Working Abroad at Horse Treks/Ranches etc

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midi

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Hi,
Just wondered if anyone has worked abroad at riding ranches / treks?
I've known someone who when in NZ worked at a riding trek - shes wasn't particularly horsey and asked for work in exchange for free rides but in the end she got paid as well.
She worked with the horses & led tourists on treks. - This is something I would love to do!
Places that interest me is like nz or canada/america - but anywhere abroad really.

Does anyone have any experience of doing this? how did you go about it etc, any recommended places?
Do I need any type of Qualifications?
I want it to be actual work though not a working holiday.
Work exchange for accommodation, or paid etc
 
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I would love to do this over summer! But I can't think if how to find a good place, as I just imagine finding a place over the Internet and turning up after a long, expensive flight to find it's dodgy! Can't you try where your friend went?
 
I'm from the States and worked at 2 ranches in Montana, but they weren't touristy, they were for breaking and bringing on cattle horses. Are you specifically looking to go to NZ?

At one ranch I got paid as well as riding because the riding was just bringing the horses on anyway (necessary, not fun rides), the other one I didn't do riding just yard duties and ground work with the foalies.
 
New Zealand or Canada/America would be my ideal.
Though I'm quite open to any places like Ireland - Europe as well I guess but I'd like to be an environment if I can be picky, that has forest/hills rather than desert&beaches say the kind you'd find in Spain.

I have pestered about the place but not heard much info from the one I knew who went in NZ, she was already out there and found it that way - I'd rather if possible find somewhere first before travelling if possible?

I did a search on the forum earlier if anyone had many any similar posts as mine, some say they found work through agencies - How do you go about that? Any links? Sorry so noob hehe
 
I work for an agency selling riding holidays and we get quite a few requests from people looking to work at our destinations. I would recommend this method - just look at various agencies and send them a polite email and a CV if you have one. Detail what experience you are looking for, whether you want to be paid, how long you would like the position, your experience etc. Then they can tell you if they have any destinations which might suit and can contact them for you to see if they're interested.

Most places will require a fair amount of horsie experience, a friendly manner to deal with guests, good references etc.

If you'd like to send me an email to holly@farandride.com then I can certainly see if we've got anything which might work for you. Do just be aware when contacting agencies of the impression you make - we receive some shockingly poor emails and it doesn't make us feel inclined to help you. Particularly as there is not much for us to gain from it (except feeling nice, hehe).
 
Hi, I worked out in NZ on a trekking place for a few months when I went out there. I flew out and then just called round all the places I had googled and the third one I called had someone leaving in a few weeks. So I took my time travelling down to Queenstown, went up there and saw them and got the job. I was back up guide on treks when needed (usually 2 - 6hrs riding per day) but most of my job was getting all the horses ready for customers, doing the veterinary tasks and feeding etc.

Before you get too excited, I should say that this is by far and away the hardest job I have ever done. As usual for a groom I worked long long hours, but the hardest part was knowing how hard those horses worked. I had a herd of 30 to look after and out of those 15 were usually lame or had saddle sores, and probably 8 - 10 of the rest would be experienced only rides, and yet you get told that you have a ride of 15 beginners coming. So I would go out there and have to pick at least 5 to 10 horses that I knew were exhausted, or sore, and still get them to work. One poor horse, the only weight carrier amongst them, got a total of 3 days off in the 3 months I was there, and worked 4-6 hrs per day the rest of the time. I found it a little heartbreaking, i know they cared for their horses very much, but finances meant they over booked every ride so horses had no rest or recovery time).

Then you have to deal with the fact that you have, single handedly, in the pouring rain, caught, fed, unrugged, tacked up and rerugged over the top 18 horses in 2.5 hours, only for the blimmin clients to cancel! (or worse, they do turn up and you have to trek out in the lashing rain and snow...tourists can be mental!)

Then there are the inevitable falls - dealing with 10+ beginners out on the trails is often asking for trouble! We had some really nasty ones, including a guy who fell but got his foot caught in the stirrup and the horse paniced and dragged him over 100m, causing 4 others to fall as well and a stampede.

...and this is not some shoddy establishment, this was a high end one.

I don't want to put you off, just don't want you to go blindly in thinking that all you will do is ride horses all day in the sun (which is what I went over there thinking). I have never been so tired and I have worked as a pro groom at event, show jumping and showing yards in NZ and Canada, so I do have something to measure it against! Wherever you go, make sure the horses are the number one priority.
 
Should say i have no quals, got my grooming job in Canada without any and then used that years experience when i spoke to the NZ trekking place. Neither place cared about quals, they just know that Brits generally have a high standard of horsemanship and care. then got a job as an event groom in NZ after the trekking place, again just calling around.

Both places in NZ I got a small wage and accommodation.
In Canada I just got a wage plus a massive Chevvy Silverado pick up truck!
 
HollyWoozle said:
I work for an agency selling riding holidays and we get quite a few requests from people looking to work at our destinations. I would recommend this method - just look at various agencies and send them a polite email and a CV if you have one. Detail what experience you are looking for, whether you want to be paid, how long you would like the position, your experience etc. Then they can tell you if they have any destinations which might suit and can contact them for you to see if they're interested.

Most places will require a fair amount of horsie experience, a friendly manner to deal with guests, good references etc.

If you'd like to send me an email to holly@farandride.com then I can certainly see if we've got anything which might work for you. Do just be aware when contacting agencies of the impression you make - we receive some shockingly poor emails and it doesn't make us feel inclined to help you. Particularly as there is not much for us to gain from it (except feeling nice, hehe).
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where are you based? i am planning on going to australia to do this at the end of this year and have been emailing as many places as i can find to try and get a place but i havent been able to find very many in australia.

OP there are LOADS in america but it is very difficult to get a work visa (much easier in canada and australia, although im not sure about NZ).
 
tigerlily12345 said:
where are you based? i am planning on going to australia to do this at the end of this year and have been emailing as many places as i can find to try and get a place but i havent been able to find very many in australia.

OP there are LOADS in america but it is very difficult to get a work visa (much easier in canada and australia, although im not sure about NZ).
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The agency is based in South East England but we offering riding holidays in 47 countries at the moment. :)
 
Thanks for the replies guys ♥

@Holly: Thankyou for your reply/email! I've added the site to my favourites I'll pop an email over soon.

@Kat: Sounds pretty hectic! Was your experience at the trek worth all the hard work? oh and for your job in Canada was you already in the country - called round etc?

I've been thinking about perhaps doing the 9week foundation course at british racing school if I can get a place, prepare myself for the hard work and give myself a bit more experience and confidence.
 
Hiya - when I went to Canada I went out there with a non-horsey mate expecting to get a job waitressing or in a shop or something mundane, but after 3 weeks of handing out CVs and knocking on doors I had nothing and got disheartened. So, as I'd found a place to live on the edge of the city, I went for a long walk to clear my head and found the citys horsey area. I saw an ad in a tack shop for a grooms job, gave him a call and he took me down there the next day for a trial. I brought a horse in, tacked it up and bandaged it, had a quick ride and then helped to feed and water the rest and he hired me on the spot (little did I know that he then phoned up his current groom, who he had given the day off, and fired her!!!!...I always wondered why the other girls there didn't like me to start with!). The job was grooming for 10 top class show horses (most cost him well over $50,000, one cost $250,000!!!), I even got to travel down to southern california with them for 3 months as they go to a massive show down there.

The trekking side, I would say I loved the horses, I have more respect for them than any other horse I have ever met, they worked so hard and were so genuine. If they hadn't overworked them I would have liked the job a lot more. The area I was in was stunning and the riding amazing. Another word of warning though... the main guides get the lovely guide horses, ones that will go anywhere and do anything as they need to be able to sort guests out, chase down loose horses etc - As the back up guide, you get the horses that you can't give to the guests, the quirky, strong, mental ones or the just backed ones that are learning the job. I think my experience was tarnished by my dad being rushed to hospital back in the UK and being horribly homesick (my trekking place was in a tiny isolated community and being quite shy I found it hard to fit in and make friends), that was the reason i moved on in the end (and landed a job working for Mark Todd!).

I went riding in Africa last year and the horses didn't work half as hard, and as I tacked up my own I knew their backs were fine etc, so places will differ in how their horses cope.

Perhaps I am just a lucky sod, I just plucked up the courage to call people up and landed some incredible jobs, with no quals or references at all! In return I worked my backside off for all of them and they all wanted me to stay longer.
 
Hi
Yes I did this last year in spain Malaga area hence the name paco as thats what they nicknamed me.it was fantastic.i had no qualifications had never worked on a yard taken treks pony club or anything .I went for 9 weeks and they taught me alot.I started on the yard grooming muck out lunging etc.cleaning tack,i then started to back the treks through wonderfull scenery enjoyed pickniks in the country riding through the rivers,experienced the vets in spain,I then watched youngsters being trained,had a go myself.enjoyed join up which i had never experienced before.after a period of time I was able to do yard duties myself feeding routines livery clients etc.
at the yard i went to they do diplomas in equine healing therapy and yard business management so it was great .I know of a few yards out there as they are all quite friendly so let me know if your interested,or if you want a holiday I will put you intouch.ps also the horses great to see the PRE andalucian horses.
 
Sorry to bump this thread.

Been thinking about this again lately.
Still need to pop an email over to you Holly and I've sent a PM to Paco ~

Although Canada and NZ are my ideal locations, I was thinking I don't mind working in the UK as well - would be silly really not to consider it.
I'd really like to work on a trekking/holiday hacking yard, I've found yard&Groom quite helpful and a found a few places to contact.

I was wondering if anyone knew any places them selves or sites also like yard&groom?

Thankyou!
 
If you're going to do it you need to be able to ahve an open mind about horse care. Particularly in the 'western' states of America, it's an entirely different ball game than here.

I've never done it myself persay, but my best friend is from Colorado and is a trail hand working at a tourist stables that takes out trail rides into the Colorado mountains. I've visited her, seen the stables and heard all her tales.

For the average person where she works, the days are 12 hour days of hard graft. You will be expected to do everything from maintain fences to trail ride leading. A lot of the jobs are below minimum wage, or no pay at all (thus you rely on tips). You will not earn any money from this.

Their idea of stable management is entirely different. There is no such thing as rugs and, in most cases, stables are not existant. Horses are in small corals with bales of hay to eat. There isn't room for a few horses in spacious fields, so you inevitably get fights.

They have 30 horses in the barn, of which most are unsuitable for beginner riders, the majority of their clients. The horses have to work for their board - this means that if a horse is injured or lame, and is needed, it will still be used. Not everyone sees the issue with riding a lame horse.

I have galloped on concrete hard ground on these horses and it's completely fine. You also cannot be seen to wear a helmet. They will not accept it. You'll tie up to solid posts, tack horses with saddles that have not been fitted etc.

It's a hard and ruthless world, and tbh, there are plenty of unemployed hands out there at the moment and not enough jobs to go round.

Going through an agency and sticking to english only centres (so generally east or upper west coast of the states at least) is probably the safest way to garuntee a centre which will be more normal to you. If you're going to go western then, you ahve to be prepared to enter an entirely different world.

I don't want to sound harsh or to put you off, but the reality of some of these places is so very different from the UK, you need to understand and be prepared in advance.
 
Thankyou for your input!

America isn't really an interest to me and the care of the horses and different practices have been a concern to me, the work load on yourself and the horses was also mentioned by Kat.
I've never honestly thought about the huge differences between western and english, so thanks for pointing that out -

Ideally I'd like to start out somewhere in the UK and decide if its actually something I can and want to do before flying out somewhere.

I'm not really doing this to make money but for the experience and for me to personally grow up haha and to start to do something with my life before I become a hermit forever.
 
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This is exactly what I plan to do when I graduate in a couple of years!

Try Bunac, they are an agency which help you obtain visas and get you job placements - they have different programmes - Work Canada, Work NZ, Work USA and Work Australia.

They are really helpful on the phone and the website is pretty useful. I think its relatively inexpensive too, as they can organise cheaper flights for you.

Good luck!!
 
Hi Paco, I've read with great pleasure all the posts and especially yours as I'm looking for exactly that: I did a lot of natural horsemanship trainings and am currently offering my help in a horse club in Marrakech. But I'm also very much interested in equine facilitated therapy and would like to work in that field later on. So when I read about your experience I thought this might just be what I can do. Am currently looking for a job and want to stay in the horse field (more precisely a place run by people into natural horsemanship). I don't have official diplomas or anything but I have experience.
So please could you give me more info on that? Please that would help me a lot!
Many many thanks!!!
Safia
 
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