# Assistant trainer or......?



## lilredhorse (Feb 28, 2016)

I am graduating college at the end of this semester and I'm looking into jobs. I've seen some jobs as a loper, other jobs as a groom, and some as an assistant trainer. I am trying to see what I may be qualified for.

Qualifications:
I've worked with TB's since I was 16.
-mares and foals
-lay ups
-yearlings
-weanlings
I have also worked for a grand prix jumper
-working student (moved up to)
-groom (moved up to)
-barn manager
I jumped for around 6 years but have now moved to western
Did very minimal training in reining, cutting, western pleasure, and trail
Have rode young horses for a long time
I am also working out to become physically fit

What would you suggest going for? I am not sure if I want to train horses for the rest of my life, but I don't know if I don't want to either. I am young (25) and right now I want to experience as many things as possible. Get good jobs and crappy jobs. Some of the places I'm looking at do state that I could eventually show. 

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE SO AWESOME. It's scary facing the real world!


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

By experience you sound more equipped to be a barn manager,having handled several different types of horses.If barn is a boarding barn though you would need to effectively manage people too which not everyone is cut out to do.:icon_rolleyes: Maybe a excercise /loper too, but not an assistant trainer. IDK but anyone I know that has gone on to be assistant trainers have experience in said disciplines by competing in them themselves prior.They are also usually very passionate about it ,which from what you wrote I'm not getting that message.


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## lilredhorse (Feb 28, 2016)

paintedpastures said:


> By experience you sound more equipped to be a barn manager,having handled several different types of horses.If barn is a boarding barn though you would need to effectively manage people too which not everyone is cut out to do.:icon_rolleyes: Maybe a excercise /loper too, but not an assistant trainer. IDK but anyone I know that has gone on to be assistant trainers have experience in said disciplines by competing in them themselves prior.They are also usually very passionate about it ,which from what you wrote I'm not getting that message.


Thank you for your input  I will put everything you said into consideration as I continue looking for jobs.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

What is your college degree?


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## lilredhorse (Feb 28, 2016)

natisha said:


> What is your college degree?


Equine science since I was going to go to grad school.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

I would be really working on marketing yourself well. 

A degree in Equine Science should be one of the first things to bring attention to as well as your experience with breeding stock and performance horses. 

To me this would be looking for a role as assistant manager in ideally a large and reputable horse business. At least if that is your career plan. I guess you have to work out management vs. something else. 

It's all very well saying you want experience but once you graduate that's when your career starts - at least from an employer perspective. Experiences are great but you want to choose opportunities strategically.


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## lilredhorse (Feb 28, 2016)

The only reason I was thinking of a more transient job is because I've been in the same place my whole life. I'd like to try working on ranches and cutting horses and reining horses to find what really fits for me. I feel I can always go back to TB's if I need too but I want to explore the world a bit on the back of a horse.

But I will definitely continue on considering your advice! It is very eye opening.


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## JulieG (Jun 25, 2013)

There's a lot of Horse Jobs pages on Facebook... maybe you could join those and keep an eye out for something that sounds right? With summer coming there's a lot of guest ranches looking for help in a lot of different places. Could be a good place to start!


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm not in the horse industry, but this is the equine version of what I would do. 

Look through the postings on Equestrian Jobs and Staff, Horses and Horseboxes/Trailers for Sale and Equestrian Dating

See what kind of qualifications people are asking for and how they match up with your experience. What experiences do you need for "dream jobs"? Seek positions that will give you the experience to eventually get you to your ideal position.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

Honestly I think to be anything other than a groom/barn hand etc. you'd probably have to prove yourself and work your way up.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

We will be hiring an assistant trainer a little later in the spring. It means riding all day. BUT, a person needs to have a lot of experience riding young and green horses -- not just trained horses and school horses. We will be riding and putting further training into horses that have been started and then, this summer there will be 7 or 8 two year olds to start. We will have to halter break about 10 foals and also do quite a bit of breeding. It takes a hard worker -- an ambitious person that is really into horses.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Some barns have a fancy title for stall mucker. Best to clarify that as it's a waste of your skills.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

No offence OP, but the skills etc you list here give me one impression, the questions that you are asking in other threads, well makes me question how wide your experience is. Not that it only novices that ask, I know that it is always good to get some more views on an issue, just merely making a personal observation.


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## lilredhorse (Feb 28, 2016)

Saddlebag said:


> Some barns have a fancy title for stall mucker. Best to clarify that as it's a waste of your skills.


I laughed hard at this. Yeah, I figured "loper" was a fancy term for slave, and so is farm hand, although at least that has some truth. I guess I am thinking about pursuing life in the showing world, so assistant trainer would be a good place to be. But of course you have to prove you aren't going to cause more harm than good. 

I hate saying it, because it makes me sound cocky, but I am a great rider. I just need to learn how to apply things and why. Once I know why and have a decent foundation, I usually can execute things pretty well. I also see though, why others are saying to look into a managerial position. I am fine with responsibility, but it is my vet work that needs a bit a polishing and refinement. I also tend to have a huge flaw of understating what I know. This was why I was considering being a stall cleaner, just because it would be good to refine these skills. 

I haven't wrapped legs in ages, nor had to apply a stack bandage in quite some time. I am decent at giving injections although I sometimes struggle to find veins on naughty horses. All fixable, but I feel if you are an assistant or manager, these points should be flawless.


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## lilredhorse (Feb 28, 2016)

Golden Horse said:


> No offence OP, but the skills etc you list here give me one impression, the questions that you are asking in other threads, well makes me question how wide your experience is. Not that it only novices that ask, I know that it is always good to get some more views on an issue, just merely making a personal observation.


No offense taken. I generally like to ask everyone's opinion because I like to compare my answer to theirs. It let's me see what I do know, and what I don't. And how I can have a different approach to things, thinking wise.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Actually a loper does just that -- they saddle and warm up horses for the trainer. Pull saddles off horses the trainer has ridden and wash those horses down. The loper stays 1 horse ahead of the trainer. Most cutting and reining trainers want a horse to be loped in slow, methodical circles until it is ready for a 20 or 30 minute training session. Some cutting trainers will keep 2 lopers busy warming up horses. They can ride and train up to 20 horses a day with 2 good lopers. They step on and off horses all day long. Otherwise, they could only train 8 or 10 horses if they did all of their own saddling and warming up.


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## lilredhorse (Feb 28, 2016)

Cherie said:


> Actually a loper does just that -- they saddle and warm up horses for the trainer. Pull saddles off horses the trainer has ridden and wash those horses down. The loper stays 1 horse ahead of the trainer. Most cutting and reining trainers want a horse to be loped in slow, methodical circles until it is ready for a 20 or 30 minute training session. Some cutting trainers will keep 2 lopers busy warming up horses. They can ride and train up to 20 horses a day with 2 good lopers. They step on and off horses all day long. Otherwise, they could only train 8 or 10 horses if they did all of their own saddling and warming up.


Perhaps this would be a good place to start to see how interested I am in training horses.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

If interested in training horses' i would look into an assistant trainer position, versus just loping horses.
OFten you start on the bottom, riding colts, but even then you are learning, versus just warming up a horse, as that trainer will want those colts started correctly, so that they will be ready for him to go on with, a month or two , down the road
As you improve, you will be given some more advanced horses to ride, and eventually show. This type of experience thus works towards increasing your ow `resume; as a trainer, as compared to be in a dead end sort of position, just warming up horses.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Find a GOOD barn and start at the bottom. Prove yourself.

FWIW we would all love to work for Cherie so if that's an option for you it may be worth some serious consideration.

You don't sound ready for management imo. Just one of those "if you have to ask" things, and I feel something like that you have to KNOW you want to and are ready to do it. It really is a 24/7 job. You sound a little wishy washy on what you want.


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