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Equestrian Careers – Making Your Love for Horses a LivelihoodBy: Travis
Moore Anyone living and breathing everything horse-related could see possible equestrian careers on the horizon. Equestrian careers are common not just in America, but in other parts of the world as well. A person can find himself pursuing a career somewhere in the horse industry, managing to do what he enjoys and get paid for it too. Exploring Equestrian Careers Surveys done in past years have shown that close to seven million horses can be found in the United States alone, giving worthwhile opportunities for horse lovers everywhere. The American Horse Council pointed out that it currently supports around 1.4 million fulltime equestrian jobs. Clearly, the horse industry covers a wide range of equestrian careers – from the hands-on practical tasks of large animal veterinarians to those concerning becoming feeds and supplement distributors. Other equestrian career paths include those in showing, research, equestrian journalism or horse journalism, education, breeding, recreation, product manufacturing, health and other service industries. There are associated careers with horses as well – welfare or charity work, chiro-practitioner, physiotherapist, problem horse trainer, dentist, nutritionist, saddler, equine behaviorist, equestrian journalism writer and administration and horse shipping/transport. Horseracing represents a multimillion dollar industry so there are dozens of posts in it too – from racehorse personnel to betting industry careers that are worth exploring. Before sending out resumes to various horse industry-related offices, you need to decide which equestrian careers or opportunities fit you best. No matter how badly you want to work as a technician or a vet, no one will hire you if you don’t have the credentials or documents to back you up. Take time out to research the different equestrian careers. From there, take a look at the requirements. Once you’ve got an idea of what is needed, work on how you’ll get the credentials. Certificates and trainings will likely be needed. There are certain questions you need to ask yourself. Take a look. What career involving horses do you want? You could have plenty of contact with these animals or maybe you’d rather go for positions that have to do with working in supporting fields. There are upsides and downsides to both. Supporting field roles earn more since the jobs are more stable, requiring you to report at regular hours plus there are benefits to look forward to. But hands-on equestrian careers afford more flexibility and greater odds of being in full contact with the horses. What’s your educational attainment? Trainings along with the right education are must-haves to get a crack at a horse industry career. If you want to be a horse trainer, barn manager, a veterinarian, a riding instructor, a horse journalism writer or a public relations expert – you need to obtain the required trainings and/or degrees for it. Knowing your goals is key to getting the equestrian careers you’ve got
your eye on. In staying focused and avoiding distractions, the equestrian
career you want IS possible. Do your homework and learn more about the
different fields open in the horse industry and secure the necessary
credentials to qualify. You can do it. All it takes is a bit of hard work
and a mountain of patience. |
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