Your Horse Career Starts Here
Sorry, no massively insightful piece tonight, just me jumping for joy cause two of my horse related pieces have been published online! Check out http://www.ridersnreapers.com/ and look for the pieces by Christine Thomas. And feel free to check out the others!
“You Know You’re A Horse Person When… …someone asks for a screwdriver and you hand them a hoof pick.”
tag: writing
So I went along to a thoroughbred sale today as I had the day off and wanted to catch up with mates from TAFE. It’s a great way to keep in touch with those in an industry that I aim to stay a part of, even when I take short breaks from it.
It’s also a great way for someone to get their foot in the door in a particular industry. If you’re frequenting events, you’re getting your face known and hopefully getting to know others and how they are placed in the industry.
Horse sales can be a great way to get to know who provides a service, sells horses; who is looking to buy horses and race them; who provides transport for horses to and from sales, etc. If you’re interested in getting into the Thoroughbred industry, keep on top of when sales are and attend some. So much in relation to employment in this industry is who you know, rather than what. That can be in your favour as long as who you know, is aware of your dedication to the industry.
So maybe Thoroughbreds aren’t your scene, but if horses are, look into attending special events – Equitana, the Scone Horse Festival, horse shows or even rodeos if Quarter Horses are more your thing.
Another great way to get contact with horses and meet others who are obsessed and may also be in the industry, is to volunteer for certain horse related events or even sports such as Riding for the Disabled.
If you’re interested in a certain horse field but don’t know where to start, consider getting yourself known by attending social events relating to that field!
Horse Sales:
Magic Millions
William Inglis
Tattersalls
Tattersalls Ireland
Doncaster Bloodstock Sales
Keeneland Sales
“You Know You’re A Horse Person When… your mouth waters at the sight of a truck full of hay.”
tag: thoroughbred
If you can’t get something out of your own blog, what is the world coming to? So I have a huge obsession with books – namely, horse books. Surprised? I know – of course not!
Currently I have around 70 horse books in my collection – this is discluding all my magazines and catalogues from horse sales. I have been telling myself for the past 18 months that I won’t buy any more until I’ve read all the ones I’ve got, but it just ain’t gonna happen! I love purchasing horse books. Once I’ve got my property established, one of my dreams is to have a library with books from all over, about anything horse related!
So I have a request for anyone who reads this post:
– Help me to grow this collection of books
– Help me to establish a library that contains fiction books for all ages; non fiction books on any and every discipline, health issues, nutrition, breeding or anything else horsey!
How? Easy, send me an email or reply to this post with the title and/or author of a book that you have or have read that you feel would be an asset in anyone’s horse library. If you really enjoyed it/learnt a lot from it; chances are I will too!
The more information you can provide, the better – Title, Author, Subject, even a link to where I can purchase the book online if you’d like! I look forward to your suggestions 😀
“You Know You’re A Horse Person When… you consider a golf course as a waste of good pasture land.”
tag: horse books, horse library
Finally found my information relating to flying with horses! As someone who is eager to travel often, it was pointed out that sometimes it’s possible to find your way to your desired country while fulfilling the requirements for another job.
Example: Wanting to work in England for the Thoroughbred Breeding Season. Why not fly over with stallions that are shuttling from Australia’s just finished season to England for the upcoming season? There can definitely be benefits from working in an industry that follows seasons and is prevalent in both hemispheres.
Although I haven’t done this, I was curious to find out what might be involved in being qualified to travel via air with equines.
Two main sites of interest for this may be the Animal Transportation Associate and International Racehorse Transport. AATA actually has information regarding being accepted as an AATA Animal Attendant. Check out http://www.aata-animaltransport.org/assessment/criteria.htm.
My only dilemma in regards to this criteria is you must have proof of having previously flown with horses in order to be able to do so. Seem a catch 22? So if anyone could inform of other transport places where you are able to gain this experience, I’d be interested to hear! The only other possibility I can think of is being a stallion handler or groom for a particular racehorse that is being flown somewhere and due to being that horse’s particular handler, you may have access to fly with them and hereby gain experience in this area.
Take a look at:
IRT.com – International Racehorse Transport
AATA-animaltransport.org – Animal Transportation Association
“The wind which flows between a horse’s ears is the air of heaven.” – Rolf Kopfle
tag: horse stud, job benefits, thoroughbred stud season, flying with horses
My mum sent me a link to a website that was looking for writers who could provide pieces based on farm/ranch life. As someone who has spent the most of her short working life on a stud farm and loves to write, this seemed very appealing. The site I visited was Ridersnreapers.com – a Christian website aimed at sharing “stories of life on the farm or ranch: stories that make us long for moments away from the hamster wheel that most of us feel like we’re on.”
So after reading at the bottom of their page what they were looking for and reading over a few pieces from the recent online publication, I decided to e-mail a story based on a night of foal watch at work to see if it was the sort of works they might be looking for. I was rapt when I received a prompt reply telling me the piece would be used in the next publication. So this and another I have sent along to be used on their site. The next edition where my pieces will be shown will be up from March. Currently there are pieces for the Jan/Feb edition. Either way, check it out!
If you are passionate about horses and looking to share your experiences or knowledge and love writing, I encourage you to also explore this avenue of “horse work”. Not everything horse related has to be done in the saddle!
Look for online magazines relating to your particular passion with horses or magazines that are interested in freelance writing and find out their regulations before sending off some examples. Another possible foot in the door could be Letters to the Editor.
Some links to check out:
Thehorse.com – Freelance Info; taking in writings or photos
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=4883
The Appaloosa Journal Online
http://www.appaloosajournal.com/magazine/freelance.html
American Horse Publications – Thehorsegame.com
http://www.americanhorsepubs.org/career_center/career_track/listings/CT_233.asp
Ridersnreapers
“Grab life by the reins.”
tag: writing
You will find equine careers profiled on this blog and people interviewed who are making a career in the horse industry. Equus Education aims to show others that horses can indeed be a sustainable career.
Explore this blog to find your horse career!