Guest post: Unusual Horse Related Careers

by Christine Meunier

Have you dreamt about having a career that relates to horses?  When I was 16 and undertaking some study, we were encouraged to list all the horse careers we could think of.  At that time, I believe we got close to 100.

There are many, many horse related careers that you may not have even considered.  And yet, they may be in line with your skills or expertise!  Let’s take a look at 5 horse positions that you may not have realised could be a viable career.

For more horse related careers, you can head along to Vocation 100 at Equus Education (http://equus-blog.com/vocation-100/).  There are actually more than 170 horse careers explored here.

1. An Equine Sales Agent

Did you know that there are people online who match horse seekers with appropriate horses for sale?  They find out what someone is looking for in a horse – age, breed, colour, gender, performance history, breeding, etc.  With this information, they then spend the time seeking out appropriate possibilities.  The successful ones are able to find the right horse for the right buyer and help it all to happen almost seamlessly.
This may include knowing where to look, knowing how to bargain a great price and even organising transport and/or accommodation for the person to go and see the horse and get it home.  Of course, a commission is earned from the agent for helping their client to find their next horse.

2. Stable Architecture

Many people who have horses make use of stables for their beloved equines.  There are people who specifically focus their architectural skills on this area.  They are able to design appropriate facilities with the horse in mind – they make sure it is the right size, has proper ventilation, and is aesthetically pleasing and as safe as possible for the horse.  If you have an interest in architecture and a love of horses, then perhaps you can pursue this niche area.

3. Writing about Horses

This career is perhaps the broadest with regards to possibilities.  You can write fictional pieces or non fiction.  You could write horse textbooks, novels, how-to articles, pieces for magazines or newspapers.  The focus could be riding, racing, breeding, horse ownership or care.  The list goes on!  There are many people out there who make a living from writing about horses.  If you have passion, knowledge and know how to put words together, then this could be for you!

4. Competition Preparation

Have you ever met one of those people who is always immaculately presented?  Some people are pros at this when it comes to horse turnout – they know how to make a horse look spectacular.  This can be turned into an income earner.  Many people compete or need to prepare horses for sales or stallions for parade days for future clients.
If you have the ability to groom, clip and plait, you could use your skills to help show off other peoples’ horses to their best.  At a fee, of course.  Travelling to shows and sales may help in this area.

5. Equine Employment Agencies

Perhaps you know many people within the equine industry.  Whether it be breeding, racing or equestrian, you know who’s looking for workers and when.  If you have knowledge of the equine industry and you’re good with people, then you may be able to work at an employment agency.  If you know exactly what horse skills are needed for varying jobs, necessary qualifications and you know the people who are hiring, then you’re the perfect person to go between for job seekers.  As you provide the right worker for the right job, you earn from happy employers.

Not every horse job is hands on with the equine species.  But if you have the passion, knowledge and skills, it can be a viable horse career!  Perhaps the above unusual horse careers have helped you to think outside the box.  I’d love to know, what is your dream horse career?

Author bio:
Christine Meunier is an equine author and educator in Australia. She loves all things horses and dedicates her time to writing educational novels, horse courses and educational resources. Her greatest passion is Equus Education, a blog about 170+ horse careers around the world.

For more details about Christine’s work, check her out on our guest author list.