me (don't get me wrong I am keen to earn my living but there may be easier ways) - going into a new full time job may result in not enough time for the horse and lifestyle I enjoy. I also resent my current work as I commute into London and would love to just be able to stay out here; have a supportive hubby who is happy to put up with me earning less, which is great; don;t think I would work with horses though as it would frustrate me then having no time for my own, maybe going part time is an option to keep sanity and I am not bothered about "career" anymore - it is a tough decision though which is why my mind wanders back and forth and I am not sure yet whether I will be brave enough to try... interesting to hear how others got on or will get on! Also, when I earn less will I really be able to do all the stuff with my horsey that I am dreaming of if money is tight? It may just be a dream ...

 

[elaineh]

I work fulltime in an office, and do some teaching on the side. My teaching is growing all the time, so I coudl have the option in a year or two to maybe have enough work to teach, and ditch the job, etc, but.............

There's a lot to be said for a warm office in the winter
I like a regular wage for sitting on my ass!
Enjoy banter, social life, etc.
Love teaching, but would be scared if I had to depend on it as fulltime 'work'... as it might not seem like fun anymore, At the minute, I love the days I go to teach, as they're still a nice opposite to my desk job.
There's no money in horses!

Maybe could you think of working p/t in an office, to get best of both worlds?

Unless you could get into the business side of horses (runing office, running busy own business, etc) but mucking out all days wouldn't be really appealing, though running a large yard and maybe horsey shop might be!

 

[Dovorian]

I did give up working an an office and doing horses full time but found I had even less time and inclination for my own which when added the vast salary drop meant I went back to the office and have never looked back!

 

[Nickymac]

I did horses full-time for about ten years, then circumstances forced me to reorganise my life: I got a "proper" job again and I decided to just have one very nice pony at part livery. That way I could have a lie-in and holidays and do all those things normal people do.

The reality of it, three and a half years later, is that my boss has just agreed to me working three days a week so that I can spend more time with horses! Hopefully this means I'll get the best of both worlds. It's so easy to think that the grass is greener the other side of the fence, but I think I know now that I need a bit of grass both sides of the fence to make me happy.

 

[UKa]

Nicely said

 

[Vix1978]

this has been a really interesting post. I'm currently in the process of setting up my own livery yard, but am still at the office as I have to pay the bills. It is extremely hard work, and there are no spare moments inthe day, but it is proving rewarding.
I used to run my own yard, and then moved to the corporate world for the lure of money, power, fame.....

However, I've realised just how much I miss working with horses.
I think if you go in with your eyes wide open and no romantic notions then you can prepare yourself for the difficulties.
I also think that having worked in the corporate world, my commercial acumen is greater than it was previously, which is a necessity for running a business!!!!
Anyway, enough rambling......

 

[Petrie]

Wow, really glad I posted this as everyone had such interesting points to make!

It has really made me think, actually.

Alot.

Especially as I already work part time.

Perhaps the grass is not greener, and I do in fact have the perfect balance.


Hhhhhmmmn.

 

[xEMPx]

I used to work on a yard....and trust me seeing horses, mucking out, brushing, riding all day....the last thing you want to do is get on your own!!

 

[Ferdinase514]

I worked on event yard as a student for 4 years. Is very mundane and oh so cold!

Saying that I am still aiming for my own livery yard in the next 5 yrs so I obviously haven't learnt!

 

[Mel85]

I worked with horses full time and loved it, but went to a proper job full time for the money, the easier life and I really miss the horses now!

I am now building up my freelance clients again with view to changing to part time hours at work in the spring and doing freelance work part time as well - as Nicky says - a bit of grass from both sides of the fence. It means I have a regular wage coming in so I know I can pay the mortgage and bills and I can still enjoy horses as well.

 

[mitchellk]

I am a competition groom and have been since leaving school, I have been abroad, worked for top riders with top horses in SJ and eventing. Am currently freelance and looking for a career change.
Have no money
Can't afford a house (still living with parents)
Am fed up with the lack of appreciation
no social life
haven't had a holiday since 2002
too exhausted to have fun on my own gg
weekends off!?
Lonely!
Have met amazing people, learnt a huge amount, and there is nothing like watching one of 'your' horses at HOYS or Badminton.

 

[Nickymac]

I think if you can get the balance right by doing half and half it's great.......but ask me again in June when I'm eventing four horses, living in Lincolnshire and working three days a week in Milton Keynes, I might not be quite so smug then!

FYI they're not all mine - that would be one hell of a part-time job that could finance four eventers wouldn't it?!

 

[charlie76]

I was an event groom for 7 years but gave it up to work in an office to get some money! After 3 years could no longer stand it so have gone back to working with horses again.
Since deciding to back to the horses I have gained my BHSI(SM) and I am working towards my BHSI. I am now the centre manager of a large equestrian/show/livery centre in the south and although tied I much prefer it.
I actually get quite a decent wage so manage to keep my horses and I find that I am more willing to ride after a day working with horses than I was when I worked in an office.

 

[jennystreek]

I often used to feel the same, and gave up work last year to try to get in to vet college (i had a place 5 yrs ago, but lost it when i didnt work hard for my A levels!!) - i repeated my A levels, and it seemed very likely for me to be going to the royal vet college. HOWEVER, reality then kicked in and i realised that i wouldnt be able to ride every day, let alone pay for my horse, and if i qualified as a vet i wouldnt have time for a horse period - ie, it would take years to build up my own practise etc etc....

Therefore, i am now a medical rep working for big corporate pharma company and think i have struck the perfect balance! I muck out at 6am, go to work but finish seeing customers at lunch time, so ride the horses (just bought another one recently) in the afternoon whilst we have the daylight, and then finish off any admin when i get home about 6ish. Its lovely to have the time to spend with them (i feel like i work part time!!) and also have a nice salary and free car to drive around in! And i actually have grown to like the job, which keeps me stimulated and in touch with people all the time

 

[KatB]

HammieHamlet, sorry to be nosy, but what qualifications did you need to get your job? PM me if you prefer, but just looking at different areas could poss work in, as stuck in "finance" at the mo, and the prospect of doing finance quals really isn't appealing.....

 

[barkinghorse]

I gave up a very well paid job as a luxury car manager that i did for fifteen years, when it came down to horses or job.
Now i'm a horse transporter and love it!
It took a long time to set up but is well worth it, no, i don't make a lot of money, but i'm happy and virtually stress free.
I meet lovely people and horses, and could never go back to my old way of life.
I ride when ever i like, and work whenever i like.
The drawbacks are:
Never really have the opportunity to "dress up"
Don't drink anymore (24hr callout)
When it's chucking down, I know thats when I'm sure to get a bad loader.
Massive amounts of paperwork
Not bad really is it?

Jo

 

[anniedoherty]

I gave up my office job and became self-employed - not to work with horses but to run my own website which was something I'd wanted to do for a long time. I still miss office banter and having a laugh with colleagues because I now work largely alone, but on the plus side I can pick and choose my hours to a degree which means that I can go to the yard and use the school in the day time when it is very quiet.

It can also be stressful going from having staff/HR/IT support etc to working for yourself because everything suddenly becomes your responsibility and you have no-one to delegate tasks to, but on the other hand you have a lot more freedom to run things your way.

I have no regrets about leaving corporate life so I would say you should give it a go. Try and achieve what you want but also see if you can have a Plan B i.e. restart your old career, marry someone rich (only joking!!) etc if things don't work out how you want although there is no reason why they shouldn't. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Annie

 

[viola]

Hi there! What an interesting conversation! My story is similar to some other people's above. While still at Uni I had a very well paid job in marketing/public relations which I gave up to train with an Olympic rider (show - jumping) and later accepted a job as a yard manager. I had my horse's keep paid for and it was all good until I no longer had time to enjoy my own horse (too busy starting and schooling other people's horses) nor money to further my own training not to mention competing. I worked with horses for a further few years when I got fed up with constant lack of money ( my competition record wasn't good enough to attract a wealthy equestrian sponsor and a life of a 'live-in slave'. Then, due to a massive change in circumstances I went back to an office...to say that my brain died on that day is an understatement I really do wonder how people function in a reality of continuous lack of mental stimulation, pointless conversations with pretentious individuals ...I do wonder how we can be sane knowing that three quarters of our lives is spent on something that we could not care less about...that every minute of an hour escapes in between one phone call and another one and an email and a report...I have a poster of a horse in my office room which I glance at from time to time to make sure that I am keeping my senses. I am still there because I came up with a plan and this job pays the necessary expenses ( my part - time studies' fees, instructor's exams etc) but the moment I know the completion of my plan is safe I will walk out as quickly as possible.
As 'elaineh' I also teach part - time and ride other people's horses and both of those activities make me happy. I would say, if your office job is not as mine and doesn't make you feel like you are wasting your life then try to hold both worlds by their tails

 

[airedale]

I never gave up the office job - I just added on the livery yard and other peoples horses to my own horse breeding/riding and farming.

So now the office job is there to pay for all the things that go wrong, e.g. tractor repair £650; topping up arena surface after 6 years £2000; horsebox plate and minor repairs £500 ish; renting extra land to increase sheep farming now that 'real local meat' sells £500 p.a.; new electric fencing unit £100 ish; insurance increase £500 over last years; rates increase £200 over last years; etc etc etc

THAT is why you don't give up the day job totally - it pays for all those things that the bottom line from the 'normal' running of the yard just doesn't fund. Normal teaching/livery/schooling/etc will keep a yard running but there isn't any 'slack' in the budget these days so when things go wrong or special things need doing - unless you are a disciplined 'save for a rainy day' type person then you need another source of income.

I do the poultry/sheep and 8 horses - mix of mine and full liveries - on top of a full time office job - but one that allows me to work from home for 2.5 days a week and has flexible hours. I no longer ride other peoples horses and I also take liveries who tend to also be office workers that want to ride after work/weekends so that their riding time co-incides with the times I'm also not at work.

My office work is boring BUT running a yard on your own in an isolated location can also be lonely. I probably see more chickens every week than I do people - if I didn't have the office job.

So some of those at the office may be boring and be interested in things that I find totally mind numbing (like football and frying on the beach in spain) but it is nice to sometimes have people aroudn that aren't horsey !!!

 

[burtie]

[ QUOTE ]
I went back to an office...to say that my brain died on that day is an understatement I really do wonder how people function in a reality of continuous lack of mental stimulation, pointless conversations with pretentious individuals ...I do wonder how we can be sane knowing that three quarters of our lives is spent on something that we could not care less about...that every minute of an hour escapes in between one phone call and another one and an email and a report

[/ QUOTE ]

OMG - You've just described my job, and they pay me a lot amount of money to do just that. I am capable of a lot more, that's why they employed me but I soon discovered all they want me to do 99% of the time is sit on the seat and answer the odd query and generally not cause any trouble.

The upside as well as the money is I work 8-4 and no more, they are very good about time off for the horses and are about 20mins form my house, as an employer I cannot fault them they just expect soo little.

 

[viola]

Oh dear, looks like they clone those jobs! I am also paid well - above 'London office' average for something that is so regressive I will probably be as clever as a bumble bee when I finally leave it behind me. I worked up my eyeballs once to 'rescue' a contract when my boss was away; I was told off like a naughty child for taking an initiative. My company got a very lucrative deal thanks to my action but I spent half an hour in my boss's office being told that I am 'not here to do his job' (i.e. thinking...).
HOWEVER, I am set on finding a good (meaning reasonably paid and one that gives you an opportunity to use your brain) part-time job to coordinate with a horsey job. I want to work as an equine lecturer upon completion of my degree and keep training and coaching to the highest level.

 

[airedale]

One thing a horse person I know does to fit in with a horsey job is to be a 'house sitter' for people's pets when they are on holiday.

Don't know how well it pays per se but it certainly means her own flat isn't used all that much so saves on her own heating/lighting bills. There are a few companies that advertise in the back of nag and dog.