i want to work with horses BUT..?

ShowJumperBeckii

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i want to work with horses but i was going to train to be a vetaintry nurse not a vet but i was just wondering is there anything that gets more pay [other than a vet]
i was told farrier was good money but the backache?

thanks :) :p
 
As far as I can understand, working with horses never makes you rich! BUT its a lifestyle choice, not a way of getting rich. I.e. you work for yourself so can compete your own horses or you run a livery yard yourself so you don't have to pay livery...etc.

And even vets, all those uni fees....ouchie.

I'd recommend you get lots of experience in lots of different fields. Good luck! xxxx
 
Have you considered being an EDT or a chiropractor?

My current thinking is that I want to teach Equine Science, more on the reproduction side. I can then be employed and not have to worry about not having enough customers etc but still be involved in something I love and not being stuck in an office all day!
 
Lifes too short to simply go for a job because it pays more. I'd prefer a job which pays less (as long as I can pay my bills), which I enjoy and I'm able to keep my ponies.

Decide what you WANT to do and go down that route.
 
Yard workwise I have found working with racehorses or on a Thoroughbred studs pays more than say SJing plus you get a regular amount of time off. Plus I travelled the world working with racehorses and yearlings. Pay for vet nurses tends to be low also. To give you an idea of the jobs I've had - £150 plus living in a horrible caravan and working nearly ever hour possible with Riding school horses to £25,000 + a year working as a second person on a rehab yard for a top class Thoroughbred organisation, every other weekend off and a day off during the week on the weekend that that I worked, plus a lovely Grade 2 listed cottage. I won't comment on my current job. With horses you do it for the love not the money.
 
With horses you do it for the love not the money.

To true. I've been a groom ever since leaving school. I've worked at some truly awful places for very little money. :( My last place i worked and didn't get a wage :( But I love working with horses and can't see myself doing anything else. I live in hope of oneday finding a nice boss who won't take advantage of me and my love for horses.
It's not a 9-5 mon - fri job and it's often hard physical work but can be very rewarding. Racing is probably the best paid and most secure groom work as it is governed by the jockey club. But it is one type of yard work i will never do.
I think the only way to make money in the horse world is to comeup with a NH technic and charge people loads of money to be taught how to do it and sell lots of equipment to do your technic. LOL I wish i had the brains to market what i do with my ponies i'd probably be rolling in money by now. :p ;) :D :D
 
Working with horses doesn't pay the best money, however it's what makes you happy to enjoy life. :)

I'd rather be in a low paid job where i'm happy and can get buy rather than a job that I hate and have all the money in the world
 
OP

You need to ask yourself whether you want money or job satisfaction as it is so rare to find a job that has gives both.

Have to agree though, if you want money, working with horses is not really an option
 
You will spend alot of your life working. I must admit that I am firmly of the belief that it is a waste of your precious life to spend so much time doing something you don't enjoy. Employers buy a portion of your life - choose how you spend that time!!

When I was looking at what to do at uni, my dad put me off all my first choices as 'they wouldn't pay enough'. At the time I had no idea what 'enough' was, so worried that they wouldn't allow me to live a decent life. Due to that advice I did a degree I found uninteresting, did a good sounding (and well paid) but unfulfulling job, then a phd in an effort to get my qualifications into something that I would enjoy doing.

I'm now 30, don't have much spare £, but have my beautiful mare (and lovely oh!) and have retrained as a leatherworker and now earn my £ making bridles and leatherwork. I don't earn as much as I used to, but I have a fab life and enjoy my work so very much more.

Money isn't the be all and end all. Decide what you enjoy doing, then find a way to be excellent at that and earn a wage.
 
I`m trying for veterinary nursing, I`m devastated i didnt go for it when i left school as you cant train predominantly with equines anymore its all mixed :( and bloody hard to get a placement!!!

My EDt is self employed as i think the majority are....he does approx 10-15 horses a day £35 per horse...do the Math :D It`s hard work and I looked into it....not all horses are easy, some are scared some are mean, i took a battering yesterday holding my friends foal while her mare had her teeth done, my arm was bent at the elbow the way it shouldnt bend, im covered in friction burns from being flung in to wall and he butted me (not bad for a 9 week old 13h baby) :p and that was a horse that wasnt having work done lol!!! you`d need to be strong and very confident to do the work, same goes with being a farrier, need to be strong and confident and be prepared to be kicked, stood on and launched out of the way :)

Racing yards pay really well, i`ve seen some on Yard and Groom paying £20k plus....thats better than any VN wage....

Money can make some things easier but it doesnt make you happy....
 
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