Working in the horse industry represents for many a dream, it is however not a reality for everyone. And for good reason, in addition to being a tiny world, we often forget that there is an infinite variety of jobs related to the equestrian sector, whether they are in direct or indirect contact with the horse, and we don’t take enough interest in them. We will therefore try to list here most of the professions related to the horse, from near or far, in a clear and efficient way. It is obvious that we don’t have the space to mention all the precise modalities of the different professions presented in this article, we invite you to look for more information on the dedicated sites directly.
Operational jobs in horse riding
Through this category, we wanted to put forward the people working close to the horse in various dedicated places such as riding schools, stud farms, owners, and competition stables.
- Ostler: the person in charge of maintaining the facilities, cleaning the boxes, feeding the horses, cleaning the alleys, but also “watching” the behavior of visitors to the stables
- Teacher / Instructor: the person in charge of giving the different riding lessons offered within the structure, he or she can be specialized according to the discipline and the riding level of the riders
- Instructor: he or she will also give riding lessons like a normal instructor but he or she will have an additional diploma above the classical one (BEPJEPS) which can sometimes explain the difference in price applied
- Professional rider: usually working in a sport and/or commercial stable, his or her job is to ride one or more of the stable’s horses to improve their physical and mental performance and to take them out to competitions to enhance their value
- Groom: independent or under contract with professional riders or stables directly, he oversees taking care of one or more horse’s full time, at home and/or on the road (competitions)
- Home rider: often has the same job as the professional rider, with the difference that he/she will not take the horses out to show but will manage their daily work
- Stable manager: person in charge of everything that happens in the stables, it is a manager who will manage the daily life of the sports structure as well as the employees as the horses present and other related professionals (suppliers, speakers, etc. …)
Obviously, the missions can vary from one position to another depending on the company, each one has its own way of working.
Jobs in the equestrian medical sector
The horse is already an animal, or even an athlete for some, so it will have its own medical staff in charge of monitoring its health and well-being. We would like to point out that these professionals are essential to the life of your companion, and it is strongly advised not to do without their service, under penalty of being considered as an abuse.
Know that as for us men, in general these jobs require a lot of work and long studies.
- Veterinarian: he is the general practitioner of your horse, there are also specialized ones depending on the health problem you may encounter. He is also assisted by a veterinary health assistant.
- Equine osteopath: as for humans, animals can also be “blocked” or “stuck” at the bone or muscle level. This professional will be able to put your companion back in place and give you his work prescriptions.
- Farrier: he is the specialist of your horse’s feet, trimming, shoeing (orthopedic or not), sowing, he will know how to advise you according to your work and his lifestyle
- Equine dentist: he is responsible for filing your horse’s teeth at least once a year, or more if necessary.
Jobs in the security sector related to horses
Our companions are not only made to turn in a carousel or to compete, but they can also help us to “fight crime”.
- Horse guard: his main activity will be the surveillance of a place, there are now private trainings to become one
- Mounted police: same theoretical activity as a normal police officer but he will move on horseback, so surveillance, interventions, special missions,
- Republican Guard: it is a special branch of the army made to parade and realize some exceptional missions; they are also the guardians of the French equitation tradition.
Jobs in the journalistic sector related to the horse world
For all the aspiring journalists, yes, there are media dedicated solely to equestrian sports and racing. We agree there are few, but things are starting to move, especially thanks to the recent investment made by the Altice group via its TV offer SFR Sports and the growth of dedicated blogs.
- Equestrian journalist: this is a journalist like any other who has chosen to work only in the horse world, regardless of the media chosen (print, web, TV)
- Equestrian photographer: nowadays, there are very few photographers who are really dedicated only to horses (you must eat!) but it is impossible not to mention them anyway
- Influencer: and yes, there are some even in the horse industry, it is a person with a large community on social networks and therefore offering a nice showcase for brands to present their products and others, they are therefore paid to advertise on their social networks.
Indirect jobs in the equestrian sector
We consider these jobs to be “indirect” because the professional will have little to no constant contact with horses.
- Direction
- Commercial pole
- Communication department
- Marketing department
- Administrative department
- Human Resources (HR)
These are all the classic jobs that we can naturally think of but exercised in the equestrian environment, we do not often think that the companies of products and services dedicated to the horse are often structured in the same way as all the others in fact. So, the missions will be globally the same from one sector to another, it is the context that will simply change.
The size of the company will determine the presence of certain professions and even of the departments mentioned here. The smaller the company (structurally speaking), the more the professions and divisions will be grouped together and/or intrinsically linked.
Moreover, we are not only talking about equestrian equipment manufacturers, even if they are the first ones that come to mind. We must also think about the organizers of equestrian sports events; their sponsors; and the national and international sports federations: French Equestrian Federation (FFE) and International Equestrian Federation (FEI).
Other jobs for horse riding enthusiasts
“Owner”: if you are interested in high level horse riding, we often hear about owners of competition horses without it being the riders themselves, it is in fact a kind of investor who will buy a horse (alone or several) and entrust it to a professional rider with the aim of developing it and making him profits either by reselling it, or by the competitions he will win, or by his products (his foals)
Equestrian artist: we have placed him in this category because today there are very few equestrian artists who manage to make a living from their art, unfortunately, but we invite you to go and see the shows of some of them if you have the opportunity (Lorenzo; Jean-François Pignon; Bartabas; Le Théâtre du Centaure; Alexis Gruss; etc…).
Obviously, we have surely forgotten some, this list is non-exhaustive. With the richness of the disciplines involved in horse riding and the current evolution of the world, new professions are appearing, which did not exist a few years ago. Your future job may not exist yet!
For more information and to consult job offers, we advise you to look at the official website Equiressources: https://www.equiressources.fr/en-home.aspx
