Experience with Horses

Outline your experience with horses here/the scope of your freelance services. If you’re looking for a non-equine or non- yard-based job please use this space to describe your experience skills/abilities and adapt the questions to suit your line of work.

I have a passion for working with horses, and for their welfare and well-being. I started riding when I was 7 and love the time, I spend directly with a horse whether that is mucking out, feeding, grooming or riding,

I have worked in the commercial horse industry since the age of 18 and have worked in a variety of jobs and work placements these include working within the vet industry where I have observed  and undertaken lameness trot ups, surgical procedures, vaccinations, mucking out, prepping feed for morning and evening, tubbing a horse’s hoof, visits with vets, pharmacy work, assisting in ICU with colic and fractures cases.

I have also worked in a very busy riding centre for 8 years where I have taken clients out on treks, rides & hacks and have also taught on a regular basis. Within my current role at Pearl Island Arabians I undertake mucking out, feeding, turning out, assist the vet, farrier & physio as well as undertake grooming and exercising the horses for endurance work this includes working with Stallions and Mares with foals at foot.

Key Skills

What are you particularly good at? For example: working alone, working with others, clipping, plaiting, turning out for shows, handling stallions, handling/riding young horses, non-equine skills etc

I enjoy working with people and in my current work role I work on my own and within a team. I have experienced working directly with customers  including welcoming them, demonstrating horse skills, taking customers on rides as well as teaching 3 classes of children with different levels of riding experience. I was able to develop a good rapport with my students to gain their trust, so they were able to ask me questions when they didn’t understand or lacked confidence in their ability, this enabled them to gain the most out of a lesson. I have experience in communicating in different ways depending on the customer and their experience, knowledge and understanding. I am able to deal directly and calmly with members of the public when difficult situations arise to try and resolve any concerns that they may have.

I pride myself in treating people as I would like to be treated myself and am always supportive to newer members of a team to ensure their working environment is positive and that they feel happy to come to me if they are unsure about a work task or need help.

I have good organisational skills and have good time management and ensure I am always on time; I am able to prioritise and undertake a list of tasks given to me and am able to reprioritise tasks as required.

In my current job role, I work weekends and holidays times, so have flexibility to do this as required. In a previous job role I was required to occasionally act as a senior member of the team where I am required to organise other people’s workload and deal with any concerns they had.

I have been riding for over 15 years and during this time have ridden a large variety of horses with has included youngsters and ones with more challenging behaviours. During my riding career I have taken out multiple treks and hacks as well as working with clients in the arena both doing flat and jump work.  I have excellent stable management skills i.e. mucking out, feeding, turning out, basic health checks, grooming, tack cleaning and sorting.

I compete on a regular basis in show jumping and occasional eventing and have jumped up to 1m but mainly jump a maximum of 90cm due to my available facilities.

I have had some experience in undertaking full clips and pulling manes however I would like to develop my skills in these areas

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What do you most enjoy about working with horses?

I enjoy riding on a daily basis both in the arena and out in large open spaces including fields and mountains. I enjoy Show Jumping and XC. However there isn’t an area of working with horses that I dislike as I enjoy stable management as  much as  riding and think that stable management skills are a vital part in the holistic management of horses.

I also enjoy teaching people to ride.

• Is there anything you’d like to improve?

I would like to improve my plaiting and clipping skills and develop my teaching skills as I would like to achieve my BHS coaching qualifications.

• Why should employers consider you above any other job seeker?

I have excellent communication skills; throughout my work roles within both horse and non-horse related work positions, I have dealt directly with customers and their queries, including giving encouragement and advice to novice nervous riders. I have had to report back to my employers and peers. I am able to communicate directly face to face, by telephone, through emails and texts.

The ability to work as an individual or as a team player- I am able to work on my own and as part of a team. Time management is important to me, to be able to complete tasks appropriately and within the time frame available. As part of a team, I am able to communicate in a supportive and respectful manner. I have undertaken show duties where I have had to work closely with other members of the group to ensure safety and smooth running of shows that were open to the public. While working at Llangorse Multi Activity Centre I was given tasks to complete by more experienced members of the staff and gained a lot from the knowledge they have but also have had the opportunity to support and instruct newer less experienced staff members.

A common sense and understanding of basic tasks– I use my own initiative and am organised and am also able to keep calm in a busy stressful environment. I am open-minded to new ideas and suggestions of how to improve the way I do things to become more effective and efficient. I am always wanting to develop my skills and enjoy learning from others. I enjoy a challenge and am hard working and I am able to get up early and work long hours when required.

Requirements

What would you like to do or gain in your next job?

Continue with my BHS qualifications continuing with my Stage 3 course.

Increase my handling of horses of different ages and temperates

Even though I have ridden for over 15 years I would like to develop my riding on different horses in different disciplines and increase my confidence at jumping more complicated courses and at bigger heights

I enjoy teaching and would like to improve my teaching skills in different disciplines and at different ability levels.

• Do you need accommodation?

Yes I would require accommodation

• Do you have any special requirements for any animals you wish to bring with you?

I have a horse so would need to have livery.

• Do you have any ongoing commitments?

No

• Do you have any holidays booked that an employer needs to know of?

Not at this current time