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YouOnlyLiveOnce

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Am I the only one that works in an office but dreams of being out there working with horses....? it seems to be all that occupies my mind, no matter what the weathers doing out that window!!
Sometimes think about upping sticks away from London and trying to find a nice little yard to run (however I have no experience in this but guess there would be only one way to gain it!?)
Have any of you actually done this and made it work financially? i.e start up costs and then continuing to make a profit. Would be interested to hear of any of your thoughts / experiences. Am I mad for even contemplating this, or totally naieve to think it could work? :confused:
 
If I had my time over again I would have worked with horses, not been stuck in the office. Go for it and good luck!
 
I worked with horses and it was the total pits. I didn't have time or money for my own and got constantly whinged at. I love a nine to five job with paid holiday and paid sick days.

I even enjoy being able to have my own horses now I have a steady income and predictable hours. Bliss :D
 
thanks for reply millhouse, however the catch is money as always!! it would have to work out financially in order for us to be able to live! i guess the way to do it would be to take over an existing business with guaranteed income, if only they weren't so expensive to aquire! :(
 
YouOnlyLiveOnce said:
i suppose you do make a good point jesstickle... would possibly only be ideal then if could afford to employ grooms on the yard - now im dreaming!
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don't write it off. I'm sure plenty of people make a real go of it. It just isn't for me. I like being able to go on holiday occasionally ( I say holiday but I mean stay away from home for a couple of nights at a time, haven't had a holiday for years) and stay inside when it's raining!
 
You can gain plenty of experience working on a yard (part-time, around your day job) in London. Try volunteering for your local RS/RDA. You'll pick up a lot there. You might also consider general business mgmt practice (managing staff, budgets, customers and so forth). Good luck whatever your next steps.
 
I had a fantastic job at a yard good money, 5.5weeks paid holiday, a small but cosey cottage and rode some fab horses aswell as gaining heaps of experience ! I absolutely LOVED IT however missed friends and family after 4 years and moved back to my home town :) !! There are some excellent jobs with fabulous packages its always worth giving careergrooms a ring and discussing your current situation and what you would like ! Amongst the bad there are some amazing places to work that pay properly give you proper hourse and more often than not come with houses etc inc bills paid for ! If u want the number pm me :)
 
jesstickle said:
I like being able to go on holiday occasionally ( I say holiday but I mean stay away from home for a couple of nights at a time, haven't had a holiday for years) and stay inside when it's raining!
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whats a holiday??:D

The concept of being inside when the water is pouring out the sky confuddles me, i think my braiin has blown its fuses trying to interpret that idea.....:confused:

Working with horses is great.........when everything goes to plan.......which is once in a blue moon. The rest of the time it can be stressfull, sweaty, cold, draining (mentally and physically), exhausting, mind numbing (mucking out), unappreciated, never ending, social life destroying, blah blah blah and is full of people demanding, bitching, stealing, conning, complaining, shouting etc etc etc....i can go on. And yet i cant quit! I couldnt ever do an office job, the idea of sitting down during the day is so alien to me it doesnt matter how tired i am i'll always find something to do. I have no social life, no friends, no money, no energy and yet i am as happy as a pig in the proverbial!:D Some people are born to do it, some people are born to dream about it. Which one you are i dont know but before you do something drastic and upheave your life, i'd suggest you try it first. Do some work in local stables or offer you services in your holidays to get to know what its like day in day out without any rose tinted glasses on!If you still decide its for you i'd then suggest to move to the country but work for someone else before you try starting up your own place. At least you will have money coming in and you will get to know the local lay of the land - whether another yard would work or not.
 
cuppatea said:
whats a holiday??:D

The concept of being inside when the water is pouring out the sky confuddles me, i think my braiin has blown its fuses trying to interpret that idea.....:confused:

Working with horses is great.........when everything goes to plan.......which is once in a blue moon. The rest of the time it can be stressfull, sweaty, cold, draining (mentally and physically), exhausting, mind numbing (mucking out), unappreciated, never ending, social life destroying, blah blah blah and is full of people demanding, bitching, stealing, conning, complaining, shouting etc etc etc....i can go on. And yet i cant quit! I couldnt ever do an office job, the idea of sitting down during the day is so alien to me it doesnt matter how tired i am i'll always find something to do. I have no social life, no friends, no money, no energy and yet i am as happy as a pig in the proverbial!:D Some people are born to do it, some people are born to dream about it. Which one you are i dont know but before you do something drastic and upheave your life, i'd suggest you try it first. Do some work in local stables or offer you services in your holidays to get to know what its like day in day out without any rose tinted glasses on!If you still decide its for you i'd then suggest to move to the country but work for someone else before you try starting up your own place. At least you will have money coming in and you will get to know the local lay of the land - whether another yard would work or not.
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I loved it until I got smashed up at work and was on SSP for four months with not a drop of sympathy from my boss and certainly no financial help!

I walk with a permanent limp now and had to have two painful ops. It sort of coloured my view on it. Until then I was completely mad on it too. It was all the things you say but also a complete crack at times. Now I prefer the quieter life. I'm a wimp!
 
Tickles - thanks for advice however I find i never seem to get a spare moment to myself as my evenings / weekends are spent looking after my ned, and trying to spend some time with my OH lol! so not sure how i would have the time to work / volunteer somewhere

emm0r - thank you for the very helpful information, sounds like you had a fab job!! the thing is myself, my OH, two cats and horse come as a package lol so would be looking for a job where don't have to live on site, and preferably to stay in same area we're in, which is where the restrictions come in! probably why i dream of getting a place of our own. i will def have a look on careergrooms website though thank you as sure i can get some ideas from here :)
 
cuppatea - thanks so much for your advice talking from experience. i think you are right, it would be best to try it working for someone first as i've had no experience of this. my horse is on part livery so i am only used to doing one horse just at weekends, then during the week riding only! i know im not afraid of hard work though especially with horses as they are my passion, however i think its easier said than done to just up and change your career
 
jesstickle said:
I worked with horses and it was the total pits. I didn't have time or money for my own and got constantly whinged at. I love a nine to five job with paid holiday and paid sick days.

I even enjoy being able to have my own horses now I have a steady income and predictable hours. Bliss :D
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Lol!!! I second this - MUCH better as a hobby than a career.......
 
Depends what you do I guess. I start my Masters in Veterinary Physiotherapy this summer. In two years Il be fully qualified and ready to go!! I really hope this will be the ultimate combination of working outside with horses (and other animals) without working to the absolute bone and hopefully making some reasonable money.

I have worked in a wide variety of yards - trekking centre, shire horse visitor centre, TB racing yard, therapy centre , private small yards etc. Enjoyed every minute of it but they were all either part time (whilst at uni/college) or during holidays. I couldnt do it full time every day for the rest of my life. However I have equally never worked in an office full time and could NEVER imagine myself doing that either. Given the choice between the two it would be horses, knackered and skint! Im lucky I have got onto this course and am so excited for my career, you should be too! Go and get some work exp or work one weekday at a yard maybe? Best of luck!
 
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