Many love the idea of carrying out a job that relates to horses. However, there are certain times when working outside and dealing mainly with feeding horses and picking up manure aren’t appealing. It is possible however to consider work that relates to horses that doesn’t necessarily involve hands on with the equine.
Inside the Equine Office
There are many jobs that relate to horses but because they aren’t hands on, they’re often carried out by people who have strong administrative skills or skills in other areas. This may include the likes of:
- Keeping the books on an agistment property, at a riding school or stud
- Stallion Nominations / Marketing
- Bloodstock Agents
- Equine Graphic and Website Design
- Writing – Fiction and Non Fiction
- Equine Nutrition and Feed Rations
For the equine enthusiast who possesses skills in administrative areas, they can be all the more appealing to the business owner. It can be difficult to explain why some things are carried out a particular way to someone who isn’t familiar with horses. For the person who understands working with horses, having administrative skills can make them a great asset to any horse business.
A great example of this is a saddlery. Someone who is a great sales person and provides prompt assistance may be of little benefit if they aren’t familiar with horse products, different types of saddles and the use of various bits and bridles.
Equine Photography
Another such possibility is the photographing of horses. No doubt a brilliant photographer will produce shots of horses that have incredible lighting and technique. However, a lack of knowledge of how a horse should be standing, whether the handler is leading from the correct side of the horse and other factors that are important to horse people, can make what should have been a good photo of a stallion being led by it’s handler, an average shot.
The photographer who is horse savvy will find their shots more appealing to equine businesses as the horse is shown in the best light. There are many roles within the equine industry that can be carried out by people that aren’t familiar with horses. However, someone who carries the required skills, will become that much more sought after.
The Best of Both Worlds
There are some who choose to work in both fields. The morning may be spent mucking out boxes and helping out with the feed run and then the day finishing with responding to emails, answering phone queries about clients’ horses and balancing the books.
It should be considered that those who want to work in an area that relates to horses, this doesn’t have to mean hands on work in all kinds of weather, all year round. There are many opportunities in varying fields.
Chris Thomas - C. Thomas has studied and worked with horses since 2001. She teaches horse studies part time and is undertaking an Equine Science ...
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