This week’s letter is S.  If you missed last week’s Friday Feature, take a look at Rug Repairs.

A stud hand is someone who works with horses used for breeding.  The horses will be bred for sale, racing or some other form of competition.  Although this will bring in money, often money is made from stud fees by stallions covering outside mares and from mare’s coming to agist on the farm (livery).

Someone who is employed as a stud hand will often be involved in:

• Care of mares, foals and stallions
• Foal watch
• Horse health
• Sale preparation (weanlings and yearlings)
• Assisting the vet with reproductive procedures such as scanning a mare for a pregnancy

As someone who has experienced the stud industry first hand, I believe it is a great opportunity to learn about many different classes of horses and see how a horse’s life starts and ends on the breeding side of things.  If you’re passionate about the breeding season in particular, you can travel between hemispheres and deal with mares and foals all year round (or stallions!)

For some posts that relate to this topic on Equus-Blog, take a look at:

• All Over Ireland
• Diploma of Horse Studies
• Equine Nurse and Stud Hand Videos
• Why I Love Working Here
• Ireland and Horses
• Kentucky Equine Management Internship
• Profile On: Rachel Peake, Stud Hand
• Qualifications Needed
• Stud Work
• The Traveling Student
• Thoroughbred Stud Work in the Southern Hemisphere
• Time is Short, Use it

“What the horse does under compulsion…is done without understanding…and there is no beauty in it.” – Xenophon

This week’s letter is R.  I don’t have any careers explored that start with Q yet! If you missed last week’s Friday Feature, take a look at Preservation (Equine).

Repairing rugs is one of those jobs that requires a knowledge of a horse’s size and shape, but is not necessarily hands on with horses.  Although it’s summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, I’m sure many rugs are being utilised for winter in the Northern Hemisphere!  I guess likewise, cotton summer rugs are found dotted on horses in paddocks here in Australia.

Someone who is involved in rug repairs for horses, may find themselves:

• Working from home, but possibly travelling to pick up rugs in need of repair
• Sewing a lot on an industrial machine
• Carrying out repetitive work within a pressured timeframe
• With the need for many clients, or clients with a large number of horses
• With a peak demand for their service leading up to and through winter

Because horses are often housed together or get bored in a stable, rugs will get damaged through wear and tear, inquisitive teeth and rough playing.  There will no doubt always be the need for rugs to be repaired or replaced.  The rug repairer who also designs and makes their own rugs could further expand their business.

For some posts that relate to this topic on Equus-Blog, take a look at:

• Change of career
• Profile On: Rebecca Hilton, North East Horse Rug Repairs
• Working from Home

“The history of mankind is carried on the back of the horse.” – Author unknown

This week’s letter is P. If you missed last week’s Friday Feature, take a look at Office Administration (Equine).

In primary school I had a great fascination with the Quagga (a now extinct member of the equus family).  In highschool this moved onto Przewalski’s horse and later in life, I discovered a chance to work in Mongolia and help to preserve this breed in the wild.

Many breeders today work to preserve a particular bloodline, or promote and preserve a new breed that has been established via many generations of breeding the same type of horse.  For me, the idea of helping to preserve a breed that is declining in numbers would be an exciting thing!  Or even helping to manage and preserve a ‘wild’ breed, such as the American Mustang or the Australian Brumby.

This form of equine related work and research may involve:

• travel
• observing equine routines
• establishing natural habitat
• restraining and medicating horses
• tracking particular horses
• holding for the short term and breeding before releasing into a ‘natural’ habitat

The work in itself could be demanding but very rewarding.  Imagine watching the numbers increase over the years of a breed that was nearing the endangered species list!

For some posts that relate to this topic on Equus-Blog, take a look at:

• Long Term Aid
• Przewalski’s Preservation

“Bread may feed my body, but my horse feeds my soul.” – Author unknown

This week’s letter is O. If you missed last week’s Friday Feature, take a look at Equine Nursing.

Many horse related businesses need someone to handle the office administration side of things.  This work could be full or part time and may even be done with the use of an internet connection, from your own home.  Often it is located at the equine premises, however.

Tasks may include:

• keeping horse records
• organising pays and tax taken out
• paying super for employees
• ordering supplies in relation to office, horse feed or even medications
• responding to client queries
• filling in mare returns (for a stud operation)
• dealing with breeding, racing or leasing contracts
• sending clients bills
• creating advertising materials or updating a business website and email list
• answering phones and emails
• entering horses for competitions/races

Office administration work isn’t specific to the horse industry.  However, someone with a working knowledge of horses and a particular equine industry (eg performance, trail rides, breeding, racing, etc) as well as office administration experience would bode well for a working farm who needs paperwork kept in order.

It may also be a job that allows you to be indoors and not work weekends; or work mornings in the office and then afternoons out with the horses.

I don’t have particular posts on Equus-Blog that explore different administration jobs, but can assure you that in every equine related business I’ve worked, there was someone to help out with the administration side of things!

“Grooming: the process by which the dirt on the horse is transferred to the groom.” – Author unknown

This week’s letter is N. If you missed last week’s Friday Feature, take a look at Ministries (Equine).

An equine nurse is someone who may be found working in a veterinary practice or at a large racing stable or horse breeding property.  They will be involved in many aspects of horse care as discussed below and may be required to work day hours or even night shifts.  They may also be required to attend a client’s property with a veterinarian if called out for a job.

Tasks may include:

• administering medications
• applying bandages
• caring for wounds
• looking after sick/injured horses
• nursing young foals
• administering injections
• focusing on neonatal care (young foals)
• taking vital signs
• restraining horses for the veterinarian

The job can be heartbreaking at times when horses don’t respond to treatment; but it can also be incredibly rewarding.  It will require a lot of physical work as well as mental capacity.  If you’re interested in looking into this further, consider the following posts:

• Equine Nurse and Stud Hand Videos
• If the Door’s Closed
• Profile On: Morgan Bailey – Equicare
• VET for Vet

“Care, and not fine stables, makes a good horse.” – Danish Proverb