Future Requirements

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

Horses are my passion. I thoroughly enjoy taking care of them and giving them the best life possible, which I believe includes teaching them how to have manners, be easily handled and desensitized as much as possible. This being particularly important and meaningful with young horses, as you have the opportunity to give that horse a positive upbringing without them having previous negative experiences.

I am always looking to learn as much as I can and develop my skills. I would be very eager to learn more training techniques and work alongside experienced horse handlers.

• Do you need accommodation?

Yes I do 🙂

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

No.

• Do you have any ongoing commitments?

I am taking care of a riding stable in Bavaria until the owner returns from holiday at the beginning of March. Therefore I would not be available to start work until April.

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

No holidays booked.

 

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 spent the past year working in different stables across Germany while travelling. Most namely a showjumping stable in Mecklenburg: ‘Arno Göwe Sport Pferde’. I worked there for six months as a groom/stable hand. Arno has 80 horses in total. 30 of which were stabled and in work. I was solely responsible for the maintenance of this stable, feeding the horses, their turnout, and alongside three riders/coworkers, their exercise. Among these 30 horses were 7 stallions and several unhandled two year olds. The rest were in varying stages of their development/training. All of the horses were to be produced as showjumping/riding horses of the highest quality.

Arno has a second stable of 30 or so broodmares that I catered to as required. The remainder of his horses were turned out and untouched until a space in the stable opened up/ every six weeks they would be brought in to have their feet done. This required catching them 2×2 in the open field and loading them in a box to bring to the stable, where their feet had to be held for the farrier (my responsibility).

The stable I am currently working in is very dear to me – I have made lifelong friends here and have learned invaluable skills in handling and understanding horses. I have returned as a favor to the owner who has entrusted her farm to me and a coworker while she is away. This is a riding school, daily tasks include mucking out the pastures, feeding/turning out/exercising the school horses and livery horses, and training client horses/ fixing behavioral issues in the school horses.

My experience prior to these stables include animal caretaker on a therapy farm (Weidenhof, Black Forrest.), stable hand/ farm sitter on a private Irish Sport Horse Stud (Dianna Dennis, Shudaun, Co. Galway.), groom at a show jumping stable (Riona Finn, Athenry, Co. Galway.), stable hand/ farm sitter on a small scale racing/show stud (Kate McMahon, Newcastle, Co.Galway.). If you would like to hear more about any of these specifically please feel free to contact me.

I have also grown up with horses. I have worked in a stable from 9 years old onwards in order to pay for riding lessons/ pay turnout for our own horses. We have backed our own horses at home and have always had youngsters.

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 work very well alone, no problem. You give me a list of things that need doing, I’ll have my head down till it’s done to the best of my ability. I am very detail oriented and tidy and am no stranger to physically demanding work/being on my feet all day. I also enjoying working in a team, I am reliable and can easily delegate. A strong team is very important and as long as you are on mine you will be looked out for.

I am very handy on the ground, for stable work, handling the horses, lunging, ground work. I take great pride in rearing youngsters – picking up their feet/haltering/leading/teaching them manners/loading/stable etiquette etc.

I’ll be honest I don’t have much interest in riding, but I can cross my t’s and dot the i’s if needs be.

I have been trusted to mind people’s farms/horses/pets/houses while they are away on many occasions.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What do you most enjoy about working with horses?

A horse is gentle, curious, and careful with the potential to be powerful, reactive and dangerous, what you bring out in a horse depends entirely on how you treat them. They are an excellent mirror, you can tell a lot about a person based on their horse.

• Is there anything you’d like to improve?

I have worked in a variety of different stables and disciplines, I would say specializing at some point would be no harm. I could be a lot further along in my career had I mastered one. I just really enjoy the variety of things there are to learn from every discipline’s way of doing things.

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

I am a hard worker, no doubt. I love what I do, it is my life and I want to be constantly improving and learning. I can promise that I will take care of your horses as if they were my own.