So you work in racing...

[vbunny]

What is your job?
I gallop, break babies, clip, pull manes but really that's about it. I am just curious what other means/avenues are there for careers/making money in this line of work. I know there are tons out there and I am aware of some of them but also I must be missing some great ideas and opportunities.

[LaurieB]

You mean there's a way to MAKE money in this game? :D :eek: :winkgrin:

[SleepyFox]

You mean there's a way to MAKE money in this game? :D :eek: :winkgrin:

LaurieB, you took my line!! I got halfway through the OP and had my reply all formulated in my head... and you beat me to it! :lol:

[olympicdreams04]

What's the secret to having a small fortune in horses? Start with a big fortune. As an aside, I gallop...and gallop some more, and pony, and break babies, and breeze ride, and clip and pull manes and groom and run horses and so on and so forth.

[Flypony]

I train, used to gallop , still get on a few of my favorites.:)

[Equilibrium]

I use to gallop. Now my husband and I have a small business which entails breeding, breaking, and managing racehorses. I'm pretty sure this is career based on for the "love of the horse" rather than "love of the money".

But wait, I have seen 2 types of "horseman" in Ireland and I'm pretty sure one of them makes money.

Type 1: Big flash SUV, flash clothes, talks for Ireland spinning a good tale, big house. Walk over to the barn which is half falling down, scruffy haven't ever seen a brush horses, black shavings beds, no hay to be seen because they ate their handful, bags of the cheapest feed, horse sees human and eyes as wide as saucers, and yard knows know such thing as broom and rake. Oddly enough some owner spent good money on these horses at recent sales and thinks the "natural look" is good.

Type 2: Drives SUV which is about 14yrs old and just scraping through inspections, house a bit small and crowded but clean even with 3 dogs and 2 cats which have been rescued, finds Rambo waterproof gear good for going everywhere with fuzzy hat, clean horses, clean shavings and very big muck heap, expensive food because they are after all athletes, full haynets, and tidy yard. Horses not costing half as much as Type 1. Spend time trying to tell owners that natural look isn't in but still thinks money is well spent with Type 1.

So yes, there is a way to make money in this game, but I still prefer to be Type 2.

Terri

[QHJockee]

The best advice I can give to make money in this business is work for someone who gives you a weekly paycheck. My husband went out on his own last fall and we have struggled and struggled. This is in part due to the fact 8 of the 9 horses who are outside owned are owned by one guy and he pays us when he gets around to it....usually the 20th -25th of the month. Well it's the 15th and our racing stable checkbook has -$224.00 (non suffienct funds) in it, hubby personal check book has $65 in it, his savings is wiped out and mine is not far behind. Mortgage and 2 car payments plus horse trailer payment due this week. ANd my husband is not money savvy and does not understand how the $13,000 check he gets barely makes ends meet for the month between horses and personal bills.

That being said, when I am on the track I keep an outside job bartending and waitressing. I"ve done it since I was 16 and make a very good living at it. Gallop and pony pays decent, but it's always nice to have a little extra cash laying about.

[hipsdontlie]

for those who are into thoroughbreds my suggestion would be to work the sales. you get your hotel paid for (not always the ritz carlton but...) and you get to go to a lot of different places and meet people. the pay isnt so bad and there are sales in europe for those who like to travel a bit.

[jennywho]

I get a new set of weanlings each fall and send them off to boot camp in the summer of their yearling year. So I feed, brush, pull manes, babysit and keep the farm looking pretty. It's a good job with great pay and all would be well if I hadn't gone into major debt trying to support my own horses on a grooms salary for so long.

One of my FAVORITE jobs was working as a turf writer. I got to go around every morning and talk to all of the trainers about their horses, mainly the stake caliber ones. I would write up my notes and then come back for the races, writing each day about the feature races and other notable events. It gave me a lot of insight into the racing industry and I got to hang out at the barns in the mornings and dress up and hang at the races in the afternoons/evenings. Unfortunately it was seasonal and my new boss was a xxxx so I couldn't do it forever, but if I lived somewhere that it would have been year round I would have stayed.

[GallopGirl]

I gallop, do Saturday morning works, do some work with the babies, and have a full time job with benefits. I could not survive working at the track alone without giving up next to everything in my life. There's just not enough money in it unless you are getting a steady weekly paycheck from someone (as an above poster suggested).

[holmes]

I offer to hot walk the stake races!! HA HA HA!! I am start my own syndicate soon, it is very exciting.

[Acertainsmile]

My husband and I both spent about 25 yrs on the track, he was a trainer, and I galloped, rode races and trained a few horses over the years.

We are now breeding, and buying and selling babies. We have a partner in Kentucky and have started our own Bloodstock and Consulting business.

We have a farm, so that keeps costs down somewhat as far as broodmares and babies... and the income from selling horses usually pays for the upkeep on the farm...

We have alot of good contacts from our years at the track, so it hasnt been too difficult when it comes to selling quality horses.

My advice to you if you want to make money in this business is to surround yourself with quality people, and quality horses. Whether it be galloping horses, working sales, or doing something else like working for the racetrack itself.

[alexbrown4]

many people on the backside manage to have two jobs. if you can do that (i.e. exercise rider and gate crew or valet) you can make probably $1k a week. that's not too bad for this type of work. cheers, alex

[Flash44]

I did all of the above for a while, had great fun but not much money in the bank. Now I am married to someone who does all of the above. I work for an insurance company, have a few riding horses in the backyard and own 2 race horses (one of which got injured and will retire to the back yard). I still dont' have much money in the bank, but my real job has real benefits, and that makes up for the meager cash flow. I have enough cash to ride and show on a regular basis. And I don't miss the track in the winter, that's for sure!

[Equilibrium]

many people on the backside manage to have two jobs. if you can do that (i.e. exercise rider and gate crew or valet) you can make probably $1k a week. that's not too bad for this type of work. cheers, alex


I have to say when I was galloping I had a variety of second jobs. I worked for 2 well known showjumper riders, worked for a dressage rider, had a job at a tennis club, was a secretary for various trainers, and sometimes broke babies and rode babies for people too. It just all depended where I was at the time. So as an exercise rider you do have plenty of chances to have more than enough money.

And as Smile has said, always surround yourself with the best horses possible. I was on the phone to a stud farm yesterday negotiating a deal on my mare as we had to switch stallions. He was listing all the reasons why he couldn't give me a better deal. I said look, I don't care who you have to call, but how many stallion owners do you have in the country that rode some of the stallions that are making you very good money. I have never asked you for more than the regular deals and always pay on time. So a few mins later, got a call back and my deal was done.

Getting started over here was extemely difficult as it's a very closed community and a lot of begrudgers. But the hard work is paying off and for my hard work, I reap the benefits instead of someone else. We have a lovely new farm to go to and very good clients. I don't mind the hard work one bit. The diffrences before I came to Ireland are because instead of spending my money on myself, I spend on the business and the horses. So really I'm just not visiting the Lancome counter as many times as I used to and eating out like all the time. The big Horseware warehouse is a terrible place for me to go nowadays!!

Good Luck and really you can make a bit of money doing a variety of things in the afternoon.

Terri