Racehorse Trainer

Typical Salary

£15,000 To £45,000

Typical Hours

45 to 47 a week

early mornings flexibly

How To Become a Racehorse Trainer

You can get into this job through:

an apprenticeship
working towards this role
specialist courses run by professional bodies

College / University

Apprenticeship

You can work towards this role by starting with a senior equine groom advanced apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start at a racing stables as a groom, a rider or instructor. You would then move on to become an assistant trainer before applying for the full trainer's licence.

As an assistant trainer, you could do a 2-day course at the British Racing School or Northern Racing College, which includes:

staff management
handicapping
media training
health and safety
racing welfare
licensing

Other Routes

You could complete the Level 3 Diploma in Work Based Racehorse Care before taking Racehorse Trainer Modules.

You could then apply for a trainer's licence from the British Horseracing Authority.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to work on your own
customer service skills
the ability to work well with others
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
thinking and reasoning skills
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties could include:

working out daily training and exercise routines
planning feeding programmes for each horse
monitoring horses’ development
talking to staff and vets about any problems
supervising stable staff
managing preparations and travel for race days
keeping racehorse owners up to date with their horses’ progress
dealing with administrative work like training records, wages and payments

Working Environment

You could work at a race track, at a riding stable or in an office.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

Career Path & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about about working in horse racing from careersinracing.

Restrictions & Requirements

You must gain a trainer licence issued by the British Horseracing Authority.

To apply for a licence, you'll need to meet several criteria, including:

completing the level 3 diploma in racehorse care and management
having a minimum of 5 years' experience in a racing yard
passing pre-licence training courses with the British Racing School at Newmarket, or the Northern Racing College at Doncaster