What do all the top equestrian's do for a living?

[lrequine]

Hi everyone.

I'm sure that this is something a lot of young riders (especially of my age, who are thinking about university etc.) are thinking about. I was just reading the January 2012 edition of 'Horse' magazine and reading the article on Tom McEwen, y'know, one of those stories; 20 year old who went to uni last year for several weeks following good a-level results, and dropped out due to his equine commitments.

I suppose what I'm asking is; with a proper day job in the future, will I realistically be left any time to have a serious focus on horses as well? Myself and all of my horsey friends who are my age are all going to university or thinking about it, grades pending. I enjoy my a-levels and want to go to uni but I also want to event, properly. At the moment neither my riding nor my school work are compromised, but I'm not sure this will always be the case with a job.

What do people like Mary King, Oliver Townend, the Whitakers etc do for day jobs? Or don't they? Do they pay for their lifestyles with their competition winnings? Or else I suppose most of them are dealers, train other people's horse etc.

Typical 17 year old's thread, I know. Thank you in advance for any helpful responses!

 

[be positive]

The top riders are all professional, they make their living from horses in some way, usually a combination of livery, selling, teaching.
Many may have started out with a "proper" job which has then been given up when the horses have become successful, a few event riders at top level are still doing a day job but it becomes very difficult to have enough time to do both properly.
You can manage to event a horse while at uni, you will probably need some support, then depending on how things are going and what your day job is make your choice then.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Ermmmm they ride

They bring on youngsters,teach, freelance grooming, have good owners, sell their good horses if the right money comes along, winning from competitions and sponsorship if they are lucky.

If they aren't out competing they don't get the attention/coverage needed for the above or of course they need ot win the lottery or be bankrolled by parents/spouse etc etc

 

[CarolineJ]

Hi everyone.
What do people like Mary King, Oliver Townend, the Whitakers etc do for day jobs? Or don't they? Do they pay for their lifestyles with their competition winnings? Or else I suppose most of them are dealers, train other people's horse etc.

Once you get to be Mary King or John Whitaker, companies will be falling over themselves to sponsor you and pay your running costs Remember that a lot of the top riders don't own their top rides and may be charging the owners for livery, training etc. (depends on the deal worked out with the owner). Teaching, schooling and training will certainly be a big part of it.

 

[Spring Feather]

It's the same as any business. You work in your own business. That's your full time job.

 

[Cortez]

Erm, they're professionals - which means they get paid to ride, thought that was self-evident? Only the very top chaps get to do that, 'tho. Everyone else has to pay for the privilage of getting beaten by them. Way of the world....

 

[minkymoo]

Hang in, to be fair to the op, the woman who rides Mr President is not a full time rider and has a job. Ok she does dressage and doesn't event, but I am sure tere are many who also have another job other than riding.

I appreciate I may be wrong and they're not classed as professionals though.

 

[ClobellsandBaubles]

you do get a amateurs at top level James Robinson the vet who has done quite well at Badminton springs to mind, but not the people you were asking after, but they usually have one or two good horses and a very good support system/family to be able to work full time and compete at that level.

Professional equestrians deal/breed/teach have sponsorship and probably don't own their yard/horses/lorry etc. although to be honest I have no idea how they earn money

 

[jaquelin]

There are a few with non-horsey jobs (Sam Whaley-Cohen) and one or two vets. The majority make a living in equistrian business plus owners plus sponsors. They work HARD as all professionals/business owners do and their priority is not shopping, holidays etc, but their work/love/profession. I am reading "How Good Riders Get Good" by Denny Emerson at the moment and he emphasises how you have to prioritise horses if you want to be a professional. At the beginning of his career, he took a teaching job close to good eventing yards - not well paid but the hours meant he could ride after work, have long holidays, etc.
H& H had a feature a while ago about pros who had non-horsey jobs, they do exist!

 

[Mithras]

The top riders live off sponsorship, prize winnings, teaching and dealing,and sometimes side businesses like a bit of farming, or property development.

I often wonder what some of their adult children do though, or those who are well below the top level but still have no other discernible career than horses (in the latter case, I suspect their parents finance them but so many good young riders/juniors seem to drop out when the parents are no longer the driving force). I read somewhere thats one of the differences between Continental riders and the UK - on the Continent, young promising riders, even with parents wealthy enough to finance them, are more encouraged to go to university before committing to horses full time.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Hi everyone.


What do people like Mary King, Oliver Townend, the Whitakers etc do for day jobs? Or don't they? Do they pay for their lifestyles with their competition winnings? Or else I suppose most of them are dealers, train other people's horse etc.

I don't know about Mary King but I can tell you that when the older Whitakers and Oliver Townend were in Young Riders they were working on their family farms, where as well as the other animals, horses played a large part. The Whitakers ran a RS and Townends were horse-dealers, in a fairly small way, riding and schooling for other people.

 

[Romax]

I'm not going to try and kid you that I'm a top equestrian but I am going pretty well with a string of horses, sponsorship and owners. Right now I'm juggling competing almost weekly with an equine science degree so that if I decide not to compete in future I have something to fall back on.
The distinction to be made for me and a lot of the girls I know from young riders is that we're going to college to get degrees to fall back on (whilst still competing) rather than quitting competition to study, and then juggling competing with work.

 

[Lolo]

If you mean young riders, a lot go into decent working pupil positions and get a name for themselves along with teaching qualifications so they can freelance. In the beginning, it seems to be teaching, riding for people to get your name out there and hoping you get a break. It helps if you have someone willing to give you some financial backing to get started as well...

 

[icyfreya]

Well I think the proper proper professionals like Mary King, Whittakers etc have funding & sponsorship, also lots have their own ranges of stuff which makes money, and then obv. they're so good that they win a lot of competitions too, so prize money too
However it is possible to do uni, get a proper money earning job, and give full commitment to competing at a high level too. My riding instructor, Janine Jensen (http://www.janseneventing.com/janine-and-peter.html) went to cambridge uni and then became a journalist for the BBC, and does this job alongside competing a string of competition horses at 2* level and teaching/schooling and offering livery. So it obviously can be done! Somehow! I know how you feel though, i'm 17 too and am really confused about these things!