been a bit of a silly filly...all advice appreciated!!

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madabouthehorse

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Well, i have been looking for a job as a groom at a yard for a while now, and finally one came up that looked suitable. Advert said something along the lines of:

'Weekend and occasional evening groom wanted for small pony livery yard. General yard duties and exercising. BHS stages training included by BHS qualified instructor.'

So i phoned up (very nervously, which wasn't helped by the woman sounding clueless on the other end) and arranged to go and meet the owners for a hands on interview thing. Caught up in the excitement of it all i scribbled down the basic idea of what she said. Only after i hung up and proceeded to read through the notes did i realize it said 'Small livery yard specializing in Arab ponies' :eek:

As a girl, knowing only about native ponies (most of my limited knowledge only stretching as far as New Forests and Welsh), with almost no knowledge of anything else, and none remotely Arab, i started to get worried.

As you can imagine i am now COMPLETELY freaking out for my interview on Saturday, so any idea's on how the interview might go, what to wear, what i might have to do, any pointers etc and in specific any Arab knowledge or reassurance would be much appreciated!

Cuppa tea and biscuits for everyone who read my mini essay (thank you very muchly) and extra cake for anyone who can help :D

Thank-you :)

(oh yes, i posted it in both NL and Careers and Education as i guess its a bit of both and didn't know where to put it!!)
 
1st of all do you want to work on a livery yard producing arabs?

how did the original advert get to be so different from the phone call?
 
Arab ponies lol, mine would be most insulted, they are horses :) I wouldnt worry to much, i dont suppose you are expected to know the total inns & outs of Arabs (& im sure they will be happy to point you in the right direction), they just want you to do a job, if your capable of working with Newfies & Welshies i cant see the problem. Good luck :)
 
Most people with Arabs would never describe them as ponies.
I would think they would be happy with you admitting you have little knowledge of the breed and ,if you do want the job, that you would love to learn more about the breed.
They are just another type of horse at the end of the day.
They can be super rides if properly schooled.
 
Hi, I knew NOTHING about arabs and I went to work on an arab stud.
Honestly, the arab is just another breed - don't get worked up over this detail :D although absolutely gorgeous. I now have a highland and a new forest and my Newfie is worse than the majority of arabs I worked with.

Be honest about where you see yourself, it will be a fab opportunity if you choose to go for it and get it. With regards to what to wear for interview - I went down the black trousers and a nice top. I chatted informally with the owners about what I'd done, where I wanted to be and also which horses they had, the showing they did. They made me feel very welcome and took me round the stables and paddocks, meeting the horses.

The mares had lovely temperaments, the foals were friendly and inquisitive, the stallions were gentle and had lovely manners although one of them did get unruly. One of the yearling fillies was also high strung (although allowed to get away with it as it was seen as funny).

I found it to be a fab experience and I had no stallion or arab knowledge. They were willing to teach me and tbh, as long as you know horses - the arab bit is irrelevant as they can let you know what you need to know.
 
By all means read up little bit about Arabs, but don't get bogged-down by it. Your general equine knowledge should be fine if they are prepared to train you anyway. Be honest, say its not a breed that you are that familiar with but that you are looking forward to learning about..
 
Oh bless you! I have employed many a pony mad young lady in the past with a vary of different skills and knowledge. I find as long as they love the ponies, work hard, are honest and willing to learn, as long as the basics are there, everything else comes with time.

Good luck for your interview. If it is anything like the interviews my grooms have, it will be very laid back and more of a chat.
 
thank-you everyone! am starting to get the jitters a bit.
fidleyspromise- i was thinking of that, but have just found a note (only just legible handwriting!) that says something about riding assessment?!?!?! In that case, any idea's on clothing, i want to be smart but not look like an idiot when im there in my trousers and a top and they ask me to ride! :o:confused:

Oh and thank you very much SerenityJ for the reasurance on the interview!:confused:

Also, people saying read up a bit on Arabs...what kind of info do you think would be useful?
 
madabouthehorse said:
Also, people saying read up a bit on Arabs...what kind of info do you think would be useful?
Click to expand...

B*gger! The server ate my previous reply.

I'd make some notes on the history and traits of the breed, currently well-known horses etc. That way you can say you don't kow much about them but have been researching the the internet. It should help convince them you are keen to learn even if you haven't worked with Arabs before. If you go for an interview with any company they like to know you've done some research on them.

Call the yard tomorrow and clarify whether you will have a riding assessment. If so, get your smart stuff out and polish your boots! ;)

Good luck! :D
 
For one job I had an formal interview with a panel and then a practical asessment with the aniamls. I wore a suit and took a change of clothes for the practical assessment - and got the job :D

Don't worry too much and I am sure it will go fine :)
 
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