Are you an equine professional?

As for me, mine was a horse job, until I had my little one. Now it is a hobby that pays.

I'm basically in the same boat as hudson. I do not consider myself a professional because I need to maintain my Amateur status for showing purposes. But I teach little kids (no pay to me - it goes to the barn/pony owner and I get discounted board, etc) and I have more hands-on experience than most of the "trainers" in the area. I also worked in an equine surgical clinic for a few years and got a lot of experience there. I have been riding for 15 years, I train green horses, show the A circuit, I take care of approx 40 horses and live on the farm. I do show other people's horses, but never for pay . . . gifts work just as well :)

I don't own horses. However, I have worked with them for just over 5 and a half years at the RDA (riding for the disabled). From that, not only have I helped a lot of disabled kids, and seen them achieve amazing things, but I have also learned a lot about horses. So it is a job, albeit a volunteer one that doesn't pay, and it's also a hobby, and I love every minute of it.

On here, I say the truth if I say it at all, that I've been working with horses for 5 and a half years, which is a lot of my life, since I'm not quite 18 yet.

I'm not a professional in that I have lots of official training with horses, and all my job title really is is RDA volunteer, but at the same time I feel I know a lot about horses; grooming, feeding, paddocks, riding, ground work, leading and sidewalking.

I contribute to answers if I feel I can answer it from the knowledge I have, and I may or may not say how I came about that knowledge, I don't make up information just to answer a question, nor do I make up job titles to make my answer seem better. I say what I am, as do the majority of people on here. If some people choose to make up job titles for a measly 10 points, then that's there choice, but I personally, like many others I'm sure, are truthful in everything on here which, surely, is the whole point. People not knowing, and people who do know sharing their knowledge. And if people choose not to do that, well, that's their choice, but a stupid one at that.

I don't classify myself as anything like amateur or professional for two reasons. 1: because I'm not sure what I'd be classified as and 2: because people asking a question may get so many people saying "professional" who may or may not be telling the truth (I'm not calling people liars, just saying that people could say professional to get the best answer), meaning they don't trust that and instead concentrate on the quality of the question rather than what the person thinks about themselves.

I've been both a professional and an amateur. I currently have amateur status because of an injury that has prevented me from riding for a couple years, and am now looking to get back into training for the public. I started riding when I was nine, and 25 years later am still at it. Most of the time I train just my horses, or work on a farm training for someone else, but before my injury a couple years ago I was getting paid to train horses for people. I JUST LOVE IT!!!! There is nothing more rewarding for me than seeing a baby learn the things I want it to know. My favorite is working with foals and training yearlings for longe line. I also start horses under saddle and can start the fundamentals of driving. Behavior modification is something I've been told I'm really good at, but to me it's just "common horse sense"

Gosh no!!! I did work in a yard for more than a year a few years ago but was shoveling ****. I lost tonnnnnns of weight and got very fit but wasn't really learning that much only about how badly the yard was run! My daughter taught me the most the isn't that funny? It's usually the other way around on here. And I am sure she wouldn't agree with what I answer now anyway she has moved on so much in the last few years and lives in another country. I just go on my own small experience when I answer in the hopes it might help a little. Done nothing really just enjoyed riding and messing around horses

Good Q!

It started out as a passion/hobby.

I started teaching kids as a camp counsellor...

Then I bought my first horse - a wonderfull 3 Bars grand daughter on her way to meat cuz the camp season had ended - eye opener there! She turned out to be pregnant so I had two horses.

Thru the years I worked at other peoples' barns as an instructor and a Barn Manager to pay for my horses' upkeep.

I was on the board with a group to find homes for PMU foals and mares.

I volunteer with a local therapeutic riding stable

I have my own barn (hooray!!) and have rescued many horses from back yards and slaughter auctions.

I teach children both how to ride AND how to be responsible horse owners.

The money my horses earn goes into their care and the next rescue horse that needs help - I too have a "real" job to support my household and 4 kids of my own!

Sooo - yes I get paid as a professional.

I guess I'm in the same category as you. I am a former professional and I worked at a warmblood breeding farm training all their 2 and 3 year olds. Now I've got an indoor job, but still teach lessons to my son, am breaking/training a 3 year old, and help out at pony club. I've ridden for 34 years, owned a horse for 29 years (not the same one).

Ha! Good question! Anyone can claim to be a "professional" these days. Hang out a shingle and you can call yourself a professional trainer! I am not, nor do I want to be a "professional" anything. I have owned my own horses for 16 years and rode when ever I could before that. I subscribe to numerous horse magazines, belong to a few groups on the web, belong to more than one horse related club, have many horsey friends, and spend time here.... all in an effort to expand and/or share my knowlege of my favorite subject...horses.

My horses are my hobby, job and life.

I started my career with horses when I was 5yrs old. started out as riding till I was 9 then I became a warm up jockey for my uncles harness and ground racing horses, I did this job up until l was 12 and then I started working at a different barn to learn jumping and dressage. jumping was a breeze to learn for me but dressage was just something I couldnt get into ( to those of you who can do it your my hero!) Then I started giving lessons when I was 15 to some youngsters and the owner of the barn then started training me on how to train and ride horses. I then have gotten a bach degree in Equine Barn Management and still ride and train horses and humans. My horses pay for themseleves and can be expensive at some times but when horses are you everyday life the expenses dont matter just like when I have kids the expenses wont matter because I will love them so much and they will be all I think of. So really it doesnt matter what you have to show in horses to make yourself sound like a professional and all that stuff I think degrees and papers dont prove or show anything. they are something that just is a joke to me but I wanted to go to college so thats why I have a bach degree. I just say love your horses do what you do and leave that up to whoever is judging you. because really God is the only one who can judge what you truley are!!

I worked since I was a young teen getting paid for training horses. I have a degree in equine science and managed a very expensive barn where I gave lessons and trained as well as managed the place...

Nowadays I have a full time "other" job, but still keep my hand in the professional side, but only minimally, as my full time job is plenty enough, and i like to be able to pick and choose what i want to do.

So i consider myself a professional, and have been for a long, long time...

I am a former elementary school teacher (10yrs) who decided to stay home with my children (3boys) and proceeded with my expensive hobby. Now my oldest boy (17) does the showing on our horse and for the past several years I have been certified by Narha (therapeutic riding instructor) (sp?)and have become very busy teaching beginners on the "well side" of our barn. By definition, I am a professional because I get paid, but I do not label myself as a "trainer", just a very lucky individual that gets to apply two passions into one!