Equine Career Paths

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rjohnson

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Hiya all, I'm currently doing my last year of secondary school (I was held back a year due to a medical condition) and I'm stumped on what to do when I finish my GCSE's. I chose PE, French and Spanish (Not sure what I was thinking) but the academic route definetley doesn't suit me, I did well on my MOCKS and am fairly happy with all my ongoing results, but I just don't have the patience and nothing in the curriculum interests me. The main career that interests me the most is definetley instructing. I show jump my pony BSJA and I would like to have a career around show jumping as I enjoy it so much. I've looked into coaching pathways on the BSJA website but didn't delve into it, but from what I've heard from my instructor and friends who teach through BSJA it sounds like something I would enjoy... I just don't quite know where to start. I worked part time on a full livery yard for a year, but I just didn't enjoy it (respect anyone who does it full time, I can barley manage my 3 now😂). Does anyone on here instruct, through BS or not, or have any suggestions of courses to take that could be useful in several equine jobs? Also juut curious too see what less obvious horsey careers there is! (Safe to say my school haven't been to helpful, don't think they quite understand it all) 😂
 
I have worked in racing since I left school. I have loved almost every minute of it. It is a vast industry with many avenues to go down depending on what you want to do as a final outcome. Even a year or so in the job will open your eyes to a whole new way of working with horses and give you a better all round understanding. Plus it is relatively well paid for the type of work it is, it is structured with set hours, overtime and bonuses you wouldn't see in ANY other equine industry!

It's work a thought. You can go to Racing School which is a 9-14 week residential course that will guarantee you a job a the end of it in a yard. It's up to you to keep that job.
 
What didn’t you like about working on the yard and which bits did you enjoy (if any😀)?

If your lacking patience then teaching might not be for you, but what something like course builder/designer or working with a company associated with the industry like a feed company.

I’d be looking at an equine related qualification next, either at a college or vocation so you can find out what aspects interest you.
 
catroo said:
What didn’t you like about working on the yard and which bits did you enjoy (if any😀)?

If your lacking patience then teaching might not be for you, but what something like course builder/designer or working with a company associated with the industry like a feed company.

I’d be looking at an equine related qualification next, either at a college or vocation so you can find out what aspects interest you.
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Course designer is definitely a route i’d like to go down! Haha, i’m normally a fairly patient person just don’t have the tolerance for school! But no I enjoy doing my ponies very much, it was a good part time job but not sure i’d want to do it full time 🤷‍♀️ :)
 
That is a good thing to realise so young. When I left school al I wanted to do is work with horses and on the yard I worked on the work was varied and I learnt a lot. I quickly realised that I was never going to make a living wage from it and it took all the fun out of it, so I left got some more qualis and did something to pay the bills , which I never regretted.
BS must have some schemes for young people.
 
honetpot said:
That is a good thing to realise so young. When I left school al I wanted to do is work with horses and on the yard I worked on the work was varied and I learnt a lot. I quickly realised that I was never going to make a living wage from it and it took all the fun out of it, so I left got some more qualis and did something to pay the bills , which I never regretted.
BS must have some schemes for young people.
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yes i am very glad i realised sooner rather than later that it wasn’t the right job for me! that’s exactly how i felt, it was very tiring and like you said took all the enjoyment out, i had no time for my own ponies either
 
rjohnson said:
yes i am very glad i realised sooner rather than later that it wasn’t the right job for me! that’s exactly how i felt, it was very tiring and like you said took all the enjoyment out, i had no time for my own ponies either
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To teach/train in a competition sphere will usually involve gaining some fairly significant competition experience in that sphere (in addition to teaching qualifications). Jumping a few pony classes doesn’t count.

To gain that competition experience will take plenty of hours in the saddle - unless you have serious financial backing (lucky you if you have), then it will involve blood, sweat and tears on yards.

If you are finding a part time job on a local yard tough going I would question whether you will be cut out for the sort of commitment that sort of career will require.

You have to live, sleep and breathe horses to make a go of it. You might find you are better off exploring careers outside of riding/training/yard work and keeping horses as a hobby?
 
As ihw says to get on as a trainer/rider you need to work on a yard to gain experience and qualifications.

I know someone who is making a name for herself as a dressage rider/ trainer and general instructor as she also enjoys teaching children, having worked in several good yards, been an apprentice, trainee and general dogsbody she now has her BHSI plus other training qualifications, is riding horses at Int competitions/ championships yet still works on the yard, puts in long days riding numerous horses, drives the lorry and 'grooms' for clients when required.

She has had support and help from parents but no real financial help other than help with buying, putting cars on the road and her mum sending regular food hampers to ensure she eats when she has time, it certainly isn't a route to making a fortune but is a total lifestyle choice to follow her dream and she is loving every moment, even the mucking out.
 
BHS qualifications are the way to go. You must already have your GCSE results, they came out a few days before your post so if you are in your final year you have now completed it? If you can get a place at a college to get as far along your BHS stages (or whatever they are called now) before government funding runs out that would help. It won't get you beyond stage 2 if you don't have any qualifications yet but its a start; then you'll need to find yourself an apprenticeship or working rider post in a good SJ yard. A good 6th form college now will have the contacts to help you with that. But as a 16 year old you do still have 2 years of formal or vocational training to go. May as well make it as relevant as you can!
 
rjohnson said:
yes i am very glad i realised sooner rather than later that it wasn’t the right job for me! that’s exactly how i felt, it was very tiring and like you said took all the enjoyment out, i had no time for my own ponies either
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If you cant cope with a low level part time job on a yard your screwed for working in the horse world! You cant just jump in at the top and expect to be paid top dollar and go here there and everywhere.

It's a nice pipe dream but in reality you need to start at the bottom, slog it out and prove your worth. If you can't do that then find another career.
 
It all depends what sort of income you want, any skilled jobs and you are going to have to do some sort of training and not earn a lot for three years.
A friends daughter who is not academic did her HGV and now transports horses, mainly for racing, it’s long hours but she is self employed and rides her own horses or some else’s in between.
She worked on a racing yard and a show pony yard, so although she hasn’t got BHS qualifications, she knows the job. So you need something on your cv that makes people think your reliable and knowledgable. If it’s to do with horses you are never going to be rich.
 
I think, perhaps, do some soul searching about why you didn't enjoy working on the livery yard and I think that you need to be very honest with yourself here. As EKW said, I would worry that it doesn't bode well for a career with horses.
I also think that there are two types of successful trainers; the ones that have the experience and are either still competing themselves or have the record to prove it, and the others that have invested in their own training and become an Associate of a particular brand of training.
I got a job in racing stables after my A-levels as I thought it was my dream job, but the reality of it was than it soon became very apparent to me that a career with horses wasn't for me. So I came back, did a degree and a career in IT and keep my ponies as a hobby.
 
EKW said:
If you cant cope with a low level part time job on a yard your screwed for working in the horse world! You cant just jump in at the top and expect to be paid top dollar and go here there and everywhere.

It's a nice pipe dream but in reality you need to start at the bottom, slog it out and prove your worth. If you can't do that then find another career.
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Thank you for everyone's feedback, but I'll be turning of notifications for this thread now as it all just seems to be the same comments.
 
I wouldn't be too quick to rule out the academic route. Many people describe themselves as "not academic", but what they really mean is they're not interested in conventional GCSE subjects in a traditional classroom setting. If you think about how subjects could be applied they can seem more interesting:

-languages so you can cope when transporting competition horses abroad
-sciences so you could go into equine nutrition or grazing management or physiotherapy
-English so you can give clear concise professional feedback to a client

Might be worth checking out your local HE colleges for courses, some may offer a mix of academic and vocational. 6th Form College is also very different to being at school; you are treated as an adult. You could also consider taking a year out and trying all sorts of different jobs; unlikely to be glamorous or well paid, but could give you a clearer idea of what you like and don't like. If you want to set up your own business or go freelance you need to be able to manage contacts and your personal finances; non-horsey jobs can give you good practice at this.

Best of luck.
 
The only thing I'd say, is that no matter how hard studying seems to be as a teenager, it's a hell of a lot harder later on in life when you're trying to juggle a job, a mortgage and maybe kids, a relationship and parents/grandparents with failing health with studying. At the moment you have no responsibility to anyone but yourself and don't have to keep anyone else happy. Make the most of it, you won't get this time back and it could set you up for life.
 
rjohnson said:
I am coming round to the idea of possibly doing A Levels, perhaps in sciences. Thank you for your suggestions
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Sixth form might be worth looking into;
You might end up regretting not going.... it is hard work but enjoyable, and in does give you more options. It's very different to GCSEs, but in a good way that makes things more fun.

A level sciences aren't all that much harder than GCSE sciences either in my opinion and it means there option of university remains open to you, bearing in mind there are lots of equine related undergraduate options now too. (E.g. I know someone who's going to study Equine and Bloodstock Management at university once they have completed A levels.)
 
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