If you have an affinity with the equine then a career in horse care could be the ticket to your dream job. Working with animals can be very rewarding for the right person, and there are several careers that can see you caring for these incredible creatures day to day.
Horses require specialist care by those who know their needs, wants, behaviours and how to care for them properly, so find out how you can get qualified and begin your horse care career in Ireland.
What skills do you need to begin a career in Horse Care?
There are several skills needed to lead a successful career in horse care. The main skills include:
How to become qualified in Horse Care
Becoming certified in horse care is the best way to prove to employers that you have the knowledge, passion and skills to pursue this as a career. The Certificate of Horse Care is a recognised certification accredited by the International Council for Online Education Standards (ICEOS).
This horse care certification is ideal as a starting point for people wanting to explore a career in horse care. It has no prerequisites, and only asks that you have a passion for working with horses and can dedicate around 70 hours of studying to this course. The course is delivered entirely online through The Career Academy and will teach you the fundamentals of horse care.
Some of the modules include basic horse care for beginners, nutrition, grooming, basic horse biology and welfare. This is an excellent choice of qualification for those who want to begin their horse care career, and is also very useful for people who own horses or already work with horses and want to expand their knowledge and skills.
How can qualification in Horse care help me?
A qualification in horse care can help you in several ways when trying to pursue a career in horse care in Ireland and beyond.
Key Skills: A certificate in horse care will help you develop the key skills you need to thrive in a horse care career. This includes skills in horse handling, basic care, foaling, grooming, feeding and nutrition and pasture management. These skills are essential foundational skills needed for any horse care career to help you take the best care you can of your equine companions.
Confidence: Alongside the career benefits of a horse care qualification, you can also look forward to increased confidence and motivation. When you learn about the proper care methods and behaviours of the animal you care for, it will give you more confidence in your ability to care for them and look out for their welfare.
Personal and Professional Development: The skills developed through a horse care course can also help in your personal life if you have a horse or care for horses, as it can help you to better understand your horses needs. It can also open up career prospects in other areas of animal care and horse welfare for example in thoroughbred horse management or horsemanship.
There are a variety of jobs you can explore in the equine industry with a horse care qualification, especially if you gain some work experience too such as a placement or apprenticeship. You could choose to go into horse care and work at a farm sanctuary or private stables, equine health and behaviour and work in the veterinary industry or work in the working horse or sport horse industry.
Some job titles you could explore include stud management, stallion handler, stud hand, jockey or riding instructor. Industries such as Irish horse racing, dressage, show jumping, equestrian centres and riding schools are always looking for staff with knowledge, skills and passion for working with horses. You can work full-time or part-time in these positions, and with enough skills and experience, you could become self-employed as a horse care specialist in your field.
What does a career in HR look like?
HR professionals have a variety of everyday duties, and these will depend to a degree on which role they have within the human resources team. However, some of the main HR functions include the following:
What other skill areas are important?
There are several skills that are needed in the broader field of animal care which covers those needed in an equine care career. For example, knowing how to work with others in a team and how to work with horses in different environments can help you develop your skills further.
Studying veterinary assistant courses or animal care courses for example, can help you get horse care jobs and expand some skills in other areas. Veterinary knowledge and experience is incredibly useful in any animal care career, as you will gain skills in animal handling as well as key knowledge about animal health.
Although many veterinary assistant courses focus on small animal care, modules on equine health and care will deepen your knowledge of equine healthcare and medicine. The overall theories and methodologies of animal healthcare, behaviour and working with various species will also still be relevant as well as the hands-on experience you will gain working with animals. This will also help you develop skills such as keeping calm under pressure, communication and organisation.
Animal care online courses also cover horse care training, and will explore topics which will be useful such as nutrition, animal welfare, EU and UK animal related legislation, training techniques, animal behaviour and handling. These are broader courses which could also cover working with animals in different environments such as in stables, on stud farms, working horses, pet horses and horses in a veterinary environment.
If you enrol on a veterinary assistant course or an animal care course, you can also expand your career opportunities in other areas. For example, you could work in an animal sanctuary caring for horses among other animals, explore equine courses which focus on animal behaviour to become an animal behaviourist or engage in further education in veterinary nursing to become a veterinary nurse and care for small or large animals.
A career in horse care can be incredibly rewarding to animal lovers who want to spend their days caring for and working with equines. Horses are marvellous creatures and therefore their care and welfare takes time to learn, however through a range of horse care and animal care courses, you can learn the skills you need to care for these animals properly. Provided you have the passion, empathy and dedication to learn horse care, you can begin your career in horse care today.
Horse Care Courses
