Working Pupils, what is life like?

ClassicG&T

ClassicG&T

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Next year after all my exams i plan to leave the life of education for good (though my parents can't quite grasp this) as classrooms and essays aren't for me.
What i am really passionate about is...horses. Got my own and hopefully by jan i will have an eventer in the making too as current horse can't do the job for numerous reasons.

So what i plan to do is become a working pupil as my dream is to be one of those riders completing Badminton with a HUGE smile as i've gone clear, but obviously that special moment will be years and years away. I would move away and live in and take the eventer to be as i hopefully will be finding place for current horse soon.
For years i've spent weekends and holidays at the stables and the harder the work or younger the horse the better, more experience!

So i want to know what the life of a working pupil is like? Anyone been one? I know it will be hard work and i accepted years ago that my nails are a lost cause and my hairs constantly smells of ****.
Some trivial questions are.... who organises and pays for your horses shoes? how do you get food for the fridge?!?!? I'm thirsty for knowledge and experience in the equine world and eventing so share your knowledge with me please!

sorry its a long post.....
 
When I was 16/7 I did this.

Worst mistake- after sigining an opt out I was working 45-50 hour weeks for £80 a week.
Including 2 late night checks per week and no weekends off as prorata? I was completely shattered and exhausted
I made the wise transition into marketing and havent looked back since



You need money to event and own horses hence my reasoning behind the career change.
 
Yep! :) I left school (well college) and went to work for an eventer at Somerford Park Farm in Cheshire. It was hard. work. no bones about it.

It was 8-5, ( not including competition days which was FAR more hours, try 4am - 11pm) I got one day off a week, a wednesday. a month off at the end of the season, and a mere half day for christmas day. I missed my family a lot, as was two counties away from them, and lived alone in the caravan.

It was amazing though, lived the dream, learnt an amazing amount and my riding and confidence and ability improved a million times over. After 2 years I was tired though, and went back to uni. Am in my last year however, and am looking to get back involved this time in a dressage position.

In terms of money, I am lucky, and have well off parents. They paid for everything I needed for me (food, rent etc)
In terms of my horse, I worked for free, but got tuition daily. I got my feed, hay, bedding, travel all included. Had to pay for my own shoes, competiiton fees, vets fees, dentist etc, and any extras, ie. supplements.

Long term of course it is completely unsustainable, but if it can get you on the ladder....! Hope some of these were the answers you were looking for ;)
 
I studied equine at college and went on to be a working pupil- 6 days a week 12 hour days, promised training and competing... Surprise surprise didn't get very much. And was paid 444 a month for this pleasure. Was made redundant, got a 9-5 job, And I'm living an absolute dream of a life- fast car, holidays and weekends away, nights out as and when I want, nice clother.... I now ride for people, And am able to take periods of time off when I wish.

You know what, get a job with a good path of prOgression, in a bank etc - where you will make good money, have holidays, weekends off to compete, and pay for lessons.

TRUST ME - working pupil life is for the barmy!
 
I was a working pupil a very long time ago (mid 80s) and wish I'd 'shopped around' a little more. It was extremely hard work, very little spare time and no where near enough food supplied for the level of work required! I did BHS exams, so, specifically looked for a placement where that type of training achieved good results. Can't fault the training, it was first class, an hour's lesson and an hour's lecture every day, teaching practice every week and plenty of feedback. However, we also had early mornings and late nights, busy riding centre, had 3 stable kept horses and 3 ponies to look after each as well as taking out hacks and teaching private lessons every day. Sometimes, I had 5 private lessons booked to teach in a day and would still be cleaning tack, had to be fully strip cleaned every day, at 11 o'clock at night with a 5am start the following day! Way too much for a 17 year old! But, I did survive, earned an amazing work ethic and gained far more experience than I actually needed for my AI.
Would I recommend being a WP? No way, unless you can guarantee you are definitely going to get the training and opportunities that you require whilst also being able to have some form of life as well. If I had my time over again, I'd have gone towards a job where I earned money enough to enjoy my hobby and could pay for additional training towards qualifications/competitions.
(Just to say, only an opinion based on my experience, another person's will be different!)
 
I applied to be a working pupil. I was told I wouldn't be able to take my pony with me as she wouldn't fit in with the yard :o And once I found out how much I was going to be paid...£80 for the week, doing 60 hours a week...I decided that it wasn't for me. I now have a job as a groom where I'm respected and Not treated like a general dogs body! My pony is more than welcome at the yard where I work, but I now chose to keep her at a yard so my days off are days off!

I'd really look into being a working pupil before committing yourself to it. There are other options to work with horses, what about college with horses? or something along those lines?
 
We pay £100 per week for a
40 HR week. One weekend day and no late nights. They also get a travel allowance, daily training, exams paid for, as many lessons as they like in their own time, free show entries and a horse to ride And compete as their own.
 
honey-bees said:
You need money to event and own horses hence my reasoning behind the career change.
Click to expand...

This! However, if you want to do horses and thats your passion go for it! I ummed and ahhed when leaving school and nearly chose to do horses as thats all i really knew and all i really did! Then I took a levels alongside and found a subject that interested me (psychology) and decided to study that at uni.. idea being to get into a profession that pays well enough for me to comfortably have (nice) horses in the future! I love it and its definitely shown me a lot more than if I had just stayed in horses, who knows I might go back to it if i do awfully at the end of my degree, but I think it is good to go see what else is out there!

Horsey job wise, you don't nessacarily have to take a working pupil position, theres not reason you can't take a normal grooms job if you have previous experience which should pay better. Best thing to do is (as you are looking to event) look up local event yards (or further out if you want to live in) and contact directly to enquire about work. Best way to learn, on the job! Accept you have to start at the bottom, and it will be hard work, but you will have a lot of fun and learn a lot!
 
superted1989 said:
I was a working pupil a very long time ago (mid 80s) and wish I'd 'shopped around' a little more. It was extremely hard work, very little spare time and no where near enough food supplied for the level of work required! I did BHS exams, so, specifically looked for a placement where that type of training achieved good results. Can't fault the training, it was first class, an hour's lesson and an hour's lecture every day, teaching practice every week and plenty of feedback. However, we also had early mornings and late nights, busy riding centre, had 3 stable kept horses and 3 ponies to look after each as well as taking out hacks and teaching private lessons every day. Sometimes, I had 5 private lessons booked to teach in a day and would still be cleaning tack, had to be fully strip cleaned every day, at 11 o'clock at night with a 5am start the following day! Way too much for a 17 year old! But, I did survive, earned an amazing work ethic and gained far more experience than I actually needed for my AI.
Would I recommend being a WP? No way, unless you can guarantee you are definitely going to get the training and opportunities that you require whilst also being able to have some form of life as well. If I had my time over again, I'd have gone towards a job where I earned money enough to enjoy my hobby and could pay for additional training towards qualifications/competitions.
(Just to say, only an opinion based on my experience, another person's will be different!)
Click to expand...

This.
 
I had a pretty rubbish time, long hours, extremely hard work, 1 day off a week, no pay, no keep of horse, and I paid them rent! Like others have mentioned I was promised lots of riding which never materialised, I rode less than once a week for the few months I was there. At times I had 10+ horses to do. I was so demoralised at the end of it I nearly gave up all together.
I basically let myself get mugged! This was by someone who is often mentioned on here as a great person to train with. There is a good reputation with this person but that wasn't my experience. I'm not an idiot either I went for a trial was very honest about my experience/ability and still got used and abused. My advice would be that WP is a great way to learn as long as its the right position for you. Be very clear from the outset what you will be doing and what you will get in return. Don't be fobbed of with 'lots of riding' what EXACTLY does that mean? A lesson a day? Riding their horses as well as yours? Competitions, some people would count that as a day off? I would also echo others, unless you are financially independent you are unlikely to be able to afford to run an eventer whilst working in horses as a groom. Do it because you love it, if you want to compete get a non horsey job and fund it as a hobby.
 
I was a working pupil about 6 years ago, I have to say that although it was really hard work, I enjoyed it a great deal and it certainly set me up ready for the reality of working with horses.

We worked 8 til 5:30 weekdays and 7:30 - 5:00 weekends with two breaks a day. We had one and a half days off a week and one weekend in six off as well. We recieved an hours riding tuition every day plus if the yards got finished on time we also had stable management session before lunch. We also had all our BHS exams paid for.

accommodation was paid for plus we had £50 p/week to live on. On top of this, we got 10% of whatever we earned teaching which worked out well for me as I loved the teaching and usually got around £150 a month extra.

If you kept a horse, you paid £20 a week for it, this included basic feed, hay and bedding but not shoes.

I will not lie, money was very tight. We never went out, ate very cheaply and didn't have many treats. Those with expensive horses or those that didn't like teaching did struggle at times but the camaraderie was fantastic and we were all really good friends. I remember spending happy afternoons singing loudly while we bedded down! It was great fun.

i was 25 at the time so no spring chicken, I also earned a bit of money on the side teaching violin locally. I was permanently exhausted and stuck it for just under a year before I decided I'd had enough. I know others that stayed a lot longer (younger LOL) but i went back into office work part time, finished my BHS exams working as an instructor at a local riding school and now work freelance as an instructor and absolutely love my job. Wouldn't go back to being a WP but I'm so glad I did it as it really taught me just how much you can push yourself physically and mentally and still be happy. A life changing experience for me as it was only meant to be a delayed gap year!
 
Im still at school but work all of my holidays at the yard and every weekend. During the summer its the same idea. LIFE IS GREAT. It is hard work but obviously you are expecting it, depending on who you have as an employer/teacher but the perks are amazing. Im a groom and when we are away competing i get all my competition fees paid for, travel and my meals all get paid for. The more i do, the more i get.
 
I've been a working pupil in a BHS centre, and on an international event yard. Both places provided accommodation and food, and free DIY livery, plus a small wage. I got one riding lesson and one stable management lecture at the BHS yard, and worked 7-6pm 6 days a week with one late night.
On the event yard, we had little formal training, but schooled youngsters under the supervision of the riders - learnt a huge amount. You learn a lot about stable management just by doing the job, so I was never bothered about no formal training.

I would tread carefully if you plan to go and be a working pupil with the end goal of being an event rider. Unless you have a talented horse, and are taken on specifically as a competing wp, it's very possible that they will be training you to become an event groom - not a rider. Make sure you're all singing off the same hymn sheet when it comes to outcome.
 
I'll let you know...I've just finished packing my bags.....I start mine tommorow..... :o
I decided when I left school (I'm 16) that I would only go to an event yard as a WP if:

a) It was the right place and time and I could take a horse and have decent accomodation + opp to compete and train

b) It was with someone -SERIOUSLY- good...I didn't want to work for a nobody because the harsh reality is that at the end of the day its a name on your CV and you don't wanna slog your guts out for somone with little/no credentials.

I know this sounds stuck up and a little too ambitious but it happened to come off and I am very very lucky. I've known the guy for a while now, know his mother very well (haha) and they're wonderful people with a huge backing and sponsorship package behind them, some lovely owners and fab horses and already one Olympic games behind them with 2012 next year too.

I get £80 a week plus tuition and competing opportunities. Very nice accomodation (bedroom, onsuit, kitchin)

I expect to work very very very hard and its going to be horrendously tough but I decided that I wanted to event and didn't want to do it just as an expensive hobby....I wanted to make it full time. Its a long shot and I have a lot to gain and to loose but I decided that you only live once. I'll come away with life experience and a lot of knowlege and even if it doesn't work out it would be something to say that I've worked for an Olympian.

My thoughts would be aim high and try and get in the top yards (fluke it like me :o) and expect to work very hard, be very homesick and to some extent sell your soul.....but its invaluable in what you learn if you're in at the right place....

Expect to be grabbing the "smiling rider after completing badminton"'s horse and staying up all night icing its legs until stupid o'clock in the morning....its all well seeing the glittering prize on the horizon but you gotta wade through a whole lotta crap before you get close....

Good luck! :D
 
I'm a working pupil at a competition livery yard.
I get paid £100 a week working 7.30-5.30 with 2 days off a week, includes my horses livery and feed (normally costs £165 a week). Also get 28 days paid holiday - I have been told this is a well paid, good benefits job in the horse world.

Its hard work but in the 2 months I've been there my riding has already really improved. I have weekly lessons with their top dressage instructor (has brought my dressage marks down by an average of 10 marks within 2 months), and every week/2 weeks various SJ instructors come, such as Yogi Breisner who I have lessons with as well. Once a week me and the rest of the staff all have a group jumping lesson as well.

On a daily basis, I ride 2-3 horses, some hack and some school which lets me put my lessons into practise on other horses as well which is really good.

However, I don't live on site and as my parents are seeing it as education, they are helping to support me as well. I'm going to take my BHS exams alongside. I'm not sure how long I'll stay there as I'm still not really learning about top level eventing, i.e feeding, fitness regimes ect but I am learning tonnes about running a yard.
 
wewillshowyou said:
Next year after all my exams i plan to leave the life of education for good (though my parents can't quite grasp this) as classrooms and essays aren't for me.
What i am really passionate about is...horses. Got my own and hopefully by jan i will have an eventer in the making too as current horse can't do the job for numerous reasons.

So what i plan to do is become a working pupil as my dream is to be one of those riders completing Badminton with a HUGE smile as i've gone clear, but obviously that special moment will be years and years away. I would move away and live in and take the eventer to be as i hopefully will be finding place for current horse soon.
For years i've spent weekends and holidays at the stables and the harder the work or younger the horse the better, more experience!

So i want to know what the life of a working pupil is like? Anyone been one? I know it will be hard work and i accepted years ago that my nails are a lost cause and my hairs constantly smells of ****.
Some trivial questions are.... who organises and pays for your horses shoes? how do you get food for the fridge?!?!? I'm thirsty for knowledge and experience in the equine world and eventing so share your knowledge with me please!

sorry its a long post.....
Click to expand...

I was one around 20 years ago at the Spanish Bit in Dorney. Nightmare, loads of bullying (though it wasn't called that then). I highly recommend getting a well paid job and paying for your horses that way. Incidentally I was also eventing then - never could compete though as my days off always seemed to fall 'wrong' for the events....hmmmm lots of green eyed monsters. Also the last thing you want to do after 12 hour days is ride your own.

I got £20pw (but I'm sure its different now)
 
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