Equine Jobs & Careers
Share
If you love horses, you want to be around them all the time. And when your job brings you close to horses, you are truly living your dream. The possibilities for a career involving horses are virtually endless, in some expected and not-so-obvious areas.
Larger and commercial stables always need skilled experts to handle the so-called dirty work, from stable hands and stall cleaners up to barn managers and foremen. They also employ horse trainers and assistants, riding instructors, grooms to manage day-to-day care, and farriers to focus on hoof care.
Equine Medicine
If you’re willing to spend a few years on a degree, there will be opportunities waiting for you in the field of equine medicine, including equine veterinarian, veterinary technician and specialist, rehabilitation and massage therapist, equine nutrition specialist, and equine dental technician.
Breeding is a subdivision in itself, with roles for stallion managers, broodmare managers, foaling attendants, breeding technicians, and bloodstock agents. Many of those people will interact regularly with auctioneers and horse buyers.
Sports and Competition
In the competitive arenas, race tracks employ jockeys, trainers, judges, exercise walkers and riders, and many of the stable duties described above. On the equestrian side there are professional riders, judges, show photographers, jump designers and builders, inspectors, and more. And don’t forget the rodeo! You can be a rider, roper, cowboy, crew, and even clown, while stunt riders and stunt doubles are also needed for movies, television, circuses and theme parks.
The recreation and hospitality industries do big business with horse-related activities, with need for mounted guides, trail engineers, dude ranch staff, ranch hands, camp counselors, even carriage drivers.
Supplies and Services
Any business driven by horses will offer further opportunities. Organizations that transport horses across and throughout the country literally need drivers. Creative departments within these businesses will seek web designers, graphic designers, social media experts, artists, and photographers, and prefer applicants that have experience with and passion for horses.
Colleges and universities that offer degrees in equine medicine will need professors to teach those courses. Mounted police units still operate throughout North America. And maybe someone in your neighborhood is looking for a competent horse sitter.
Horses can be your life, and they can also be your livelihood. If you’re willing to work for it, it can happen. And as Dr. Seuss said, “Oh, the places you’ll go!”
Larger and commercial stables always need skilled experts to handle the so-called dirty work, from stable hands and stall cleaners up to barn managers and foremen. They also employ horse trainers and assistants, riding instructors, grooms to manage day-to-day care, and farriers to focus on hoof care.
Equine Medicine
If you’re willing to spend a few years on a degree, there will be opportunities waiting for you in the field of equine medicine, including equine veterinarian, veterinary technician and specialist, rehabilitation and massage therapist, equine nutrition specialist, and equine dental technician.
Breeding is a subdivision in itself, with roles for stallion managers, broodmare managers, foaling attendants, breeding technicians, and bloodstock agents. Many of those people will interact regularly with auctioneers and horse buyers.
Sports and Competition
In the competitive arenas, race tracks employ jockeys, trainers, judges, exercise walkers and riders, and many of the stable duties described above. On the equestrian side there are professional riders, judges, show photographers, jump designers and builders, inspectors, and more. And don’t forget the rodeo! You can be a rider, roper, cowboy, crew, and even clown, while stunt riders and stunt doubles are also needed for movies, television, circuses and theme parks.
The recreation and hospitality industries do big business with horse-related activities, with need for mounted guides, trail engineers, dude ranch staff, ranch hands, camp counselors, even carriage drivers.
Supplies and Services
Any business driven by horses will offer further opportunities. Organizations that transport horses across and throughout the country literally need drivers. Creative departments within these businesses will seek web designers, graphic designers, social media experts, artists, and photographers, and prefer applicants that have experience with and passion for horses.
Colleges and universities that offer degrees in equine medicine will need professors to teach those courses. Mounted police units still operate throughout North America. And maybe someone in your neighborhood is looking for a competent horse sitter.
Horses can be your life, and they can also be your livelihood. If you’re willing to work for it, it can happen. And as Dr. Seuss said, “Oh, the places you’ll go!”