Who on here used to work professionally with horses?

[SantaVera]

Have BHS and ABRS qualifications. Used to teach kids to ride. retired now.
Wouldnt have counted myself as professional though, the lessons were never a full time job. I taught one day a weekend to help pay for my own horse.

 

[Birker2020]

Worked in a riding school when I was 14, used to do whole weekends, tacking up, grooming, mucking out etc.
Also worked at the yard I've been at since 2004 when I was in between temp contracts.
It's not my cup of tea, I'd do it again in a heartbeat to help out but it wouldn't be my choice of work.

I much prefer working on an construction site in the office and doing arty crafty things along with document control which I find quite interesting and a challenge at times. No bitchy women. Its great.

 

[laura_nash]

I did 2 years at equine college (BTEC national diploma and some other bits, NVQ 2, BHS stage 2 etc). Then 2 years as a working pupil at two different yards. I loved it, but wanted to start having a life outside work and couldn't see a long term future Now a computer programmer (did an OU degree).

 

[SOS]

Worked part time as a groom with hunters and then eventers since a teenager. Loved the hunters as liked turning out horses to a high standard and there was a lot of riding available! Continued working part time whilst studying at university within the veterinary industry. Then left uni and went part time veterinary and part time groom. Wanted a change so went full time as a groom for several hunt masters and mid days at a small private dressage yard. Did that for around a year before going back to veterinary as needed more money.

Since haven’t managed to quite shake it off, still house/horse sit for people, get called in to do clips or turn a horse out for hunting/eventing if they are short of hands and still ride for someone on the side. I like a hectic life and even on the wettest, longest days I still felt lucky to work with horses. I’m now out of veterinary day to day work, although still in the industry, and doing a bit of equine and farm (non veterinary) work at evenings or weekends keeps me happy.

ETA: My working life without animals would be extremely sparse. I have done a few retail jobs but take anything animal related out of my CV or my life and I’m practically non existent.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I worked in a small RS for 4 yrs after leaving school. Basically sole charge of rides, instruction (basic stuff) all horse care. I loved it but had a psycho boss and eventually walked out. After that it was office work while I had my own horses and ran my own small non profit making stud.

 

[Hannahgb]

I was head groom at a showing yard travelling up and down the country, producing them for the kids. Did it for 5 years before moving to an office job and keeping mine as a hobby
Now totally out the game having lost my last one.

 

[Auslander]

Started off as a groom for an international event rider, then went to Talland to do my II, followed by a stint working for a private dressage yard in Germany, prepping young horses for the elite sales. Moved to Switzerland, where I worked for one of the Swiss event team riders, followed by a huge breeding competition yard.
Came back to the UK, ran the livery side of a riding centre in London for a while, and then gradually fell out of love with working with horses. I worked in PR/Marketing for several years, and did some freelance journalism in the animal health/pharma sector, then landed the dream gig as editor of a trade veterinary magazine.
Got another horse, and eventually moved into a house with grazing attached. Gradually acquired a few liveries, then the landowner built some stables - and I fell back into working full time with horses. Been running a small livery yard for the last 6 years, and mostly love it!
Definitely less professional these days - the horses are kept in a much more relaxed way than I would have deemed acceptable when I was working with competition horses!

 

[Izzwall]

I started helping a private yard up the road from me when I was 17 whilst doing my A levels to fund my own horses at the time. Realised I really enjoyed it so started advertising freelance groom services when I was 19 after finishing/failing my A levels. Worked at local pubs whilst setting up and got treated awful so threw myself into setting up my little business to be full time. I mainly did groom services/sole care of private yards and dog walking in the afternoon. No qualifications in the equine industry at all. 10 years later and fast forward to 6 months ago I was a yard manager to a busy livery yard, did clipping services, looked after 3
4 other private yards and did weekends at another livery yard. As much as I did enjoy it, after 10 years working 6-7 days a week, all weathers, 4.30am starts and sometimes 8pm finishes, barely any time off, it caught up with me and I was so burnt out. The money was absolutely pants and at times I was on about £6 an hour, plus people were late paying at times. One person I had to take to court as they refused to pay almost a grand in freelance services! At the age of 30 I don't have any assets (apart from my horses) and lived hand to mouth each month. In the summer last year I realised I wanted more from life, I wanted my own house, go away on a nice holiday each year, and generally not worry about money all the time. My OH was fed up with me knackered all time, never being able to afford things and when I did have a day off I spent it in bed!
So I had the wacky idea of becoming a laser therapist specialising in tattoo and hair removal and skin aging. Just before my course in October I got seriously injured from a clients horse and I think that's put the nail in the coffin. I haven't been able to work since and even if I wanted to work with horses full time again my injury prevents that ever happening again. Thankfully my course was rebooked and I'm currently half way through it, it's so different from horses and I'm completely out of my comfort zone but thoroughly enjoying it. I've also been offered a job in August to gain more experience in the hope I'll set up my own salon closer to home. In the mean time I have a job interview this week to serve ice cream in a willy's truck on dartmoor ? it's minimum wage but it will still probably pay more than working with horses!

 

[Kaylum]

Had a riding school and bred Irish Draughts and TB racers. Went to work in Technology in the end as that's where the money is. Whilst creating one of the first online tack shops in the uk 25 years ago. Still work in Tech but the tack shop was sold to a competitor who ceased it trading to get it out of their way. Now have an onsite tack shop for an equine charity and do a few auctions which is my other full time volunteer job.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

They don't pay well, but paid apprenticeships are open to people of all ages these days. Would it be worth looking at what's available in your area and seeing if anything grabs?.
.

Also depends on the company, the one i was employed with paid alot more than others because they were a global brand.

I started mine at 33. Finished at 35 with a l3 in business admin.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

You can drive a lorry - why not develop that?
You have so much knowledge - could you teach the younger staff?

If I do my hgv through the yard I am tied into a 2 year contract to stay. I can't afford to do it on my own. The trouble with the younger staff is they think they know everything already and are amazing so don't listen to a word anyone says to help them. It doesn't help that they are brought up that way now, nothing they do is wrong and only ever get praise not told when they are wrong. Plus I hate kids and I deem anyone younger than me a child ? ideally I would like to be paid to read books in a nice comfy armchair by a roaring fire![/QUOTE]


A lot of firms are doing hgv apprenticeships now. Have a google as i know Culina are at a few depots, not sure if one is near you.

 

[Starzaan]

I was so emotional I completely forgot to put my qualifications in my post haha. I've got my Stage 4 Senior Yard Manager, and before covid hit I was working on my BHS Performance Centre Manager. Gave up on that when the pandemic hit, and don't think I'll continue now I'm not going to continue working with horses.

 

[[153312]]

Thanks all. Lots of varied and interesting equestrian backgrounds here.Nothing sinister, just a musing . As ever, no one should reveal anything that they'd prefer not to, for any reason.

ignoring the daemon's misgivings - this is an interesting thread! Rather sad how many people are driven out of the industry by poor pay/working conditions though. I've done a very short spell on a livery yard and what is basically petsitting for ponies for various people, and the time as a proper employee on the yard was by far the worse of the two. I wouldn't consider any animal job as a career tbh for exactly the same reason as many on this thread have abandoned working professionally with horses.

 

[ihatework]

Whilst over the years I’ve worked around horses, sometimes paid, sometimes as a friend/favour I’d never class it as professionally. More it suited me at the time as a break from studying or working in the main day job.
Over the years I’d been the crash test dummy on breakers, groomed international sj’ing incl Hickstead Derby and international Eventing incl Badminton & Burghley. I’ve also done stud work incl foaling and stallion handling/dummy training and collections.

 

[reynold]

was working in engineering but when jobs became scarce and redundancies frequent during the 80s I did my BHS qualifications and worked a mix of full and part time teaching and livery yard work as and when the day jobs came and went in engineering.

Also worked for a national hunt permit holder and was training for my intermediate but bought another pony instead.....as you do!

Cross trained in my day job for a career in computing during 90s and started a small competition pony stud with the above mentioned pony as my foundation mare in the late 90s. Was an early member of SPSS.

Had to retire from working with horses and the stud when my health failed in the late noughties but carried on with the day job in computing and kept 2 horses in retirement livery until they had to be put down aged 27 and 26.

Now fully retired and I have a WHW unridden rescue pony that I keep at livery and cosset and groom and play in the school with ground work. A very expensive pet but she keeps me happy and outdoors with the horses I love.

 

[RachelFerd]

Taught in riding schools - have my BHS stage 3 and PTT. Worked in racing for 10 years - variety of roles from stable staff, freelance work rider, travelling groom, racing secretary. Rode in point to points. Did a foundation degree in the racing industry and took my trainers modules at the British Racing School. Worked for a year at the Animal Health Trust as a technician and rider in the equine hospital.

Now full time desk based professional and have been for about 8 years. But finishing off my stg 3 complete teach in my spare time because I do enjoy teaching!

 

[Laafet]

20 years of professional experience - working mostly with Thoroughbreds or racing Arabs, from foaling to training and rehab. In the end I was broken by the work, 65 horses and 3 members of staff in my penultimate job was just ridiculous. Not to mention the lack of proper time off, awful working hours especially during the sales. I used to love the foaling season as I did all the foaling and got a day off every week which was more rest than what I got the rest of the time. When I left a number of colleagues in other studs said it was awful to lose the knowledge and skills that I had. But I was not being rewarded for it at all.

I did also run my own yard and loved that but it was very hard to make money. I'd have my own yard again but only if I was in a position for it not to need to make a living wage.

So work in logistics moving horses around Europe. It's challenging but it was a good step away from the yard.

 

[GinaGeo]

Spent a year working for an International Event / Dressage Rider. I use working lightly as I wasn't paid. But I did get to ride some brilliant horses, and learnt a lot through osmosis. I left when I got fed up of working 70+ hour weeks, with no set day off and without a pay check. The straw that broke the camels back was when I received a bill for the farrier, dentist and transport for one of the horses I'd been riding for her. She had said I would be able to compete him, which was kind. But equally I'd ridden the horse in viewings for her, so he wasn't "mine" and could well be sold any moment. After working for free, with mine living in a field 24/7 and requiring no hard feed etc. It was a bitter pill to swallow. I paid the bill, worked a weeks notice and moved on.

My degree is in Equine Science. And I now work in an Office based role at a Equine College. So best of both worlds really.

 

[SEL]

That article in H&H recently should read this thread to understand why there's a shortage of people in the industry!!!

 

[dorsetladette]

I was born into a 'professional' family. We had a small welsh stud, which expanded into a breaking and school, come livery yard. Then it became a breeding and showing yard with breaking and schooling on the side. We rode for a lot of different people taking a few ponies to a very high level. Then the stud was dissolved and we moved south. I would of loved to carry on in the horse world, but I didn't have any proper connections so found it hard. I exercised a few peoples ponies here and there and worked on a racing yard and a dealers yard for a while, but nothing more than s**t shovelling really. And then the kids came along so had to be sensible and get a normal job. 20 odd years on I'm nearly qualified as an accountant and working in a job I love but never one I thought I'd do. I'd don't think I'd go back to working with horses again unless I could run my own yard and produce for the show ring again.

 

[olop]

I worked in a riding school straight out of school with the intent to teach, I did my stage 1 & 2 and taught my first lesson after I passed my stage 2 and realised I hated it (I got frustrated that I couldn’t preach what I knew!) and so ended up working in the NHS.

I did dabble with freelance grooming work a few years ago and loved it (alongside my NHS job) and I would have left the NHS and done freelancing permanently but it frightened me that I never knew how much I would earn each week so I stopped.

I would love to work full time with horses but unfortunately it doesn’t pay unless you freelance and take the risk.

 

[Fidget_Thief]

As title, really.

A fair few HHOers seem to have worked professionally with horses in the past, but have now gone on to work in very different fields. Several seem to have acquired some pretty serious equine qualifications, such as the BHS stage 4 and what not.

I'll kick off. I'm very much an amateur, though I did briefly work on a yard under the eagle eye of a dragon lady BHSI who taught me a lot about stable management. I got properly bawled out if my work did not come up to scratch! I worked to offset my diy livery bill rather than actually getting paid, though, so it doesn't really count.

I don't have any of the BHS stages, though I do have the Riding Club grade 3 which was supposed to be the equivalent of BHS stage 3.

For those who did used to work with horses, would you also mind saying what you do now ?

I did! Just left too lol worked as a groom and freelance insurance. Stopped because bullying threw me off and currently focused on getting my own horse.

 

[[139672]]

I helped run a family small livery yard and family’s 3 ponies, when I was a bit (OK a lot) younger. There for a year, left to go to a SJ yard. Hated that job. The family were really horrible people, the kids spoilt brats. The owner/dad was a sexual predator. Told the head girl, if she didn’t ride him she couldn’t ride the horses. He was a dreadful rider and socked his horses in the teeth with the bit every time they went over a jump. I was promised weekly riding lessons. I had 2 in 8 months, which actually meant schooling the SJ ponies. He is still around, not SJ. Still looks revolting, like toad of toad hall, so fat looks like he may explode! I left after 8 months, 7 months and 3 weeks too late! Went to college to do an admin course and have worked various admin/finance since and also left the SJ yard so I could have my own horse. I had him until he was put down at age 21.

 

[View]

Rode ponies for a dealer, groomed for an eventer during the season, weekends in a riding school and picked up the teaching bug. Parents insisted on a more sensible life plan, so fell into transport which I love as much as horses, but pays so much better.

Got back into horses professionally a decade ago, got Stage 2 and PTT, UkCC Level 2 and loved teaching in a local riding school at weekends and evenings. Resigned when Covid hit so that they could keep on as many who needed the income as possible, but do the occasional evening as cover and have a couple of other clients.

I’m too old and broken (too many falls and injuries over the years) to work full time on a yard anymore but I still love teaching those who truly want to learn.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

I did my BHSAI as a working pupil in my gap year ( was supposed to be going to art college ) and enjoyed it so much that I decided to carry on with the horses . The training centre I was at offered me a job when I qualified so I stayed there for a while until I decided to broaden my experience . My next job was with a large and lovely farming family who had hunters/eventers . I worked with one of the daughters who had just left school . She is now a British team coach and godmother to my daughter . Fabulous job ! I lived in and was very well paid .
I then worked in USA ( teaching ) and Greece (showjumpers and teaching ) , both well paid , and a variety of other yards in the UK ( hunting , eventing , dressage , showing ) . I definitely enjoyed some jobs more than others but I have never accepted poor pay or ridiculous working/living conditions - I just don't take those jobs !
Came back to the UK permanently when I got married and worked as a freelance instructor both for numerous local RS's and with my own private clients , and when we acquired our own land and stables I took horses for breaking/schooling and did a bit of buying and selling .
I have often had other jobs alongside the horsey ones , not particularly for the money - more for a bit of variety ( the horse world can be a very narrow one and I like a life with other things in it ! ) . When I was a WP in the 70's , to subsidise my meagre pay , I started doing illustrations for horsey magazines ( in the olden days when they had that sort of thing ! ) which expanded to doing cartoons and writing ( mostly humerous ! ) stories and articles aswell . I remember getting my first pay cheque for illustrating an article for ' Pony ' magazine . My WP's allowance was £5 a week and Pony sent me £75 and a request for more material ! Happy days !
In the later years , when I had children and my own string of horses at home ( 6 ! ) I mainly taught and wrote to work round them , with a few other projects on the side . Been a busy old life on reflection !

 

[ycbm]

expanded to doing cartoons and writing ( mostly humerous ! ) stories

Well that explains a lot!

When do we get some more Hosé not José?

 

[Shilasdair]

Thanks all. Lots of varied and interesting equestrian backgrounds here.Nothing sinister, just a musing . As ever, no one should reveal anything that they'd prefer not to, for any reason.

Well....I worked in the equine industry for a couple of decades.
Initially I worked practically in a range of yards (studs, riding schools, event, rehabilitation). I did some BHS exams, and I did some academic degrees.
Then I worked for a very large equine HEI, climbing the career ladder until I managed degrees/departments. They were good to me - I had a free house, all bills paid, full livery on the main yard, and full broodmare livery on the stud.
I wanted a change so applied to be Head of Equine at a large HEI in Yorkshire and was offered the job - but decided it wasn't for me.
So I left the equine industry and work for a non-equine university but using another one of my academic degrees.
I had a lovely time in the equine industry, and did rather well out of it- but I have an even lovelier salary in my current employment.

 

[EventingMum]

Did my BHS exams when I was younger in my gap year and alongside an unrelated degree. I planned a totally non-horsey career but then my Dad started a yard as a semi-retirement project and I ended up working with him. I was also BHS assessor (R&RS, and Stage 1 & 2) and did my EFI level 1 and UKCC 3. I trained PC intermediate and open teams in all three disciplines as well as riders competing BS 120/130m and BE up to intermediate/ old 2* and trained pupils for BHS exams. The yard is now a mix of riding school and liveries and I manage it but don't tend to teach outwith it anymore due to ill health and limit most of my teaching to a few private clients