Today there is a vast majority of horses that are utilised for sport, recreation and competition.  Because of their value to humans, a lot of money is invested in keeping them fit and healthy.  This could be in the form of professionals who tend to their needs: physical and nutritional, for example.  It is also in the form of tools to ride and care for them.  Consider saddles, bridles, blankets, leg protection – the list goes on.  A saddle is a necessity for most forms of riding horses.  So too is being able to fit a saddle appropriately to individual horses.  Because of this, saddle fitting as a horse career I believe is a viable avenue for interested people to consider exploring.

For people who are wanting to make a career of horse riding, knowing that a saddle fits their horse well is imperative.  Many horse owners who ride recreationally also understand the importance of correct saddle fit.  And so a saddle fitter – often provided through the local saddlery – is utilised to make sure a saddle correctly fits the horse it is to be bought for.

Correct saddle fit helps to ascertain that the saddle is going to be comfortable on the horse.  It needs to not hinder any movement – shoulders are a big one!  It also needs to be balanced on the horse.  When a person is in the saddle, it is important too that there are no pressure points and that the rider is able to achieve a correct position.

As a horse develops in its riding career/training, its muscle tone will change.  Because of this, the need to have a saddle adjusted over time will be imperative.  In fact, Jochen Schleese of Saddlefit4life, states in his book Suffering in Silence that saddle fit should be assessed 2-3 times a year for young, developing horses.  He goes on to suggest an annual check for horses that are around 7 years of age.  Once horses reach 16 and beyond, checking 2-3 times a year again is recommended.

Saddle Fitting as a Horse Career

If horse owners adhere to these guidelines of a certified master saddler, then there is definitely scope for saddle fitters to develop this skill as a career.  They would need to know how to assess a saddle’s fit to the horse and rider.  They would also need to be able to make adjustments.  Often this can be done on sight.  It may involve adjusting the angle of a gullet or altering flocking/padding in a saddle.

As horse owners and riders work to make themselves better educated, saddle fitting as a horse career becomes a viable option to consistently work and bring in money.  Interested in this option?  Be sure to check out the Saddlefit4life website and do some research on the term saddle ergonomist.

In such a technologically led world, it won’t surprise you to know that there are horse careers that utilise computers.  Perhaps you’re a horse lover and you’re computer savvy.  Then have you considered the idea of one of these horse related careers?  Perhaps you can combine a couple!

• Office administration assistant – horse businesses need people to help make sure their office side of things run smoothly.  It is not unusual for horse studs and other businesses to need someone who can respond to emails, update the business website, undertake payroll and other business related finance roles on the computer.
  Some horse businesses also make use of social media to build their online presence, manage a client mailing list and other computer related tasks.
• Horse website designer – knowing horses and what makes a good horse image (like someone leading a horse from the left hand side or a horse cantering on the correct lead) can be beneficial to horse business owners.
  As a horse person with website design skills, you’ll be able to create an awesome website for a horse business.  Plus, you’ll know what information is relevant and what photos are technically correct for the industry.

• Horse programmer – perhaps you desire to create a program for horse businesses to utilise, such as Rendaivu.  Or an online game that people can enjoy playing.  Either way, there is a market out there for programmers with horse knowledge.
• Horse book authors – now arguably this one can be done the old fashioned way.  You can write your horse story onto paper.  But in time, the book will need to be created electronically.  In the self-published world that is available now, horse authors can ultimately utilise computers to write.  They are also valuable for proof reading, publishing and promoting their books!
• Horse editor – there are many written pieces that provide education and entertainment to others, with a focus on horses.  Whoever has written them doesn’t necessarily have the skills to make sure the text has correct formatting, grammar (and even some facts!).  For the knowledgeable horse person with a good grasp of grammar and their language, editing jobs can come in many forms.  They could be pieces for books (fiction and non), magazines, journals, educational resources and even online courses.

So there you have it!  Five ideas relating to computers and horses 🙂

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Perhaps you have a passion for horses and you’re struggling with a mathematical subject at school.  You question how this topic is relevant to your future career with horses.  Or maybe you love maths and you want to be able to use it with your passion for horses.

You can do so to generate a viable career.  Let’s consider some horse careers that need maths for you to be successful in them.

• Nutritionists – when it comes to determining what to feed horses there are many math skills required.  Working out the perfect feed for a class of horse – say broodmares that are pregnant – means knowing the correct calcium to phosphorus ratio balance in feeds.
  Various percentages of vitamins, minerals and protein are also needed.  And then of course, knowing how many kilograms of this balanced feed to give to horses based on their body weight is necessary.  There is a lot of measuring involved in developing appropriate feeds and then measuring these out for horses.
• Equine nurses – these people are often involved in administering various medications to sick and recovering horses.  Knowing how to measure out medicines in millilitres is important.  Also, how to mix up medicines in set amounts of water, how to create the right amount of formula for orphan foals over hourly or bihourly basis are all examples of needing to use maths.
  Measurements, weights and timetables all involve making use of maths to care for horses.

• Veterinarians also need to know about medicine administration.  On top of this, they need to be aware of the daily cycles of mares and stallions.  To know how to measure follicles and other masses on ultrasounds and also how to weigh animals and interpret graphs and tables.
• Horse business finances – many horse businesses hire someone who is financially savvy to handle this side of their business.  How wonderful to have a horse person who is also in the know on mathematical procedures!
  Like how to balance books, organise payroll and manage tax details!  These all require mathematical skills and knowledge.

Whether it’s measuring out supplements, feeds or medications, determining pay for equine staff, determining a mare’s due date or when she should next be bred, maths plays a vital role in horse care and management.  You can’t overvalue this skill!

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