Rant! Does Nobody want to work with horses anymore??!

Cuppatea

Cuppatea

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We've been looking for more staff for the past 3 months and STILL havent got anyone :mad: weve had adverts up everywhere and ive had a whole 2 responses, one from a 15 yr old girl who i doubt would last 5 minutes with the work and can only do weekends because of school and transport and wouldnt be able to do much as she is only 15 and therefore not covered by insurance and wouldnt be able to hold the horses in work anyway and the other response from a 14stone farmer who knows nothing about horses let alone be able to ride and help break.
Do people not want to work in general or is it just horses?!:(
 
I do!! Unfortunatley it just doesn't pay enough :( I'd swap my stupid bank job for doing something I still love every day if only the money was the same...or even remotley close.
 
Many people don't want to work at all, however money talks to I hate to say. Where I am working they struggle for staff and can't understand why. It comes down to the fact that they don't pay so well. Not saying you don't, but nearly anything is better paid than horses, and they are a real slog.
 
Its mostly just horses! It simply doesn't pay enough for most people to live now. Take me for example. Im 30, successful junior SJ (international level) worked full time with horses 17-20 then again 23-25. Then I had my son. Not blowing my own trumpet (well maybe a little!) but Im a good rider, lightening quick at yard duties, can clip, plait and polish to a high standard but Im certain you could not pay me enough to keep my "real" life going outside of work. People realise very quickly that unless your very lucky working full time with horses is rubbish! Its cold, wet,dangerous physical labour for minimum wage! I now have a proper job (which is also dam hard work but in a different way) so I can keep my horses as a hobby and enjoy them!
 
People want a living wage. They don't want to work all day in all weathers without set hours for very little money. I mean without set hours because although you better not be late most horse employers don't care that you will be working til whenever.

I'm not saying any of this is your job but really people are looking elsewhere. Working with horses used to be a good job with decent wages. Time moved on and wages did not.

Terri
 
FoxTrotx said:
I do!! Unfortunatley it just doesn't pay enough :( I'd swap my stupid bank job for doing something I still love every day if only the money was the same...or even remotley close.
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I'd be back working with horses if I thought I could get the same pay/holidays/pension etc I get in my current job, sadly that's just not going to happen :(
 
Been discussing this with Lovely Livery (she is a YM for a yard closeby, but keeps her horse with me). I'd been thinking of leaving the office & going back to spending time as freelancer again.

She's really in demand & very busy. However she does have a min rate charge - and gets it, but I still think its far
too little compared with the work that is involved with the responsibilities that she carries. Then there is the tax & NI too as well as fuel costs.
She was offered to keep her horse at the main (lovely) yard she does, but compared with what was on offer for the trade-off, she is ££'s in by keeping him elsewhere but still going into that yard to work.
Lovely livery said she'd rather have a 'max payment' and have any extras (if taken up) then deducted, rather than them to be included in the deal.
Have wages in horseworld really stayed static?
Mind you, I've answered my own question :o - DIY livery prices are exactly the same round here as they were 20+ years ago.

Some places are saying 'meals at lunchtime, lessons included' and the like, but what most want is to enjoy their job, but not be broke doing so.

Where else would you find services/wages that are the same as 20 years or more ago? :confused:

OP - sorry, really didn't mean to denigrate anything you are offering :o (just having a minor rant :o ) and I really hope you find someone soon :)
 
I have been a Groom for a long time, part time and full time.

I have had probably 2 jobs that were what I would say Legit. As in I got payslips. That was working on the college yard part time whilst I studied ( this was perfect for student me!!) And at a dealers I worked at full time.
Ive done the working pupil thing which averaged out at 50p an hour ( £50 per week) below average living conditions, ie bathroom floor giving way, no gas when YO was off abroad for 2 months etc etc.
I have applied for a few jobs in my time and the majority of them wanted to pay cash in hand :-O didnt offer decent living conditions ( and if they did you were on call 24/7) and overtime was a distant dream.
 
Squeak said:
In my experience you're lucky if you even get minimum wage...
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But its the legal minimum wage - how do people get away withpaying less???

I can understand people with proper careers not being able to afford the change back to horses but people working in bars, shops etc dont get any more (usually less) than horse work and there are people unemployed who could do it but wont. Its seriously stressing me out, i cant keep going at this rate! :(
 
I have worked with horses for 8 years and for what I do I get paid well - around 15k a year before tax and NI. But to me, now, I'm seriously thinking out getting out as I have gone as far as I can in my job and without vast amounts of money I really can go no further. The long days, harsh weathers and the physical demands of the job are making me realise that it really is a young persons game - and I'm only 25! I do love my job, it's a paid hobby really but nowadays it's becoming more of a job.

I have always said that working with horses is a life but it certainly isn't a living.

Another part of the problem is is that so many kids are going to these equine colleges and get qualifications and then they think that they should be paid more because a of a piece of paper. We have had so many college students that we broke back down to the bare basics and retaught because whilst their piece of paper says they can do something the BHS way reality is totally different.
 
Have you tried graduates from horsey colleges? When something is posted on the horsey page of the county FB group, they fall on it like a pack of wolves.

My sister now works with horses, freelancing as a groom/ hunting nanny/ general mummy's helper and loves every second and is doing very well out of it as she's pretty well known on the PC scene.
 
Cuppatea how surprising you cannot get any one to work for you, people today are so much better informed the average Groom years ago used to be a Horse Mad School leaver who stuck at the job for a few years before they moved on to better things. Having been totaly sickened of being treated like Sh** working many unpaid hours probably living in a cold damp caravan for a pittance of a wage.

I truly think things havent really moved on, in the equine world in general.

I would dearly love to return to Agriculture from the Construction Industry but the same finiancial constraints apply, for example I started out with a Farmer Contractor who also ran heavy earth moving plant the first job i went on I was running rings round other operators on the site who were being paid 3 times what I was on a Agricultural wage so its a (I HATE THIS SAYING) A No Brainer, you follow the money, and better conditions

Untill the Equine industry pays a proper wage and treats people properly it will always struggle to recruit and retain good staff.
 
Ime it does often work out less per hour because you end up doing extra hours. Plus, whilst if I had the choice between min wage in a pub & a yard, I'd take the yard, unless you are into horses the cold/dirt/hard physical work etc would probably put lots off. Plus, unless you're dieting you spend far more on food as a groom than in a sedentary job. Shame horses don't make money so employers can pay good wages to experienced staff.
 
I honestly don't know how people manage to make ends meet working with horses, in your line it isn't enough just to be able to muck out stables and turn out, you have to be a good rider too, and willing to throw all the BHS stuff out of the window and learn new techniques, work riding is flaming hard work. I haven't ever ridden the same way since I worked on a flat yard.

20 years ago, doesn't seem that long ago! I worked 6 days a week, had accomodation thrown in on site, no food though, we had to buy our own fuel for heating too. On race days I either went with my horses to the track but most often babysat the yard, we had hunter liveries too, and weekend girls when everyone else went away.

I got 75 pounds a week - cash.

Finally gave that up and went as a live in groom on a private racing yard, still 6 days a week, cottage, food, heating included, sole charge and made 150 a week, which wasn't bad back then.
 
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Plenty of people want to work with horses but can't afford to! It's tough, demanding work and, after 8 or 9 hours a day, you end up having no time or energy for your own horse. There are jobs out there paying minimum wage, fixed hours and non-demanding giving people time to enjoy horses as a hobby.
Also, in order to get somebody able to work on a yard, help with breaking and schooling etc, there is a limited number of people available to fill that niche market. I did my BHS training under a YTS scheme (I'm old!), maybe you could look through the apprentice type market?
 
I went gone self employed a few months ago, and do all sorts of animal care - dogs, cats, small furries, and horses.

I've only just started to make a very small profit each month (less than £100), but its the regulars that keep me going. I for one would love to be offered a few hours regular yard work.
 
I think people are becoming wise to the poor pay and bad terms and conditions.

We all know you either work in a "normal" job and have more time and money for your horses or you work with them and have little time or money for them!
This is not in all cases but a lot!


Have you advertised enough?
How about offering an incentive of training and a recognized qualification?

What about an apprenticeship?
 
Cuppatea said:
We've been looking for more staff for the past 3 months and STILL havent got anyone :mad: weve had adverts up everywhere and ive had a whole 2 responses, one from a 15 yr old girl who i doubt would last 5 minutes with the work and can only do weekends because of school and transport and wouldnt be able to do much as she is only 15 and therefore not covered by insurance and wouldnt be able to hold the horses in work anyway and the other response from a 14stone farmer who knows nothing about horses let alone be able to ride and help break.
Do people not want to work in general or is it just horses?!:(
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Where abouts are you & how many hours a week do you need?
 
Personally you geniunely couldn't pay me enough to work with horses - far too much like physical hard work for rubbish pay, long hours and no benefits (e.g pension, private health care, company car etc).

I'd rather work in an office/corporate environment any day of the week. In fact, I'd go back to waitressing, retail or bar work before working with horses!

I do hope you find someone though - you sound like you need the extra pair of hands!
 
Please don't tar all employers with same brush!

We pay well, offer good holidays, a 5 day week as well as training own horse or a homebred horse to ride and produce with help from Mr W!
 
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