Future Requirements

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

To build on my experience in equestrian and rural work, learn new skills and take on more responsibility. I enjoy being hands-on, working with animals and being part of the wider running of a successful yard or rural business.

• Do you need accommodation?

Ideally yes, not a requirement.

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

I have two well behaved dogs, they don’t generally come to work with me.

• Do you have any ongoing commitments?

I am staying with family in Northumberland until late October

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

Same as above

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 extensive experience working with horses across professional yards, polo, private livery and freelance work, including several years as a Head Groom/Club Assistant at a busy polo yard.

My experience covers the full day-to-day management and oversight of yards, including organising routines and staff, coordinating liveries and clients, managing feed and supplies, liaising with contractors and farriers, maintaining facilities and equipment, and ensuring horses are cared for to a consistently high standard. I am confident working independently and taking responsibility for the smooth running of a yard.

I have extensive hands-on experience with a wide range of horses and their individual requirements, including grooming, clipping, plaiting, tacking up, turnout, bringing in, mucking out, feeding, rugging, basic first aid and general horse care. I also have riding experience, including exercising horses and riding within a polo environment, and am comfortable riding and handling horses with different temperaments and levels of education.

Alongside equestrian work, I have extensive experience around livestock and mixed farming, including cattle, sheep and pigs, as well as machinery and general farm work. I am practical, capable and used to working in busy environments where priorities can change quickly.

My role can therefore cover everything from individual horse care and exercise through to yard support, management and oversight, depending on the requirements of the owner or business.

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 am particularly good at working independently and taking responsibility for the wider running and management of a yard. I am used to being trusted to make decisions, organise priorities and oversee the day-to-day operation, while also thinking ahead about the longer-term needs of the horses, yard and business.

I have broad experience across the equestrian industry, including polo, livery, horse breeding and the care and management of horses through different stages of their lives. I am comfortable with the practicalities and responsibility that come with breeding, youngstock and general horse management, as well as the less obvious aspects of running a yard, from organising people and resources to dealing with owners, clients, vets, farriers, suppliers and contractors.

I am calm and practical when things don’t go to plan, good at reading horses and situations, and happy making decisions without needing someone constantly looking over my shoulder. I also work well with others and am used to busy environments where priorities can change quickly.

Alongside horses, my farming background has given me experience with livestock, machinery, administration and the wider running of rural businesses. I think my biggest strength is being able to look at the bigger picture while still being very hands-on when something needs doing.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

• What do you most enjoy about working with horses?

I think what I enjoy most is that, despite horses not exactly being quiet animals, working with them is quiet to me. I like knowing what they need, planning ahead and keeping on top of everything that goes into looking after them. A lot of it comes naturally to me, and I genuinely enjoy that part of the job.

I also find it incredibly rewarding to see the difference you can make. Whether that is bringing a horse on, getting one back to good condition, helping a young horse develop, or simply knowing that the horses in your care are happy, healthy and well looked after, you can see the result of your work. I like that there is always a purpose to what you are doing and that, at the end of the day, you can look around and know you’ve made things better.

• Is there anything you’d like to improve?

I’d like to keep learning and broaden my experience rather than feeling like I’ve reached a point where I know everything. I’d particularly like to develop my experience with breeding and youngstock and continue improving my riding. I’ve worked across quite a few different areas of the equestrian world, so I’d enjoy being somewhere that can teach me something new while also making use of the experience I already have.

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

I think I bring a combination of experience, independence and the ability to really settle into a role. When I find a job I enjoy and a place that suits me, I tend to become fluent in it very quickly. I like taking something on, learning how it works, getting it running properly and then looking for the next thing I can take responsibility for.

I have enough experience to be able to get on with things without needing constant direction, but I’m also very happy to learn how someone else likes their yard or business to run. I enjoy being useful and becoming someone who can be relied upon to know what needs doing, often before I’m asked.

I’m particularly drawn to smaller yards and rural businesses where you can get to know the people, horses and the way things work, and where your contribution genuinely makes a difference. I’m not looking to move from job to job; I’d like to find the right place, settle in, and become a valuable part of it for the long term.

I take pride in doing things properly, I’m practical and adaptable, and I genuinely enjoy learning a job until it becomes second nature. For me, the ideal job is one where I can take something on, make it better, and know that I’ve made myself useful.