Have you always been interested in horses and when did you start out in the industry? What is it exactly that you do?
If you ask my parents they would tell you I have always been interested, that I asked for a pony when I was little and I had a rather large collection of ‘my little pony’ but in my mind it wasn’t until I was about 12 years old that I can remember that I started to get a real interest in them.

I started working in the industry in December 2011, I had previously been working in theatre for 4 years then changed professions.

Right now I’m a stablehand at a racing stable, in basic terms I:

• muck out boxes
• rug and unrug
• feed out and make feeds
• tack up horses for the track riders
• wash horses
• swim horses
• put horses on the walker and take them off again
• clean waters
• and sometimes hold horses for vets and farriers

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
I work about 40 hours a week, working 5 and a half days. I work the morning and afternoon shift most days. Mornings start work at 5:30am, finish roughly 10:30am and the afternoon shift starts at 3:00pm and roughly goes until 5:00pm.

In this field of work, is it possible for someone to be a full time professional, earning a livable income?
Yes, I live solely on my own income and have enough to pay bills/rent etc and have money left to spend as I wish. This isn’t an industry to make huge amounts of money though, it’s for those passionate about horses and you have to be money smart.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
In its most basic, talk to the owner. A lot of stables are looking for an extra pair of hands to help out, if you talk to the owner they’ll most likely give you a chance.

Having sound knowledge of safe horse handling is an advantage though as you require less ‘on the job’ training.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
Be dedicated and be passionate, it’s physical work and long hours and there is no ‘clock off time’ when dealing with animals. Some days I start at 5:30am and don’t finish until 12:45pm then start again at 3pm and finish at 6pm.

Also put aside what you ‘know’, there are many ways to do the same job and you might just learn something if you keep your mind open and let people teach you.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
I’d love to get experience with many different breeds as each seem to have their own way of doing things.

I’m also quite interested in ‘Working Equitation’ right now and would love to learn about how it’s done. Having a go at western riding is also on my ‘horsey bucket list’

Favourite horse memory?
My favourite memory is from a trail ride, the lead rider’s horse wouldn’t go first on the beach gallop so I did. Galloping down the beach in the lead on a ex-racing horse, it was amazing!

Future goals?
I want to have my own horse property and possibly breed some of my favourite breed, the gypsy cob! I also want to tick everything off my ‘horsey bucket list’.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
The horses of course!

There is nothing more rewarding then gaining a horse’s full trust and having them cope and listen to you through stressful or scary situations because they trust you and nothing makes a bad day become better like a soft nicker and a gentle nuzzle.

“I live in a house but my home is in the stable.”

tag: stablehand, strapper, horse racing, education

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 always had a love for horses, thoroughbred in particular, since as long as I can remember. My father raced a couple of gallopers in country Victoria in the late 80’s early 90’s so I guess it was in this period that I established a passion for them. Whilst I completed my VCE, the ambition was to pursue a career in the thoroughbred racing & breeding industry.

The NCEE course was a great platform for this and I spent the best part of two years learning the basics of horse handling, reproductive procedures and gaining valuable hands on experience at leading Victorian studs such as Blue Gum Farm & Eliza Park.

In 2004, I was fortunate enough to be offered a position of Marketing & Stallion Nominations manager at the historic Widden Stud in the NSW Hunter Valley. It is this position I still hold today however now I am now based in Victoria increasing our client base interstate.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
Every day of the working week. Saturday’s are generally spent at the races. With the amount of runner’s the stud has bred or that are representing our stallions we have to keep abreast of all results for any press releases and advertising we may have to run the following day/week.

Widden stand 10 stallions in 2012 including STRATUM, SEBRING, NORTHERN METEOR, STAR WITNESS, NICCONI, SNIPPETSON & TICKETS.

In this field of work, is it possible for someone to be a full time professional, earning a livable income?
Absolutely. For example my role is full time, but other similar roles such as Bloodstock Advisor/Agent, Commercial breeder etc are also established full time jobs that many people earn a living out of.

Remember, this is a billion dollar a year industry that employs over 50,000 people.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
See above for my own personal steps but certainly some hands on experience with a couple of studs or even 12-18 months doing the sales with a trainer or Agent will hold someone in reasonably good stead to find similar employment. It is also important to have a strong grasp of pedigrees and bloodlines establishing a fundamental knowledge of the various stallions in Australia and abroad.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
Certainly don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you can and seek out advice – listen, listen & listen. Don’t hesitate to ask a trainer or an agent if you can come along to a sale with them or do some time at a leading trainer’s stable. Both auction houses in Australia WILLIAM INGLIS & MAGIC MILLIONS are active employers of young talent coming through the ranks and certainly seeking advice off them would be worthwhile.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
I’ve never been much of a horse rider so that is one thing I would like to try to do one day. Naturally I still have a lot to learn about horses in general, a lot of people say ‘You never stop learning about horses’ and I believe that is very true.

Favourite horse memory?
Probably a couple. I was a fan of the Champion racehorse MIGHT AND POWER and was lucky enough to see him on track to win the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. More recently our Golden Slipper winning stallion STRATUM is a horse that was a big stallion deal, recently completed not long after I arrived at Widden, so it was a real thrill to be at Rosehill to see him sire a Golden Slipper winner (CRYSTAL LILY) himself from just his first crop of runners.

Future goals?
Not really into goals but at this stage I am very happy with what I am doing. Perhaps at some stage I would like to do something overseas in a similar role to see how things may be done differently. I have been lucky to see studs in Kentucky, France & England and it really opens your eyes to the possibilities out there.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
Very easy – you get to earn a living by doing something that is essentially your hobby & passion.

‘You can tell a gelding, you can ask a mare, but you must discuss it with a stallion.’