Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in the industry? What is it exactly that you do?
Ever since I can remember I have loved horses. I used to make “stables” from my Pony Pal books for my figurine horses and I’m sure I drove my Mum mad with how much I talked about them! I started out in the industry by enrolling in the Diploma of Equine Performance Management (the first year it was offered) which led me to my first equine job at Pagewood Racing. From here I enrolled myself in the Double Diploma when it was offered which is where I realised my passion for foals and foaling down.

I am currently working for the highly successful Ballymacoll Stud in Ireland which has bred horses such as Glass Harmonium (Gr. 1 winner in Australia) and Fiorente who placed second in the 2012 Melbourne Cup.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
Most of my time is related to horses. I work 12 hour night shifts and when I’m not at work I’m usually thinking about what mares might be foaling, or if everything is going alright. I am known to even dream about work, I can’t seem to get away from it!

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
As the foaling down only takes place for 5 months of the year, most night-watchers will then switch to day work.

For some people (like me) it offers the chance to head to the Northern Hemisphere to do it all again! In most cases, the income is higher than those working days so it is very easy to earn a liveable income and even to have some extra to spoil yourself!

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
A lot of studs prefer to employ someone with previous experience in foaling down mares. I got this experience by doing the Double Diploma in Equine Stud and Performance Management at NCEE and also at my first stud job at Little Plains Stud.

Favourite horse memory?
My favourite memory would have to be the sight of the horse float coming down the driveway and seeing a little white pony being unloaded from the back, which I then learned to be mine. Or the first time I fully delivered a foal by myself out the back of the Wangaratta Equine Hospital on Melbourne Cup Day in 2010.

Future goals?
I have already achieved my first goal of attaining an International foaling down job, but from here I just wish to continue bringing live healthy foals into the world (and maybe see one go on to be the next Black Caviar?)

Best thing about your sport/profession?
I guess the best thing about my job would have to be seeing the different ways maiden mares react to going in to labour and having their first foals. It’s the most amazing thing to see them realise that the thing they have been carrying around for the past 11 months is their precious little baby 🙂

“A well-bred foal brings joy to the stable.” – Author Unknown

Have you always been interested in horses?
My history is steeped in horses, from the days when my grandfather ploughed his paddocks with a work horse!  I have been interested in the majestic creature since this time seeing the versatility of the horse from work, sport and pleasure.

I spent my childhood riding with friends having great adventures and on school holidays I would work at a trail riding ranch.  My teenage and adult days were devoted to working cattle on horse back which lead me to working in the NT on a cattle station which was a real highlight in my life.

I later started the sport of breakaway roping which is just so much fun and rewarding.

What is it exactly that you do?
I am the owner and manager of North East Horse Rug Repairs, this is a business I created a few years ago, mainly because I could see a big void in the industry.

I found there is nothing more annoying than finding that perfect fitting rug for my horse, and then when it became damaged finding a person that could restore it back to its original fit.  So I now repair rugs, make new rugs and accessories to create the perfect package.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
I would hate to add up the hours devoted to horses, however I can tell you that my day starts with feeding, removing rugs, then off to the work shed to repair rugs, then back to the paddock to re rug, feed and if time allows have a quick ride, but having two young children has limited my time to ride.

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earn a reliable income?
Yes it is possible to create a reliable income, however this does not come without great dedication,the horse industry is very particular and want to see quality work for their money, professional service and reliability, it is not a profession for someone who is not prepared to give 100%

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
The first thing I would advise is anyone considering going into business is that you do a small business course.

You would then need to have some knowledge of horse anatomy so you understand when cutting a pattern what to allow for, a knowledge of the use of an industrial sewing machine and lots of patience for the time unpicking and restitching repair work.

Favourite horse memory?
Although I have had many happy memories of working & riding horses I would have to say winning my first rodeo was a real buzz, and training my own rope horse.

Future goals?
I want to build my business into a profitable and reliable service and have the ability to work from home long term.

Best thing about your profession?
I love watching those before and after shows such as the Block and its the same when people bring rugs into me which are very damaged and then looking at them after I’ve repaired them and their back to a usable rug, it’s rewarding.

“Look back at our struggle for freedom, trace our present day’s strength to its source; and you’ll find that our pathway to glory, is strewn with the bones of the horse.” – Author unknown

Price McNaughton is taking part in a book tour over the month of April to get her new equine novel out there.  She has been kind enough to answer questions regarding writing horses as a career.

Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in the industry? What is it exactly that you do?
I’ve been interested in horses since I can remember. I majored in Horse Science in college and then ended up moving to Lexington and working with racehorses. After a move home to try my hand at barrel racing, I was involved in a serious riding accident.

While I still ride and hope to one day barrel race again, I began focusing on writing while healing from my accident. Now, I write mysteries and I have just finished Murder is Ugly, the first in a series featuring Jinx Delaney and her horse, Ranger.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
When I travel and work with horses at seasonal jobs, it varies. On a day to day basis as a writer, I interact with my own horses. I guess you could say that I go from working with other people’s horses as a job to working with my own for pleasure while writing.

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
Yes, I believe so. While I am not at that level yet and am supplementing my income with other jobs and opportunities, I can easily see this turning into my full time profession with a liveable income.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
Read! It’s a must. Also, you must begin writing as much as possible. After you have finished your book, you will have to decide if you want to self-publish, indie-publish, or try to be traditionally published. Research each and decide which one is for you and then go from there.

Favourite horse memory?
The first time I rode my adopted American Mustang, Dillinger. I trained him myself and I was the first one on his back. Love him!

Future goals?
To continue writing and build my audience. I also want to turn a few of my stories/books into plays.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
Reader feedback. Hearing from a fan can make your day! Also, the flexibility to pursue anything and everything that interests me in the name of research for a book.

“When in doubt, ask a horse.”

Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in the industry? What is it exactly that you do?
I grew up in England and rode when I was young but gave it up when I went to University in London (where I studied French and Drama). Years later when I moved to Australia I ended up in Canberra for a couple of years and took up riding again – been hooked ever since!

Although I have a literary based degree I ended up in the IT industry in sales and marketing roles for many years. My husband has a Publishing Services company called Palmer Higgs and in 2010 I decided to publish a book called An Eventful Life – Life Stories of Eventing Champions primarily about five of Australia’s Olympic medallists in eventing.

The book led to a website of the same name www.an-eventful-life.com.au which was launched in March 2012 to cover eventing competitions in Australia and overseas as well as general horse related topics.

I run the website, write many of the articles and manage the business side of it.  Basically I think of the website as being exactly like publishing a magazine except it is online rather than in print.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
All of it! Starting with feeding my own horses in the morning then it is usually into my office at home to put up the first article of the day on the website. I spend most of my day:

• writing articles related to horses
• interviewing riders
• organising coverage of horse events

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
Journalism is a notoriously tough job and I’m fairly sure that if I was working as a freelance equestrian journalist it would be a struggle to make ends meet, especially in Australia. If I were based in Europe it would probably be easier to make a liveable income but event coverage is very hard work – long days and tight deadlines.

The website is part of our overall publishing services business and I hope will be profitable this financial year. Initially it requires the investment of considerable resources, including financial, to get a website like ours up and going so it is not something many people could do.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
I do employ one person part time and she has many years experience in writing about eventing, as well as a background as an eventer and top class groom. For other contributors generally I look for people who have good, all round knowledge of the subject of eventing, excellent industry contacts and can show high quality examples of their work (whether published or not).

Some people have degrees in journalism or photography which is great but they also need to have a real love of the sport and a lot of energy! As we are web based they also need to have, or be able to quickly learn, the basics of publishing online content.

Favourite horse memory?
At the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain I was lucky enough to have an owner’s pass which enabled me to go pretty much wherever I pleased at the event. I spent hours just watching the best riders and horses in the world “close up and personal” as well as watching the competitions. I think that is when the idea of the covering events ‘behind the scenes’ the way we do on An Eventful Life first came to me. There are so many great stories. I’ve been to many big events since but that was the first one and it made a big impression on me.

Future goals?
I think that An Eventful Life is becoming a well respected source of information about eventing in Australia and overseas and I’m looking forward to developing that and making it a viable business.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
Meeting amazing people and their horses. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing most of Australia’s top eventers as well as international stars such as Mary King, William Fox-Pitt, Bettina Hoy, Michael Jung and Lucinda Green and I think it’s a real privilege to be able to spend time with them.

“Correction does much for the horse, but encouragement does more.” – Author Unknown