Profile On: Tanja Schnuderl, Certified Equine Appraiser

Certified Equine Appraiser, Tanja Schnuderl kindly answered some questions about her unique horse related career. See below.

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
Pretty much all day, every day. If I don’t provide barn management services, I write horse appraisals or work on legal cases that involve horses, I spend my time off riding or showing my own horse.

What is it exactly that you do?
I am a Certified Equine Appraiser and have established my own equine appraisal company, Sigma Equine LLC. As an appraiser, I analyze the market and determine the market value of a horse for different purposes, like insurance claims, donations or within the process of purchasing or selling a horse.

I also provide barn management and horse care services at a modern 20-stall boutique barn and an exclusive 8 horse training facility of a local FEI Dressage Rider here in Maryland. In addition, I am a member of The Equine Expert LLC, which is a multi-discipline equine expert and consulting firm and serve as expert witness. With my expertise in barn management and horse behavior, I consult with attorneys in legal cases that involve horses.

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full-time professional and earning a liveable income?
The pay rate for an appraiser, barn manager and expert witness are definitely different. Since I enjoy working a part-time mix of all these capacities, I can’t speak on whether doing just one full-time would be enough to provide a liveable income.

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
I have been involved with horses my whole life and turned that passion into a full-time position as barn manager a few years ago. However, my professional career actually started in the legal industry.

Profile On: Tanja Schnuderl, Certified Equine Appraiser

For many years I worked at international law firms, first in Germany and then here in the US. I started as a Trainee, became a Legal Secretary, a Paralegal and then earned my Bachelor of Law degree. Having extensive work experience in both the equine and legal industry, I was looking for a way to combine the two.

Granted, that seems like a stretch at first. But then I came across an article about equine appraisers and started looking into that profession. In order to get certified as Equine Appraiser by the American Society of Equine Appraisers, I had to study through the courses and successfully take the exams.

Favourite horse memory?
That is tough… I’m thinking about sitting on my mare for the first time after getting her started under saddle. Or doing a flying lead change on an schoolmaster for the first time. But to be honest it probably was the very first time walking into a horse barn as a kid and soaking in the warm magical smell of horses, hay and leather and hearing the horses peacefully chewing their grain before they curiously pick up their heads to look at you.

Future goals?
Continue to learn about horse care and behavior, becoming a better rider and competing my way up through the levels.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
For me personally it is working with horses every day, taking care of them, training them and seeing them develop. I also enjoy working as an expert witness on legal cases with attorneys, since they usually are non-horse people and always fascinated when I explain basic horse behavior to them, reminding me about how lucky I am to be working with them every day.