Worked in the Equine Industry? What has made you leave? Or stay?

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Debra Juler

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Hello,

I am a Business Management student from warwickshire college, conducting some research into high turnover of staff in the equine industry.

If you have worked in the equine industry or still do I would like to know what was the reason you decided to stop working in the industry? OR what is the reason for still working in the industry? (please briefly specify the job role)

All comments will be greatly appreciated, just starting to gather ideas and opinions

Thank-you
Debra
 
I work in racing. Its much better regulated than any other horse job with decent pay structures. I do love my job but I need out now. Im making an effort to get out but its hard as you kind of get stuck in a rut. Its an easy job to do but the minute employers in offices see horses on your cv they dismiss you with out looking at te rest of your cv.
 
Worked with horses for twenty years and a lot of them were good with agricultural wages. Left due to age related arthritis.
 
I initially worked as a groom as I loved horses, so it was my dream job. However, the hours are very long, not enough breaks and very low pay.

I worked at three yards when I was a teenager/early 20's:

1st was at a riding school and it was terrible! I was paid £20 a day (7am-5pm) and worked three days a week on the days I didn't have college. Some of the ponies could have done with retiring- when the riding school inspector came, they were turned out in a field off the yard so wern't checked :( The YM was a battleaxe, the muck heap constantly caught fire & I was treated like dirt.

2nd was at a lovely dressage yard. Pay was over NMW but the hours were long again and it was too much work for one person. I lost about 2 stone and nearly fell asleep on a few occasions driving home!

3rd was with carriage horses. Better hours (8:30-5pm), good breaks but still NMW.

I've now got an office job which pays twice the wage and I can now afford my own neddy :)
 
Working your ass off and never hearing a single 'thanks' no matter how above and beyond you go for some people. I never done these jobs to be thanked, I done it for the horses, but it would still have been nice to hear sometimes.

Dealing with dangerous horses who behave the way they do through human error and incompetence.

Bullying between staff, the 'pecking order' and having your confidence constantly shot down by higher up members of staff so as to keep their own sense of self-importance. After working my way up through the pecking order on one yard the 'ringleader' took me aside and briefed me on how to be a B**** to those 'below' me, like it was funny.

Seeing colleagues (and myself) being injured at work and receiving a barrage of abuse off of the yard owner/manager for not being able to work.

Seeing people take out their own personal anger and frustration on their horse.

*

I'm now quite happy on a private stables, with four horses all of which I look after, two are mine. I've got no one to answer to, and can be left to just get on with it. Bliss :)
 
I worked in a riding school and quit when i fell pregnant because they stopped my free lessons (only perk of the job) as they didnt think i should ride while pregnant (despite them knowing i still rode my own) and i never returned after baby because of the long hours and crap pay that would never have worked with family life.
 
I've worked mainly as a hunt groom or with point to pointers, I have BHS exams and experience in riding schools, livery, showing and low level eventing. However where I live it's just hunt and p2p which is usually seasonal and there's no guarantee you will be employed the next season! I have a child so a job which included a house or even moving to another area would have to be on a semi-permanent basis. The hours can be difficult with a child, no childminders start at 4 am because your horses are leaving at 5.30 am for autumn hunting! My parents had my child overnight then I took him to childminders but if they weren't local I couldn't do this. The pay is poor, given that for eg a hunt groom you need to ride confidently and be in charge of the hunt horses with no supervision or indeed help. It's not as if the average person on the street could do it, like working in a shop!
 
Worked in a very large livery yard for a year in my late teens. Left because of low pay (I was leaving work at the yard to go house cleaning to afford to live!), and an awful boss who took everything out on me. I was doing 14-16 hour days with both jobs and I was exhausted!

Some of the horses were dangerous- I had my arm crushed between a big fit hunter and the door because he barged out of his stable! Another livery horse almost took my head off when I was turning him out. He spun and kicked out.
 
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I left my groom job because of the pay, the hours and the lack of further job prospects. I now earn more than twice for half the effort, can use my job experience in almost any office-based job, and am not at risk of severe injury or death on a daily basis. I love horses but it just wasn't worth it in the end!
 
I worked at a racing yard for 5 years in my late teens and early twenties. Left for many reasons in the end, low pay meaning I couldn't afford my own horses, always shattered, long hours and pervert of a boss all played their part.
 
I left working with horses 20 years ago, partly because of the low pay and thoughtless bosses. (thank you is not that hard to say!) mainly though because having passed my BHSII I couldn't get a job. People would prefer to pay less for an AI instead. I took a job in an opticians while looking and enjoyed the warmth, dryness and air con in the summer so never went back.
 
I worked with competition horses in the UK and on the continent. Hours were long, pay was appalling, bosses were rotten, and I risked life and limb on a daily basis.

I loved every minute of it...only left because my (then) husband made me.
 
I left because of bitchiness in combination with lack of opportunities to go higher - I've been a groom in a dealer's yard, dressage yard, sanctuary and riding school and all but one were bitchy hellholes, and when you add that to the lowest pay possible and no prospects.....you soon come to your senses!
 
worked as an instructor, groom, equine vet nurse, flat racing. left because I wanted a mortgage, my own horse and time to enjoy it and you know, run a car, have a holiday once in a blue moon-contribute to a pension etc etc.
 
Worked in BHS riding school, point to point, hunting etc throughout college and uni.

Long hours, little pay....too much work and not enough staff so you are always shattered. I just couldn't enjoy my own horse and left for better job prospects.
 
I stay because for me the hours I do are absolutely perfect 9-1pm Monday to Friday (main job, I do another weekend job) This means I can be around before and after school for my daughter and in Winter still have time in daylight to do our own horses.
The pay isn't great by any means but its ok. I work on a racing yard which as someone else has pointed out is better regulated than most yards. Id never last with a "normal" horsey job!
 
Did several seasons as a event groom, then head girl on event yard and now in racing- better pay than the eventers and more structured hours at least! In eventing the hours were constant, always on call (lived off yard) and slowly knackered me (sole-charge,trying to keep too many horses fit and break in the youngsters alongside) The racing works well for me now as I ride 5 lots a morning, and then fit in freelance work around it, and gives me just enough time to squeeze in working mine. Although the money will never be great, and it's a lifestyle- not a job! There's no way I could ever do an office job.
 
Long hours, lack of gratitude from employers, low pay, but most importantly, making doing my own horse feel like a chore and not an enjoyable hobby....
 
I originally left to go to uni, your one infact! After leaving uni I worked in veterinary but wages in that sector are poor too and I soon found myself back working as a groom and instructor. Our wages are good for horsey jobs, hours are good and we've just negotiated two days off in a row! When I leave it will be due to the cold and physical side of the job as I enter my 30's as well as my many injuries! I will also have to leave the industry to find a better paid job so I can move out of home all over again!
 
Although not in an equine related job myself (but do hold BHS qualifications, BHS III and Grooms Certificate, but stopped there),..from reading the many responses, it does not seem to bode well 'working with horses'!! Low Pay, Long Hours, no words of Thanks and bullying in the workplace seem to be the common gripes.

Some 25 years ago, I decided to take an office based job so i could earn a decent wage and have pension/healthcare benefits and own my own house, car and horse.

From the sounds of folks experiences, i'm glad i made the right decision to take the path i did and do the BHS exams in my own time, just for me! If i was to pick up my exams again i'd be looking to get my teaching hours in to upgrade to AI and then work towards Stage IV, but time just simply won't allow nowadays,.. but i did enjoy doing the exams off my own back.

I would love an 'outdoor' job but the pay just simply wouldn't support me/myhorse/house/car nowadays unfortunately, which is sad really..but there you go..such is life.
 
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Silmarillion said:
I left my groom job because of the pay, the hours and the lack of further job prospects. I now earn more than twice for half the effort, can use my job experience in almost any office-based job, and am not at risk of severe injury or death on a daily basis. I love horses but it just wasn't worth it in the end!
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This, it was only ever going to be a short term thing for me, before I got a real job! On a warm, sunny day I do sometimes miss playing ponies - but my salary, other work related benefits, enjoying my own horse and being able to afford most of the things I want to do, make it a more than worthwhile trade for me.

I'm now training on the side for my Parelli levels & I'm looking into a Bowen/Sports Therapy short course, but for my own enjoyment & learning rather than any career prospects.
 
I left due to pay (£15 a day for 5 hours a day!) , a boss who didn't really care about the horses and employed a YM with little experience not alot of knowledge on horses (i couldn't wait to learn more, boy, i was disappointed!) i was young at the time, Oh and the fact they owed me around £900 (and still in fact do! but cut my losses as no one was gonna pay up as the YM had pocketed it...)

Also the B*itchyness i couldn't stand! it was like Chinese whispers 24/7.

Love horses wish i never left as i seem to have lost the horsey world :(

B x

Edited to add: like others no one ever says thank you and it made me slightly grumpy as i used to do things i shouldn't have as i didn't want to leave a horse out in the field by it's self ''because the owner should do it''
 
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I work in racing and have done for 4 years now. In my first job, where I was for 2 and a half years, I loved it to start with but the trainer wasnt very good to the staff and so many of them left. Unfortunately the people who left were the people who basically ran the place and made it a great place to work, consequently the horses were no longer looked after properly and I got fed up of it. Left there and moved to Newmarket, went through a few jobs as got laid off and now work for the people who ran the first yard I worked at. I love this job, breaking in yearlings (though it is a bit scary!) and going racing, my boss and his wife are great to work for and we all get on really well. I have my own horse and they are very understanding if I need to get done quick or if ever there was an emergency with her I know they would be fine if I had to rush off.

I have already decided that if/when the time comes that I don't want to work for them anymore then I will stop working with horses and do a "normal" job, though I have no idea what I would do!
 
I worked with horses for seven years, as well as having my own. The wages were terrible and I can't even remember taking a holiday in that time (this was before the working directive). I was young, but I loved it, lived at home rent free courtesy of my parents.A serious riding accident made me realise this was no way to progress through life, so I went and got a 'proper' job with a decent wage. I still had my ned though, but with a decent wage I could afford to keep her at livery. Working with horses was fun, but it is hard, dirty work a lot of the time. My one regret is that I was stick thin in those days - all that physical work, wish I could still say the same now.
 
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