Horse Business Spoken Here

The evolution of the industry has also given rise to a myriad of ways that we can have our horses, our passion, part or all of how we earn a living. Here, too, there is no limit to how this can be achieved. Careers in the industry range from part-time to full-time, from working for someone else to running your own business, and from working directly with horses to working without any contact with horses regularly. People come to working in the industry in a variety of ways. For many it is what they’ve wanted to do since they were a kid. So they’ve followed their heart, gotten the skills needed to do so, perhaps worked with a mentor, and the horse industry is where they start their career path. Many others have found work in the industry secondary to their participation as a rider, competitor, or horse owner. After being involved with horses on an amateur or recreational basis, they discover that this is where their passion is. Throughout their career they have built skill sets that can be transferred into the horse industry. And still others have put horses aside for several years as they’ve raised their families. They decide that now is the time for them to do the thing that they’ve always wanted to do since they were a kid. Horses got under their skin and not even time could loosen the hold and fascination that horses provided them.

Because we dream, and because dreams DO come true, let’s look at how careers are built in the horse industry. There are some things that you need to know about yourself:

Are you more comfortable working for someone else, or do you prefer to be the boss and call the shots? Owning and running your own business is not for everyone – yet for some it’s the only way they can ever imagine living. And there is also the middle ground scenario of working for others for a while and discovering that as you’ve matured in your career that you really do want to run your business.

Do you want to work solely in the horse industry? Many a good horseperson has bootstrapped their career in the horse industry by working outside of it, part-time or full-time, until they could save some money, develop a product or service, and get established and make some sales. And many in the industry have sought out ways to generate revenue outside the industry to supplement their horse industry income.

Do you want to work with horses regularly, or do you want to work in an office environment? Working with horses directly means being outdoors a lot when the weather is hot, cold, wet, freezing, windy….you get the idea here. Being in an office, however casual, means a more controlled environment but lacks the horse muzzles and nuzzles that you may yearn for.

And of course, how many hours do you want to work? Horse keeping and direct horse jobs parallel farming jobs. Because you are dealing with a living being, they can be 24/7 too. This is what some really love, while others see the 24/7 aspect as an intrusion.

These are core issues you must give thought to get headed in the right direction. Once you’ve decided on a direction, seek out others doing what you want to, or similar to what you want to do.  Arrange to speak with them and find out what their challenges and successes have been. You’ll know you’re headed in the right direction when you hear them talk about the tough times and they still are smiling about it. Every career has its ups and downs, and it’s really important to find the work that you can weather the downs of. This varies on an individual basis.

If you want to develop a career in the horse industry, here’s some resources that will help you find your pathway.

Inventing Your Horse Career http://horsesenseandcents.com/inventing-your-horse-career/ - CD series with horse industry luminaries

Horse Career Possibilities http://www.ayhc.com/pdfs/careers.pdf - brief document that starts the thinking process

Types of Horse Jobs and Careers http://www.theequinest.com/horse-jobs-and-careers/ - comprehensive list of jobs in the horse  industry

HorseJobs.ca and Equimax  http://www.horsejobs.ca/index.php - equine employment agency where you can find job descriptions and see a sampling of who’s hiring for what positions

I’d love to hear from you about the work you’ve found or created in the horse industry. I’d also love to hear what your views are of the future, and what jobs might look like five years and ten years down the road. Let’s keep inventing horse careers that honor horses and our passion for them.

Lisa Derby Oden has been providing business development, marketing, and nonprofit consulting services to the horse industry since 1995. Oden is author of "Growing Your Horse Business" and "Bang for Your Buck: Making $ense of Marketing for Your Horse Business, and is a partner in “Inventing Your Horse Career. " She can be reached at: (603) 878-1694; email at Lisa@blueribbonconsulting.com; or visit her website at www.blueribbonconsulting.com.