Lorien Stable: Trainer's Notes

[WoodWalker]

Hey Galadriel! You said in one of your other posts that you owned a boarding barn. Well, I know I am only 16, but I have loved horses all my life and was possible looking for a carreer in them. I was wondering if you knew what it took to start/ own/ run a lesson/boarding barn. I would have no idea what I would have to do to be able to do that. Any info you might have would help!
Thanks so much!!

[galadriel]

I leased a boarding barn, actually; I currently have a private farm (which is very nice too).

If you have a good amount of horse experience, a local trainer may be willing to take you on as a working student. A working student typically does all sorts of work around the farm, in exchange for lots of saddle time. Both the farm work AND the saddle time will teach you so very much.

If you develop a good relationship with the manager (who may or may not be the trainer), they may be willing to share with you things like paperwork, how they handle things like purchasing supplies (who, where, paperwork, advertising, tracking purchases, keeping track of when to reorder), things like hiring and managing employees, taxes...there's a tremendous amount to know.

If you want a more formal education, there are in fact colleges where you can study for equine careers. One is "Meredith Manor" (but it's not the only one).

If you get a good amount of experience as a working sudent, your trainer may take you on--or recommend you to a colleague--as an assistant. An assistant manager or assistant trainer gets even more valuable experience (and with pay, which is nice too).

From there, when you feel ready, you can:
* Look into becoming a partner in your current facility
* Possibly take over at your current facility when the current manager/trainer leaves
* Look into taking over another facility who needs equine professionals
* Look into starting your own facility.

By that time you should have a clear idea of the management of a stable--both the actual physical management as well as the behind-the-scenes supportive work--and should be able to reasonably estimate what you would need to do to make it profitable.

Good luck. Working with horses is deeply satisfying and greatly enjoyable...but in many cases, it's really not profitable. (There's a book out called "Lose Less Money Raising Horses"; it's quite apt and always makes me chuckle.) With a lot of experience and a good plan, you have a chance to be more successful than the average.