MomOfOneFunOne Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have a girl who loves horses. We've been chatting lately about what kinds of professions she could persue and still be much in contact with horses. She doesn't want to be a cowboy. She used to want to be a vet but now she thinks she wouldn't like it b/c she's afraid she would find the work too sad if her a patient died. She doesn't really think being a farrier is for her, either. She thinks it would be cool to be a singer but also wants to do something with horses. What could a horse lover be when she grows up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 The US Army has a horse unit. :) A friend's dh works with them now. I'm not sure of their exact role, but I do know they travel. Also, there is a growing interest around the country for using horses in therapy for children with disabilities. There is a therapeutic ranch near me that is doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovetoread Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 my horse loving 8.5 year old would like to own a horse ranch and be a vet. She loves all animals, but holds a special place in her heart for horses and whales and dolphins. Its so fun to see how she wants to spend her life. Chandi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Also, there is a growing interest around the country for using horses in therapy for children with disabilities. There is a therapeutic ranch near me that is doing this. There is a certification program for hippotherapy and theraputic riding instructors. Making money working with horses is very, very tough and the competition is even tougher. If you want to be a well known instructor/ trainer you have to have a lot of money to start with and get a lot of training and experience that takes years. My DD9 also wants to work with horses for a living and I tell her being a vet is pretty much her only option. Most of the other possibilities make better hobbies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I'm trying to stear dd towards vet or judge!!! I would also consider photography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 There is a certification program for hippotherapy and theraputic riding instructors. Making money working with horses is very, very tough and the competition is even tougher. If you want to be a well known instructor/ trainer you have to have a lot of money to start with and get a lot of training and experience that takes years. My DD9 also wants to work with horses for a living and I tell her being a vet is pretty much her only option. Most of the other possibilities make better hobbies. :iagree: Horses are WONDERFUL but much more of a money sink than a money maker, lol. I used to train a bit and I wish it was more lucrative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hippotherapy or Equine Behavioral Therapy are often part of a degree in Occupational Therapy. I knew a young woman who majored as an Occupational Therapist and the got additional accreditation for Equine Behavioral Therapy. She works with emotionally fragile people (suicidal), or highly traumatized people and has them do all kinds of things involving horses, i.e. grooming, riding, training. Therapeutic riding was where I was involved. You work with mentally and physically challenged individuals and the goal for each person is different. Some need to strengthen certain muscles which riding can do, others need to learn how to focus better or overcome fear, etc. A rewarding area, certification is fairly demanding but the benefit to the client is often beyond all expectations. In my area, there are also more and more women horseshoer. A very physically demanding profession but a competent one is well sought after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa3033 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 There are quite a few things she could do. There is a local place here (Wheeler Boarding) that is family owned. They started out just boarding horses but they have grown their business so much over the last few years. There really isn't much they don't do. They offer lessons to people of all ages, have day camps during the summer, host tours to local moms groups, daycares and preschoolers and do birthday parties. I have no idea how much their business brings in, but it seems that this is their livelihood and many of the things they have or do are things they would be doing anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Barn owner/manager/employee Groom Trainer Clinician Riding instructor Saddle maker Saddle fitter Author Illustrator Publisher Journalist Breeder Dealer (seller) Groom (equestrians hire contract employees to braid at shows) Jockey Chiropractor Massage therapist Equine attorney Vet Vet tech Radiologist Geneticist Farrier Corrective shoer Trimmer (not necessarily the same thing) Nutritionist Feed store owner/manager/employee Tack store owner/manager/employee College professor Ag Extension agent Mounted policeman Horse trailer mfg/seller Stunt rider 4H leader Camp horse person (not sure what you call it) Photographer Artist Design/invent/make cool horse equipment Insurance Farm real estate Fencing Manage show grounds/facility Basically anything horse people hire, buy, or use, there's a professional on the other end of it providing the service or product. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I don't know how much day-to-day contact with horses your daughter would want, but I know a woman who has made a very successful living as an equine attorney (one of the suggestions on Cindyg's list). She represents stable owners, horse show administrators, racetracks, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabella Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 A friend of mine does Bowen Therapy on race horses. She charges $1 a minute. This is a sideline income for her, but if you lived in a race-y area, you could get enough work to make a living, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Camp horse person (not sure what you call it) ... Manage show grounds/facility There is an amazing Christian ministry here in in Oregon that, among other things, has a two-year equestrian certificate program for people that want to run a horse camp, manage show grounds/facilities and generally use horses in Christian ministry. It is evangelical protestant based, so not sure if the op is interested, but maybe someone reading this thread would be. The name of the organization is Canyonview Equestrian College, and they say they are there to "...train dedicated Christians to conduct safe, efficient, and effective horsemanship programs as a tool of positive Christian ministry". We have sent our dd to camps there and have been really impressed. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 This is a timely post! My 16 year old daughter and I were just talking about this yesterday. We know two girls who are going to school for some kind of equine studies and both my daughter and I said almost at the same time....good luck finding a job in that field where you actually make any money. I've been doing this horse thing for many years and truly, everyone I know from race trainers to people who run huge boarding barns (and everything in between from farriers to equine dentists) don't make a great living. It is ALOT of HARD work and really the pay off isn't very good. My equine dentist was just saying last week that in the summer he has to work 80 plus hours a week to sustain himself in the winter. I know a young farrier who is already starting to get bent over because of the stress on his back, he will have arthritis before he knows it. A race trainer I know now has possession of TWENTY SEVEN horses that their owners just dumped on him because they weren't big money tickets....what do you do with 27 crazy race horses? I would steer your daughter away from wanting to have a profession in the horse business and maybe have her lean towards a job where she can afford to have a horse of her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have a daughter who is almost 18 and is graduating this year. She has always loved horses and working with animals, in general. She has been accepted in Vet Tech school starting in September and will go that route. She would rather just work on and with horses, but as many said, this can be tough. We encouraged her to do the Vet Tech training to getting a wider knowledge of animals in general. She is also planning on becoming certified in Equine Massage Therapy. That is more for her own benefit and working with her horses, but hoping to help others out, also. Just some thoughts.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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