Equine Job Options?

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Sophiecollins11

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I have always wanted to work with horses and am currently doing my level 3 extended diploma in equine management, however I have no idea what I want to do after college...
I got reasonably good grades in my GCSEs (mainly A* and As - i just disliked school and no 6th forms appealed to me whatsoever) and would love to go on and get a degree although I understand the equine industry is not full of opportunities or amazing pay, I would rather end up doing something I enjoy than getting paid well for something I hate doing (will probably change my mind on that though :D)

So my main question is does any one work or know of successful equine related jobs gained through a (masters) degree? I dont want to be doing yard work forever, I'm more into science, writing or office related job styles? Any ideas? and is their much point trying or should I go into a different field after college? :eek:

Please post any honest experiences :)
 
The British Horse Racing Authority do a good Graduates program that you should look into. Depending on which Road you go down racing can be indoors, outdoors or a mix of both. It is a pretty secure equine sector just now and is a good way to open up your future.

http://www.careersinracing.com/getting-started/training/graduate/
 
Thank you, I'm open to almost anything as would love to find a gap in the industry! I know I have a long while to go but have considered jobs in the USA too 😅
 
there are loads of jobs requiring a degree ..... vet ... genetics ... bloodstock and so on, the TB industry is based in Newmarket, England, the US has Kentucky.
In Newmarket there are 3000 horses in training, and 140 vets, dozens of studs. A stud /bloodstock career, is one option, but you need to make it clear you want a good training, not just a mucking out job, though there will be plenty of that. In exchange for good training you need to earn a good reference preferably from an internationally respected trainer.
The problem jobs are those in competition [SJ etc] where you are stuck just because there is one top rider and the others are grooms, of course there are exceptions, but they are rare.
You can go the The Racing School and get in to the industry that way if you want to, or go on a graduate course, regardless, the cream rise to the top, but it is always going to be tough. Ideally you need to find out what you like best and analyse why. Some people like people and some like animals, some like marketing and others hate it.
I would always advise you to spend a year at a facility which will train you properly, you can travel all over the world if you can ride a racehorse well ie work riding. Riding one adequately is within most girls capability, and you can still travel as a good groom, just on a lower level.
 
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Thank you bonkers2, I definitely want to get as qualified as possible as I understand that the more qualifications and experience you get behind you the more likely you are to get hired and work your way up, even if it is from the bottom 😊
 
The open weekend is this weekend!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI87HOZHtAE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gzXBFVDbL8

You need to find out what is available, and there may be many different routes to get there, recognising opportunities is one thing you need to develop,
Surprise surprise, employers are wanting hard working dedicated people to work for them, they won't hold you back, promotion can be rapid, if you are good enough, and you will have to excel, be in no doubt of that.
I knew nothing of this, and wasted my early career in agriculture, when I should have been training racehorses, c'est la vie.
 
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Sophiecollins11 said:
This is instead of A levels, it's an equivalent option so instead of subject exams it's a vocational courses 😊
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Ah ok, in that case before you do a master's you need to do an under grad degree, there are lots of equine ones out there. However, look carefully at each one as they are very different! For example, I did the international equine degree at the RAU, had a great time and now about to start a law MA at Bristol uni. However, this degree was very much lecture/lab based. I had no practical equine lectures, the closest I got to a horse was during dissections. However, if you want to go into research/writing then this course plus the normal equine management could be of interest. However, if you want a more practical course with more hands on approach then these courses won't offer that.

Apologies if this isn't quite what you wanted but if you have any questions feel free to PM me ☺
 
Thank you both 😊 I'm happy to start from anywhere I just know i 100% want to get a degree of some kind and leaning towards equine science and going Into the stud and breeding industry, I'm happy to hear anything good or bad I'm just glad to hear their is a chance of me getting a job with horses instead of taking a different route 😊
 
You need to be academic to enjoy and to prosper in a science based degree, maths for genetics, and so on.
Taking vocational qualifications is not the same, in some ways it is the soft option, so think carefully before you invest in something immediately when you could spend a year finding out what is available and what you are good at: no point in thinking that a masters degree is the way to go if you are not prepared to study, grinding study, use computers to write programs etc etc. If you can cope with advanced maths, fine, if not you may never get a science degree at masters level. Its a competitive world.
You can work in the equine world with many skills, if that is what you want to do, just do it. We are not taking about starting as a trainee in the local riding school, you will have to leave home and be independent, unless of course there is a World Class facility on your doorstep.
 
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I hope im up to it, I really like the sound of the subjects involved in it etc so always wanted to do it I just never enjoyed school and doing subjects I didn't like, I am good at school especially writing with 4 A* in English literature and language, citizenship and history it was just the subjects I had to take that let me down (still only a B so nothing bad) and put me off 6th form... my plan was to take the easy option for two years and then crack on 😂
 
I want to leave home aswell which is why I was considering moving to America for jobs as they seem to have more opportunities especially when people get English qualifications and BHS exams 😊 i would like to do a summere job over their once I'm 18 anyway, just the thought of my own horse holding me back...
 
Yes, sounds like you need to swerve the pure maths and sciences, that s fine, you still need scientific understanding, but that is fine, I am sure you can do that, then use your skills to interpret and to communicate.
In real life, you need a good grounding and understanding of the basics, OK you may never need to use certain skills, but having them gives you a confidence which can be invaluable. I spent nine months on a dairy farm: I learned to drive a tractor, service a tractor, service a car, plough , build stone walls, roads, fences, milk cows, manage hens, paint houses, tend a kitchen garden, deal with officials, and I was only seventeen. I could drive a combine, stack hay, lift 1 cwt sacks of grain, I came off the farm having lost half a stone in weight, but I was pretty tough!
I have used many of these skills, and though modern training programs would eschew these training on the job methods, all of us agricultural students must have done it.
 
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An equine science degree is a waste of time to a certain extent. People who do them are ten a penny and in the big wide world of horses no one really cares for the degree. Experience is the biggest winner.
 
Have Been looking at apprenticeships aswell as some you can gain a degree level sort of qualification with and most companies running then seem to offer jobs after?
 
What you may not realise is that the journey you set out on will have many branches and many crossroads, some of which are to be avoided because they are dead ends. Just because you think you start out wanting to be a rocket science, does not mean you will end up as one, you may become a farmer or anything else, things happens, industries change, you change.
And your first major qualification is a milestone, a starting gate , not a finishing line.
 
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I have an equine degree, an equine Masters and I work in the Equine Industry as a sales rep. Much better paid than anyone that was on my course and it allows me to be in the industry but without working on a yard. Did I need the qualifications to get the job? Well yes actually because there is a lot of competition out there but it was also vital that I had previous jobs in the none equine world. It's all the things you collect along the way that come together to make you the right person for a job.
My best advice is don't turn your nose up at the sales side of the industry. It's fun spending your life in and out of tack shops, talking to people just like you! Decent car, decent money and a work/life balance!
Hope that helps!
 
What about equine physiotherapy? Someone who went to the same sixth form as me went on to study it at university. Although I agree diplomas are not always viewed as equal to A levels or similar qualifications so you'd have to see what the universities are looking for:)
 
I feel OP has not yet gathered enough experience to determine her first career choice, most people of her age have not "decided", that is why they grind away at the books, in order to give them more opportunities later on. Every single application form starts with "what A levels did you get?", for the simple reason they give an insight in to the leanings of the candidate.
That is not what anyone wants to hear, but its a tough world out there.
 
Bonkers2 said:
Every single application form starts with "what A levels did you get?", for the simple reason they give an insight in to the leanings of the candidate..
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Do they? Having worked in HR recruitment for a while i can't remember ever asking that for any of the roles. I have also never been asked! The working world is evolving thankfully, employers know that not everyone is academic but that doesn't mean they can't do a damn good job.

After school I went to college and did an ND in Horse Management, alongside my BHS Stages and BTEC Business Studies. On a career day where uni's came in to talk to us, i was offered a place to study Equine Science at a nice uni, but refused as i didn't want to study anymore. Don't regret not going to uni for a second!
 
Crackerz said:
Do they? Having worked in HR recruitment for a while i can't remember ever asking that for any of the roles. I have also never been asked! The working world is evolving thankfully, employers know that not everyone is academic but that doesn't mean they can't do a damn good job.

After school I went to college and did an ND in Horse Management, alongside my BHS Stages and BTEC Business Studies. On a career day where uni's came in to talk to us, i was offered a place to study Equine Science at a nice uni, but refused as i didn't want to study anymore. Don't regret not going to uni for a second!
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Every application form I have ever seen asks what school you went to what subjects you studied and what the results were. Then further education, and tertiary education, then what jobs you have had.
 
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