GAP year with horses?

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PrettyPonie

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Hi!
I'm from NZ and currently tossing up wether to go to uni straight from high school or wait and go work in a yard over in either the UK (England, Ireland) or the USA, in 2015!
If anyone has ever done this or even works in a yard, where would you recommend to go?
Any opinions welcome - I'm really in two minds about this and need all the help I can get!
 
If you have the opportunity to do a gap year before uni - do it would be my advice!
I went straight to uni from school thinking I would do a gap year after graduation but ended up with a job offer starting the week after I graduated. I am turning 31 next week having worked full time since uni and also now have a mortgage and husband which makes doing my elusive gap year that little bit more tricky! So I would go for it now before "real life" takes over - good luck and enjoy!!
 
I did my OE about 5 years after finishing Uni, I figured if I took time off studying I would never have gone back to it.

I had loads of work experience and found it easy to get jobs including horsey ones but the non horsey paid better. I rode in Ireland in Killkeeny which was awesome and also did some horse stuff as part of a job in Germany and then helped out at Hyde park when I was living in UK to get my horsey fix. Yard and Groom is your best bet but got the Irish job after I finished up another job, as I was having lessons at the yard.

I did accidently by a horse at an auction in Ireland :)

My OE was brilliant for my CV and I land a Horse Fed rep job after an interview straight off my plane on the way home to NZ.
 
We went on holiday a few years back to a ranch in Georgia USA called Southern Cross. There were a few girls working there on their gap year. Amazing place and if you are considering USA then it's definitely worth a look.
 
If you have some level of qualifications - BHS or Pony Club B and above - you can try for working at a riding safari camp in Africa. One of our PC Members did this over the summer and has had an amazing experience. Another teaches riding in Spain using her BHS Stage 3 (and the fact she is bi lingual helps!) A long time ago I did my BUNAC in the US on the back of PC qualifications. Not sure if the BUNAC scheme extends to NZ though. Might do.
 
I think you can only do it for 3 months, but back up rider at wait a little safaris in south Africa looks awesome (did a weeks holiday with them & the volunteers looked very happy)
Definitely agree with the do a gap year, my husband did the school, uni, job without a gap & age 46 still wishes he'd done a gap year. Its easy & fun whilst you've no responsibility
Don't limit yourself to just horsey stuff, go explore & have fun.
 
I went straight to uni from school, but afterwards I took a mini gap year in that I went abroad and worked for my keep as a back up rider/guide on a horse safari in Kenya :)
I had the most amazing time as a rider and did stuff people dream about - if they offered me another chance to go out there I would be there tomorrow!!
I did it for about 3 months and loved every minute. I didn't do it through any sort of company for gap years though, I just contacted places where I was interested in going :)


You can do it after uni but if you want to be a working pupil or work on a yard I would reccomend doing it before uni, especially in Ireland unless the degree you are planning on doing would be useful in a horsey environment :)
Oh, and I live in Ireland, and it's probably best to contact the yards directly, as usually very busy :)
 
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maccachic said:
I did my OE about 5 years after finishing Uni, I figured if I took time off studying I would never have gone back to it.

I had loads of work experience and found it easy to get jobs including horsey ones but the non horsey paid better. I rode in Ireland in Killkeeny which was awesome and also did some horse stuff as part of a job in Germany and then helped out at Hyde park when I was living in UK to get my horsey fix. Yard and Groom is your best bet but got the Irish job after I finished up another job, as I was having lessons at the yard.

I did accidently by a horse at an auction in Ireland :)

My OE was brilliant for my CV and I land a Horse Fed rep job after an interview straight off my plane on the way home to NZ.
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That is actually so amazing, would love to do something like what you've done! What degree and university did you go to?
 
I would say to do a gap year, you learn more by travelling than you do at uni. I'd recommend signing up to Workaway website as there is a lot of equestrian work on there in all areas of the world. :)
 
Definitely do a gap year!

I went to Australia for mine. Not all horsey but I worked on a cattle station, mango picking, yearling prep for Melbourne premier yearling sales and worked on an event/livery yard looking after the horses whilst the owner worked in the city (equine flu was about so she couldn't travel the horses and needed more income).

You will have a great time and it will set you up brilliantly to start uni the year after
 
I did my BHSAI as a working pupil in my gap year.

Hard work and (in my day) little pay above board and lodgings, but definitely worth it.

Its always been my 'back up career' in case of failing exams, unemployment etc. Never needed it yet (I work in IT), but I've never regretted doing it.
 
Definitely do it; I've always said horses are your ticket to the world - you can travel and work with horses whilst enjoying relatively good inclusive accommodation, access to a car often, food, pocket money and get to travel out to events and see more of the country if you work somewhere where the horses go out and about. Also meet new people easily. I did a polo season in NZ (never with the intention of doing it as a career) and it was one of the best things I did.
 
PrettyPonie said:
That is actually so amazing, would love to do something like what you've done! What degree and university did you go to?
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I went to Otago (home town at the time) and did a Bcom - major in Management and Marketing, with a year old Law and some Tourism Papers.

The non horsey jobs I did was Archaeology in Ireland (I organised everything) was part time in the Army while at Uni and then afterwards so that was my foot in the door here.
Germany I worked for a Flight Simulation Company and lodge with the owner so was also in charge of running the small farm with horses
UK I was Admin for a College.

The other jobs were better than the horse one as the hours and leave were better for travelling plus the money helped as well.
 
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