Experience with Horses

Dear reader,

Hello,

Thank you for taking your time and reviewing this application. My professional career in horsemanship is at its early start. I have been working with animals, and horses of different breeds, ages, backgrounds and riding them for the past 3 years in various disciplines (except for the dressage) in several countries (Cyprus, Serbia,) majorly as a volunteer, but I had paid jobs as an assisting trainer, a trainer, or, sometimes, rather a “saver” of the horse and a beginner rider.

For the past 8 months I am a proud and successful horse owner myself. I am constantly being trained myself with a professional trainer who is an international judge in show jumping and dressage.

For the past year I have been deliberately reading, watching and practicing everything I could find in an open access to enrich my knowledge of horse psychology and communication ways. The best example is my 10 years old mare who has been absolutely wild, scared of its own shadow, minimally trained, and intolerant to people. She has been ridden with no basic training of going in the bit, always with other horses from her stables being around, had very low response on any aid, if any at all, would only respond to strong kicks of the riders, and has never jumped a fence. I have bought her out from a riding school. Currently, our riding is has progressed drastically, she jumps great (in the moment 70 cm), and can walk/trot/canter/turn/stop according to voice aids or body language being with no halter or a lunge, we cooperate absolutely free in an open space or even in the city area.

Riding level: Level 10 Advanced I.

Key Skills

I am particularly good in liberty training, horses’ psychology and communication, maintenance, management, teaching or assisting, identifying required training plan both for the horses and people. I am good working alone or as a part of the team, or social environment, as long as there are animals around, that automatically defines the type of social environment and people. I am great in handling, riding, training and maintaining absolutely any horse of any breed, sex, age and level.  I do have a very rich experience, professional background and non-equine skills which would be highly suitable and effective in the related sectors, including working in a hotel, farm, any sort of related, or corelated with the industry events, you can review the details in my CV. But the most important skill is definitely the speed of learning and adaptation. No matter how many years people do something, how much educated they are, or which experiences they already do posses, if they can be learning daily and adapt to it happily, none of the mentioned above matters in the long term.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What do you most enjoy about working with horses?

Every part of the process, if to be honest, from making the stables shine and equipped with every requirement, to every element of working, maintaining and being with the horses and people. I love identifying the state of the situation, necessary requirements for the further development, moving towards the results, and bringing the results to life, either for the horses, people or myself. Yet, my absolutely favorite part is having such a strong bond with the horses when you can freely walk, run, play or exercise with each other in an absolutely open space for a long time even being surrounded by all sort of triggers and always know its safe, whether in the saddle, or in liberty. Nothing is better than that.  I also love to see how horses bring out the best in people, heal them and help them grow, as much as the trained equine specialist helps the horses who require such help to do the same. Most of the times when I walk/exercise my horse in the forest in Belgrade people come to us, and there are incredibly happy and ask a lot of questions, some have bought or taken horses after that, and sometimes they pat Lasta and start crying. It’s a unique luck to have it in daily life. The other point which I particularly enjoy, too, is working with “problematic” horses, and rescued horses. The horse is never “problematic”, or confused, it’s always a human’s responsibility. The more I learn, communicate, and experience, the more I adore watching the success of other people and horses. And by saying success I do not mean certificates, results of the competitions or titles, I mean seeing happy horses and their owners/riders as the one, healthy, co-engaged, trusting, bonded partners, preferably for life.

• Is there anything you’d like to improve?

1. The access to the like-minded community, various trainers
2. Share the knowledge and skills as much as possible and develop them likewise
3. Gain technical certificates and required experience necessary for the further international professional growth
4. Spread the necessity of liberty training and bonding with the horses, and animals as much as possible
5. Start a professional equestrian career in show-jumping, endurance and eventing
6. Begin dressage training
7. Knowledge of breeding and bloodlines
8. Train more than once a day and have an access to trail riding, walking and running with the horses free. (Yes, it is very possible with any horse or a herd, a prior training of 3 to 6 months is required.)

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

For a list of reasons. First of all, being an equestrian and working with the horses isn’t simply a hobby, or a passion, it is an obsession, nothing makes me more engaged, motivated and happy. It’s a common knowledge and a historical fact, acknowledged by many, that only people who are obsessed by what they do truly make a contribution and achieve success. Secondly, I carry no obligations in sense of being bound by a family or children, I can travel anytime, anywhere and will not run home after 5 pm, or seek for a social life. Currently i can forget about my own job if I spend time with horses, work with the or ride them, despite of a fact, that I am a very responsible person. Thirdly, yet, mainly, if I am given such an opportunity, to be in the equestrian world, no matter where I start, I am going to give it my all. There will be no employer or a team happier!

Requirements

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

I would be happy to share my own skills, knowledge and develop them to the highest level up to the Olympics. I would sick an opportunity to become a part of global equestrian community, and animal lovers that are capable to improve animal and welfare protection, and contribute as much as possible to the state of being where animals are protected by law, necessary policies  are being frequently developed, applied in every inch of the globe and not a single living creature lives under a threat of a bad maintenance or treatment.

• Do you need accommodation?

Would prefer to live on the site, as working with the horses or owning one requires that, therefore, yes, please.

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

No, I believe people in the industry have all the requirements considered already.

• Do you have any ongoing commitments?

Absolutely not.

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

All of my holidays are booked by my horse and cats, and the future equestrian career, thank you 🙂