Anyone worked with horses in America?

[RachelFerd]

So the OH is keen on doing a winter working abroad, preferably in California. Has anyone on HHO worked in America, particularly in racing? Just wondering how on earth one would go about sorting out the entire thing - work/accommodation/visa the lot!

 

[Enfys]

Put this in the Tack Room, I know that someone on here has, I just can't recall their name.

 

[jessamess]

i shall be keeping an eye on this post as it is something that really interests me also xx

 

[measles]

Also worth pm'ing TarrSteps

 

[LEC]

One of my sisters friends does exactly this. He gets paid $$$, and only work rides. They sort out his visa as well.

He is in LA.

He does not particularly enjoy it when I last spoke to him which was a while ago as its very different in culture and the life the horses have. When they break down they do it properly and they break a lot on dirt tracks.

 

[Gamebird]

Put this in the Tack Room, I know that someone on here has, I just can't recall their name.

Equilibrium Ireland I think

 

[Firewell]

Oooh if u go, let me know as OH and I moving there in Sept and I have a feeling the area we are looking at is where a lot of the TB breeding farms are. I'm half way through my green card application at the moment but
from my research easiest way for you guys will be to get sponsored by an employer. Good luck!

 

[Foxford]

I've worked in the states before but not with horses!

The visas can be tricky, you'll need to be sponsored if you want to come for more than 3 months. Also the fees for the application and issuing of the visas were more than you might think. Not to mention the delightful trip to the embassy for the interview process!

 

[TarrSteps]

It's really not that easy to work in the US and keep in mind, if you get flagged, that will affect your travel there forever.

The best option might be to find someone here who has operations or at least connections there. Random applications to US employers are not likely to be taken very seriously as they have ready access to a huge pool of cheap workers.

I'm not massively experienced with the racing world in either country, as have just dabbled. I have friends who LOVE the backstretch, not just riders and trainers but right down to grooms and hot walkers, and can't seem to give it up. Frankly, you couldn't pay me enough. . .

 

[suegreenaway]

Its not easy to organise! I've just spent a month on work experience at a thoroughbred stud farm in Kentucky but luckily my boss sorted it. I only went on a visiting - think its called a j1 - visa so wasn't allowed to work, just visit, shadow and observe and wouldn't be for a long period. If I was to go on a working visa you would have to pay a whole years insurance or something which got really expensive, plus it can be very difficult to get hold of and have to go for interviews and all sorts!! The americans like to ask you lots of questions about where you're going, what you're doing, where you're staying etc!! But good luck, hope you get it sorted because it was a fantastic experience for me!

 

[seabsicuit2]

I spoke to someone who rode racehorses in Kentucky for one season & he said he made a tidy fortune out of it, riding something like 6 lots every morning from 5 am onwards. He seemed to think it was pretty easy for any reasonably decent rider to get ride work there.

 

[TarrSteps]

It is quite easy to get a job riding work and many of the better riders get on half a dozen horses in the morning, which is good money. (Unless you get hurt. . .remember, no NHS!) The trick is getting a work permit for the US in the first place. I wouldn't even be so naive as to say everyone working on the back side has every single piece of paper they should have but you really don't want to get caught doing that!

 

[kit279]

Just remember that you need the kind of health insurance that will cover your costs whilst working specifically with horses and get the kind that covers both bills up to several million (preferably $25 million) and repatriation costs if you get injured. I could tell you an extremely cautionary tale of someone who had a bad fall skiing Stateside, had to be repatriated whilst intubated and the cost of their ITU stay/operations/repatriation exceeded the insurance maximum limit which was $10 million!

Otherwise, sorry no practical advice, just a cautionary note! If keen for sun, why not Dubai or similar? Racing is well established in terms of traffic between Newmarket and there for horses/jockeys alike.

 

[Firewell]

I used to work in insurance, emergency medical insurance abroad. My actual job was basically the person who coordinated, paid and organised everything for people such as Kits friend and no way would it have broken10 mil. Impossible. It's around 5k per day ICU and 45k repat back to the UK. I delt with clients all the time.
It could have easily run into the hundreds of thousands depending on how ill the guy was and how long it took untill he was well enough to repat
but not a million or millions. Even premature babies born in the states and kept in hospital for several months never hit anywhere near that.
You do need proper insurance for race riding though as travel insurance won't cover that but again if you find an emoloyer who wants you they should sort that out.
Like someone else said it's finding an employer who is wants you and can prove that they can't find someone locally to do the job .

 

[RachelFerd]

Great info, thanks all. Good food for thought. I don't really want to go to Dubai/Bahrain etc. as I'd prefer to go somewhere with a bit of culture outside of racing - decent live music, countryside, skiing.... all things that California would be awesome for. Although Australia also has its appeal, and I think getting work riders jobs over there is probably easier to sort out than going to the USA.

OH seems to think he could get a visa as a professional sportsperson or similar, I would have thought the pair of us would be a reasonably attractive proposition to a trainer - experienced flat jockey + fairly experienced English work rider. But how easy it is to find someone willing to take us on, I don't know. We've lots of people to chat to that have done it, but most of them were over there quite a while ago, not so recently.

The insurance thing is quite scary isn't it. I actually love the NHS! Friend of ours had a medical emergency out in Thailand earlier in the year without having any insurance, and that ran well over £75,000 by the time he was well again. Scary stuff.

 

[Quadro]

Slightly off topic but does anyone know how easy it is to get a visa for graduate skilled jobs? I have seen what I could earn there and its enough to make me slightly interested in it
Q

 

[TPO]

Don't know how USA works but if you're under 30 you can get a working holiday visa for oz relatively easily. You can work up to 6mths in one place. If you spent 3mths doing ' agricultural' work then you're eligible to apply for a second visa for a further year.

If you're looking to go permanently then I'm pretty sure horse trainer is on the skilled occupation list. Being sponsored is the easiest way and the best way to find someone to sponsor you is to work over there.

Good luck, I'm very jealous!

 

[TarrSteps]

I think you should investigate the professional visa a bit more closely. I know for a fact that Leslie Law and Clayton Fredericks both had to have American employers in place for a guaranteed time before they could apply for a visa so even an Olympic medal doesn't necessarily buy you entry.

American immigration is actually very scary. I certainly know people who have been turned away (one who had gone home for his young horse to bring back to a job he'd already had for some months) and then had a permanent record at the border. And I know at least two people who were injured in the US but both, mercifully, were employed by Canadians at the time and their employers paid the medical bills so they could go home. (Don't laugh, I know someone who had to pay his outstanding loan for his appendicitis operation before he was allowed to come to the UK to be married.)

Sorry, I seem to be very negative! I've never had a negative border experience of my own but even the not so negative ones leave one in no doubt that they are paranoid about people staying to work. I got offered a job in the US years ago and did not pursue it beyond the trial period because it was going to be such a hassle. (It won't work for you but marrying an American seems to be the best way forward. )

 

[mtj]

I spent a couple of years living in the USA due to OH's job. Tbh, due to his skills, it was all very straightforward and I understand we could easily return. I did not apply for a work permit and was fully aware that we risked being slung out, and unable to return, if I worked illegally.

I did exercise horses at a barn, but had to see it as free riding.

The medical issue is very serious. Substantial medical insurance is essential.

Easiest way may be via your OH's potential visa. Things may have moved on, but couples were expected to be married.

 

[rachel_s]

Slightly off topic but does anyone know how easy it is to get a visa for graduate skilled jobs? I have seen what I could earn there and its enough to make me slightly interested in it
Q

Very dependent upon industry from when I looked in to it. By the way, pay may look generous, but check the benefits inc. holidays

 

[Quadro]

Would def get medical insurance for myself and family (thats what i would be going into) no idea about hols though. Will need to look further as nhs are ok on that front xxx

 

[TarrSteps]

I think Q means holidays in US jobs. I can guarantee anyone from the UK will be horrified by what sort of holidays are offered by American employers. And the comment about wages is because in many States ('the US' is not a cohesive unit, laws can differ widely between jurisdictions) there is no social safety net at all. You might be surprised how expensive life is with no government intervention. Of course many of those States also don't have personal income tax so perhaps it balances out if you make enough.

Rules regarding employment can be very odd from a European perspective. A friend of mine is a lawyer and intends to move to the US with his American wife and their kids, but they cannot move back to the State she is from because he will effectively never be able to practice there. But there are other States where he will be able to sit the bar without having to completely redo his degree and it then be able to practice in a number of other States as well.

 

[TarrSteps]

Sorry, 'r_s means. . .'

 

[SpottedCat]

Sorry, I seem to be very negative! I've never had a negative border experience of my own but even the not so negative ones leave one in no doubt that they are paranoid about people staying to work. I got offered a job in the US years ago and did not pursue it beyond the trial period because it was going to be such a hassle. (It won't work for you but marrying an American seems to be the best way forward. )

And even marrying an American is no guarantee of success - my Brother in Law and his American wife are currently in the UK and staying with us/parents because his visa application has been refused and they are fighting it from the UK.

Border control in the USA is scary if you go in on a visa - they really did not want to let me in when I went with J because they simply did not believe I wasn't going to work. They could not comprehend how someone might fill their days if they weren't working. It took me the best part of an hour to get through border control, despite having all my paperwork in order, and being named on Js business visa, and his employer paying for all our accommodation/bills/food/car etc for the time we were out there (so there was no financial need for me to work).

It was much friendlier when I went to New York as a tourist for the weekend in January