Thousands of people all over the United States are vying for horse jobs that range from riding instruction to dressage judge. If you want to succeed in the horse business, you must find your own equestrian skill.
Some people are not cut out for certain horse jobs. For example, if you are not physically fit with a knack for connecting with all different kinds of horses, you probably won’t make it as a horse trainer. Similarly, people who don’t like kids generally do not make good riding instructors.
If you want to succeed in the horse business, you have to find horse jobs that align with your natural skill sets. This does not mean you can’t learn to be better at your job, but you need to have underlying talent.
If you want to identify the best horse jobs for your personality and background, try this exercise:
Write down a list of all the horse jobs you have ever held. Even if you never want to return to one of them, make sure it is on the list because it might spark an idea later for a completely different career path.
Rank those horse jobs with number one being the one you enjoyed most. Consider all factors in ranking these jobs, from salary to overall enjoyment, to your relationships with your co-workers. For example, maybe you didn’t earn much as a groom but you really liked the people you worked with.
On a separate piece of paper, list the skills required to complete each of these horse jobs on a daily basis. It might become extensive, but try not to repeat yourself. A groom’s skill set, for example, might include pulling manes, braiding manes and tails, bathing horses and controlling unruly animals.
Of those skills, identify the top ten of those you do the best. You are looking for skills at which you are better than most of the horse business owners you have ever met. Try not to attach any emotions to these skills just yet; try to approach the exercise as objectively as possible.
Align your top ten skills with your top three horse jobs. In other words, which of the best skills you identified are used in the top three horse jobs of your previous list? It’s okay if some equestrian skills are used in numerous career paths.
Write down any horse jobs that use those skills, but which do not appear on your original list. These are jobs you would like to do in the future, but which you have never done in the past. It’s okay if you lack the education or experience necessary to obtain those jobs; you can always take classes or work up to a career.
This exercise should show you where you want to go in the horse business, and where you will be able to do the most good. I’ve found that, when horse business owners complete this exercise, their best skills usually align pretty closely with their top horse jobs.
We enjoy the activities at which we excel. It’s human nature.
Even if this is not the case for you, it will help you plot a course to the future. You don’t have to be a riding instructor or horse trainer, or farrier just because it’s what you’ve done in the past. Find horse jobs where you can make a difference.
About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Editor in Chief of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. Follow her EquiTips on Twitter.
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