Try to find good bosses that you can work with long term. This is easier than having new bosses and new horses to get used to each week.
Try to find nice, kind people to work for. Some folks pay really high money, but they aren’t necessarily nice people and maybe they have to pay high wages to attract anyone. Working for a high salary doesn’t always mean happiness. I prefer to work for kind people and make less money but remain sane. No amount of money will ever be enough to work for some riders who are rude, bad-tempered, arrogant, cruel or mean. I’ve been there before and I don’t like it. I’ve never done this job for the money; I do it because I love it. So the people you work with count more than anything in the end. You will find your type of people and who you fit in well with.
Don’t Forget About Yourself
If you are traveling a lot doing freelance, take a day or two between jobs to rest up and relax. Traveling can be very stressful in itself, never mind if you are working. So a few quiet days doing something else can freshen your mind and body.
Learning the Language
If you can learn a few words in a few different languages, that will also help your overall experience. If I’m traveling to a foreign country, I put a few phrases into google translate and learn them, such as, “I need food for my horse”; “Where is the taxi?”; “I need a hotel.” A few phrases already downloaded can help in a sticky situation.
But wait there’s more!
Alison McIvor continues her advice on how to make the most of this great life with horses exclusively here on HorseGrooms Community. From making friends to building a greater network, she imparts her decades of experience in the industry in this fifth installment of the HorseGrooms’ Guide to Freelancing. Set up a free profile in the HorseGrooms Community, and you’ll gain exclusive access to special resources, opportunities, courses and more. Sign up and view the article exclusively on Community.
Feature photo courtesy of KIND Media LLC.
I’m absolutely delighted to be contributing to HorseGrooms and be part of their team.
I’ve been grooming horses up to the five-star and Olympic level for over 40 years, so I guess I’m a veteran with lots of experience taking care of countless horses worldwide. In 2013, I started Show Grooms International Ltd. as a specialist equine recruitment company with the goals of pairing top stables with the best grooms and filling any other ancillary positions. Since, it has amassed a collection of distinguished clients and incredible job opportunities across the world.
When I started grooming at age 14, I read old stable management books full of know-how from the 19th century! Whilst technology has changed vastly in 200 years, horses haven’t–and really their basic needs are the same.
HorseGrooms gives everyone, including me, a chance to learn, share and inspire with diverse topics. I’m definitely looking forward to being part of a new age platform sharing ancient and modern ideas.
