Horse Groom

If you're working with horses, you may be able to take qualifications, like those offered by The British Horse Society (BHS) and The Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS). These include:

• Entry Level Award in Assisting with Basic Care of Horses
• Level 2 Certificate and Diploma in Horse Care
• BHS Stage 1 and 2 in Horse Knowledge Care and Riding
• ABRS Riding and Horse Care Certificate

The National Horseracing College at Doncaster offers a stable staff foundation course for beginners. The course is 18 weeks long and includes 6 weeks of work experience and will prepare you for entry into the racing industry. If you complete the course, you can be considered for a racing apprenticeship.

If you're over 21, enjoy riding horses and would like to find out more about what it's like to work in the racing industry, The British Racing School offers a Transition to Racing course.

If you're interested in working in the horse breeding industry, for example as a stud groom, you can start training at The National Stud in Newmarket.

You'll need:

• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to use your initiative
• to be flexible and open to change
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• customer service skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• giving horses food and water
• replacing bedding
• cleaning equipment like saddles and bridles
• cleaning, brushing and clipping horses' coats
• mucking out stables
• monitoring the condition of horses and reporting problems
• treating minor wounds, changing dressings and giving some medications
• following instructions from vets when treatment is needed

You could work at a riding stable.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Volunteering or temporary work in a stable shows employers that you're keen to work with horses and learn more about the industry. You can also make contacts that may be useful when you start to look for paid work.

Further information

You can find out more about training and working in the horse racing industry from Careers in Racing and the British Grooms Association.