How did you get to managing your own yard/becoming a professional horse rider?

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AstralDiamonds

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Just starting to wonder if it is possible to get to the top of the equestrian sport(eventing for me) to run your own yard and ride professionally? As a junior rider who has serious ambition to do this but not the supporting funds from parents etc ( which seems to set quite a few people up? ) I was wondering how people have got where they are and manage to run it all as a successful business. Any experiences/ ideas welcomed!
 
Well most top eventers do not make their money eventing they make it buying selling and teaching or else they have very very generous backers/ sponsors but those are very rare.

If your very adept at bringing on youngsters well and selling at a profit that's always a good route but for every profit be prepared to have one that will be a loss.

Dont mean to be negative but without financial backing it's seriously hard work it is possible but 7 day weeks will be the norm. Think it's kerilli that says you only need three of money, determination, skill and good luck to succeed which I believe is very true
 
did i say that? i might well have, i believe it!
firstly, how good are you? dispassionately, objectively if possible. (you don't have to answer on here of course, just think about it!) ponder your strengths and weaknesses. and, as Pat Parelli says, "good, better, best, never let it rest, make your good, better, and your better, best..."
watch top riders as much as you can. see what they do and why, and how it works. you can improve hugely through that sort of osmosis.
ask your trainer(s) for their opinion if necessary. the biggest thing holding some riders back is the level of their delusion! there's nothing at all wrong with not being good enough (for x level, x horse, etc) YET... but imho the problems come when a rider (sometimes abetted by adoring, rose-tinted-wearing parent(s), friends etc, who foster the delusion) already believes they're good enough and so isn't willing to learn... if you already think you're good enough, why bother trying to improve? (not aimed at YOU, sorry, just a general statement!)
there are always people looking for good stable jockeys. yes, the competition's fierce and you'll have to work your butt off, but the places are there. i can think of one immediately, someone i know a little, who looks for juniors with huge potential and then nurtures them, provides good horses to ride, training, takes to all competitions, pays wage etc. two of their former stable jockeys have gone on to become household names.
you have to be mentally as well as physically tough. horses are heartbreakers, whether they're your horses or not (if they're yours, they're bankbreakers too!) they raise your hopes to the rafters then keel over. they go lame at the last minute. hard luck stories abound. the good times are fabulous but you have to be able to ride the entire rollercoaster... ;) ;)
fwiw i'm not a Pro by any means, i'm too soft for starters, i get much too attached to the horses, don't move them on when they're not good enough, etc. I wish i was tougher, i'd probably have gotten a lot further, but you have to know yourself in this game!
the internet is a double-edged sword for an up-and-coming rider. there are huge opportunities for sponsorship, endorsements through your own website etc. it amazes and impresses me that some riders who've never done much at all manage to get really good backing... good on them! the internet's a tool to be used, if self-promotion is your forté.
however... the other side of it is that all your results (BE anyway) are up there forever for everyone to see. it never used to be like that - unless someone was at the event, they'd never know how you did unless they asked you! so, the scope for misinterpretation (because the scores on the doors do NOT always tell the whole story!) is huge, as is the potential for nastiness, pressure-build-up, etc. How do you cope with all that so far? (again, obv you don't have to answer on here!)
so, i'd advise having a really good think! i hope some of those musings help, v v best of luck this season and with your career.
 
I totally agree with the above but a bit of personal experience. These are my perceptions and the rest of my family might not agree with any or all of it but this is what I see from the outside.

I'll use my grandaughter Rosie as an example not because she's a pro eventer but because she earns her living from horses and was a reserve on the junior GB eventing team in 2008. That particular horse was bought for her by a man who thought she had talent and wanted to help her.

She was born into a horsey family and they have their own yard (albeit a bit scruffy). Her Mum has been buying and selling horses on and off since she left school and her Dad used to SJ to quite a high level. They don't have any spare money but they support Rosie in terms of time and, as Dad is an agricultural contractor, all the hay, haylage and straw is at cost. They also have their own fields for grazing.

Any money Rosie gets comes either for training, bringing on and competing other people's horses for them or from buying her own cheaply, bringing them on and selling them at a profit. Her Mum and Dad are crucial to the buying and selling process - they have the knowledge and experience which as yet she lacks. They also own the lorry in which they take her and her horses out to competitions.

She is at the yard most of the day, every day. She takes on all sorts of riding jobs - she can't afford not to. She works her butt off, spends every penny she can spare on training and her middle name is determination. Oh, and she simply doesn't have time to maintain a decent website and a c**p one does more harm than good in my opinion.

I really, really wish you every luck with your dreams :)
 
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^^^^^ Rosie's doing it the old-fashioned way, the hard way, with utter grit and dedication, and she's achieving amazing things, against all sorts of odds. Huge credit due there. :) :) :)
that's a good point though, a website isn't essential at all... in fact one HHOer has a super website now but she only got round to it when she'd gone clear round her first 4*! ;) ;) ;)
Rosiefan, just an idea, has Rosie thought of asking one of her pupils if they'd do her a website and maintain it in exchange for lessons? I know a few people who have done this, that's all.
 
I'm going to claim credit for santa_claus's quote - I definitely have said this (although I'd use the terms money, commitment, talent and luck) althpugh others may have too :D

OP, if you are struggling to get started and haven't got horsey parents, my advice would be to start out by getting yourself a Working Pupil position in a good yard - they are always looking for reliable hard workers. Learn everything you can, then move on to another and do the same. In due course you should be in a position to get a job as a stable jockey and work your way from there.
 
TableDancer said:
I'm going to claim credit for santa_claus's quote - I definitely have said this (although I'd use the terms money, commitment, talent and luck) althpugh others may have too :D

OP, if you are struggling to get started and haven't got horsey parents, my advice would be to start out by getting yourself a Working Pupil position in a good yard - they are always looking for reliable hard workers. Learn everything you can, then move on to another and do the same. In due course you should be in a position to get a job as a stable jockey and work your way from there.
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i knew someone on here had said it and wasn't going to steal it :p :D

oh and a decent website costs next to nothing infact £25 a year will cover domain name and hosting with ease! The creating can be done for free as well given a little bit of knowledge!

Rosiefan might actually email you with a proposition to put to Rosie...
 
We have our own yard, stables, fields etc and make all our own hay & haylage as my parents farm sheep aswell.
Kerrili - As for how good I am.. My dressage needs serious work, not my strong point so I put a lot of effort into trying to get that up to standard and my main horse isn't really made for and doesn't have the paces but hopefully, as she's now recovered from injury and I've got my back sorted as it was fairly badly aligned etc.. That should help and make things a little easier, but I know we've got a long way to go in that sphere and I'm pretty determined to make sure that we can get the most marks possible as I understand how key this phase is! Plus I have a very helpful instructor for dressage who's very brutally honest with me which helps alot! Showjumping is definitely a strong point for us both, rarely have any difficulties or poles down and that seems to come much more naturally to me. XC is good, clear all the time except when she was injured and we hadn't worked out what was wrong with her, but I need to get stronger and abit braver about pushing on for time.
I've got a huge amount to learn but I'm incredibly determined to do it and that's why I want as many peoples advice and ideas about how to do this best, because I am young and inexperienced and it seems well worth asking you all( who are all very very helpful! ) to make sure I'm along the right tracks. I'm getting ready to see the first youngster I've produced from scratch this spring ( which I really enjoyed doing and he seems to be going very well so fingers crossed other people will what we've done with him too! ) and I have two others to bring along which I hope will be successful. Whether any of that means I'm capable or not I don't know, I think doing junior trials this year with my horse ( who had done v little before me and was kicked off several pro yards for being such a nightmare.. ) will be a good indicator of whether I'm cut out for it. Thank you so much for those ideas though, I will definitely keep them in mind.

Rosiefan- Your granddaughter sounds like she is seriously achieving despite everything, and I have a huge amount of respect for that, i hope she succeeds in what she is trying to achieve. It's rare for people to have such dedication. Thank you so much for that information it sounds similar to my sort of situation and what I would likely end up doing and it's always useful to have an outsiders perspective on things.

As for going to be a working pupil or stable jockey, do many yards allow you to take your own horse/s aswell to go on livery there or are you purely expected to just ride and work for them ( I know the pays poor so it depends whether livery etc would actually be affordable ) ? Thanks again. ( sorry about the very long post! )
 
It sounds as if you have a good situation at home, great start. Ditto your honesty about your dressage at the moment. If you haven't already, I'd try your best to get a few lessons on a dressage schoolmaster under the aegis of a good trainer, so you get a really good idea of what you're trying to feel for... it's invaluable.
Many event yards allow you to take your own horse. Not two horses though, usually, unless you're willing to pay big-time to be there, because you wouldn't have time to do more than 1 of your own (i barely had time to do mine when i was a WP, he was always left till last). the exception would be somewhere where you could keep them out 24/7, because obv that's a lot less work, but I doubt many top yards would allow that.
good luck!
 
Yeahh my trainer let's me ride her psg and grand prix horses which has definitely made a big difference.
I thought that might be how it was but thanks for clearing that up. Cheers again :)
 
It does sound as if your circumstances are similar to Rosie's (jumping is her strong point too and dressage is a work in progress although it's improved a lot with training ;)).

Are you in the Pony Club? Rosie had a huge amount of support from hers and it was a PC Dad who bought her the horse for the junior team after she'd won her section at the PC Champs Open eventing on her own 15.2 appaloosa gelding she'd produced herself from scratch.

I don't see why it won't work out for you but you're absolutely right - most of the people who get on the teams have some serious money in the family. Not all of them though so hang on in there :)
 
AstralDiamonds said:
As for going to be a working pupil or stable jockey, do many yards allow you to take your own horse/s aswell to go on livery there or are you purely expected to just ride and work for them ( I know the pays poor so it depends whether livery etc would actually be affordable ) ? Thanks again. ( sorry about the very long post! )
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Can I just add that it might seem silly to some people but even though you have the set up at home the experience gained by going away to work for someone good is invaluable.
I come from a horsey family (I decided at an early stage I would like an easy life so I got a proper job :) ) all of my cousins have gone away, some over to the continent to learn their trade.
Also Henryhorn (you could PM her) has a lovely yard which is now run by her daughter, who spent a couple of years as a working pupil and now brings that experience to her own yard.
Never turn down the opportunity of experience and always always listen more than you speak :)
 
I'm just a lowly dressage rider (wanted to event until I was about 11, then I realised I don't bounce too well :rolleyes:;)) so not all of this will be relevant, but I'll tell you anyway.

I was introduced to my current trainer when I was I think 13, and had slightly ill fitting 17hh warmblood x cob 6 year old, who was strong as an ox though sweet natured, who I somehow managed to bring up from training level to advanced in 2 years.
Current trainer said that she liked that even on a horse who was too big and strong for me, I still managed to get a decent tune out of him without much help.
Seeing this she started to let me ride her horses with visiting clinicians, and then giving me lessons on them which progressed to letting me compete them as my own. Sue buys, brings on and sells horses, and I got my boy by riding him for her whilst rehabbing him from injury and Sue seeing that we were a good match and being very flexible with the price :rolleyes:

I was lucky that Sue is an international judge, and therefore has a lot of trainers and other judges at high levels visiting her yard, giving me more exposure. Soon enough some of these people started also offering me rides (how I got my current ride on an I2 stallion) and other opportunities (in December I got to prepare stallions and youngstock for the Oldenburg gradings and auctions in Germany).

So in short, either find a trainer who will let you work with their horses as well as your own, or get a position with a well respected eventer. Get seen by the right people, and be willing to ride horses that you don't necessarily get along with. Be willing to sacrifice ever being truly clean, having a social life and friends outside of horses. With time and experience you'll gain more exposure, making it easier to get rides and gain a (hopefully positive :cool:) reputation.
 
Rosiefan- Yes I'm sticking with pony club for aslong as I can! Been competing at the nationals for the last 4 years, yet to win my section but two of my team mates have so maybe their luck will rub off on me! Plus my mum runs the showjumping for our club which means we end up getting much cheaper good quality training in a very nice brand new arena with good jumps for about £12 an hour.. Very grateful for that.

Baggybreeches- I totally agree and I think I will definitely have to go out and get experience on several yards to pick their brains and find out how to run one properly. Where abouts is she based? I'm in devon.

Romax- Dressage most definitely isn't lowly! That makes alot of sense and I really need to get seen by the right people as it's the only way to find new horses/owners etc so going about it that way sounds very logical. I'm very grate to my dressage trainer who lets me ride all of her horses but it would be good for me to find an eventer to try out lots of different types of horses and learn how to ride them all rather than one particular type.
The whole being clean and having a social life went out the window a long time ago!
 
Just thought I'd add on the getting going front from the adverts Ive seen offering job positions IMO a HGV licence can be a huge bonus to give you an edge and get you started on the ladder :). If you are a certain age and meet certain requirements you can get financial help with your training (and test, I believe) costs through a financial support grant or similar such thing set up by the government to get young people into trucking! :) good luck.
 
I hadn't thought of that but that's probably a good idea, a friend of mine managed to get his training and test government funded so I will ask him about it. Thank you!
 
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