Looking to get my horse fix

Hello, for years I worked as a groom, road manager, and as a breeding manager. Ive worked with alot of different breeds. As the weight came on I stopped riding and took up driving. But as the years went on didnt even feel good doing that anymore. I havent worked with horses in about 4 years now...! I should be having my surgery by the end of this year. So now Im starting to put my feelers out there to see whats going on in the horse world. If anybody has any news of up coming jobs (willing to relocate by spring) or anybody in NH that would like to chat let me know.

Hi Carolyn! I read your post. Boy...can I relate to you. Have you got your date set yet? Hear anything about a horse job yet? Best of luck...hope to chat soon Susan =0)

Hello, so glad to hear from another horse women. The area you live in sounds lovely. I havent been out to that area but all the people I know that live out there love it. I grew up showing saddlebreds and morgans. After I finished school went to work as a show groom for a large morgan farm. Not making enough money I switched to grooming and managing for hunter/jumper farms. Was a great experience. I was able to work for many well known people and saw alot of the world. However as the weight came on my career in the thin horse world closed up. I then worked for a andalusian breeding farm in MASS. That was great too since she also training them to do tricks...LOL. I finally have my appt with the surgeon Dec. 14th. They say as long as I stay under the 10lbs that the program requires you to loose I should have my surgery date 3 to 4 weeks after I see him. I sure hope so. Its been along road. The program I went leaves it all up to you. If you dont get your act in gear you will never get to see the doctor. I just keep thinking next year at this time I will be able to ride again. Cant wait. My best friend had the surgery in the spring of 2005 and has been riding all this year. Keep in touch. Love to see some pics of your horses. My email is [email protected]. Take care and have a great holiday! Carolyn

I know that pain of not being able to ride or even work with horses. When I was 15 I stopped riding, I just felt I was getting to big to ride. At 280lbs. Well I stuck around in the horse field for a couple more years but other demands came up. So I lost my connection with horses all together. Finally when I was comming up on my 21st b-day I said to hell with no horses in my life and bought my mare. Granted knowing I couldn't ride her or anything, do to I was about 360lbs. But the companionship of a horse is one of lifes treasures.So I had to crash course my then 14yo sister on correct riding and training. Needless to say she nearly has velcro on her butt now, she rides awsome (takes a bow), We has serious arabian show people around here beggin for her to ride for them. Well I am comming up on 24yo...yeah I know Im "old" lmao, but I feel 10 years younger than I did last summer. I am alittle over a year out from surgery and I finally get to say, well I did this in the summer. I finally got to ride my horse, after 2 years of having her. It was a fantastic thrill and wonderful knowing I still could ride just as damn good as I used to, actually better Im smaller than I was when I first started riding. Ok granted I have ridden since June, she came down lame pretty bad on and off for the last 5 months. Which I finally have her out of and is ridable again. She's an ex racehorse spent her 2yo-7yo years on the track. But now my sister (16 now) and me are starting to set up a training base. Its so much fun. Since she rides so correctly and only weighs 130lbs we can even train ponies. Which is hard to do, to find someone who knows ponies, their antics, and attitudes, but also is a good rider and sized right to do the job. We currently are working with my mare, yes granted under normal cir****tances she would have been finished a while ago, but because of all the race in her I wanted her to recoup and get to be a horse more than anything. But we are looking at the show ring this spring. We have 2 Hackney ponies we are working with, one a fresh started, the other is broke but was allowed to get away with everything so she has some nasty habits. And my best friend just bought a gorgeous AQHA Gelding, sadly I found him and would have bought him if I had the money to. But hey thats ok my friend can pay for him and such but we struck the deal of I train him for free my sis gets to show him for free. He's only 2 1/2 yo. A dunalino, yes dunalino. Its dun like markings all in Palomino shades. More foundation bred (thank the lord, I do not like these TBy QHs out there now, granted I own a TB but she looks more QH than most supposed QH's these days. Well at 16.1 1200lbs and "hips" & butt to boot, with a gorgeous head too, that isnt your typical TB. Why do ya think I picked her out of so many, lol. Ok that was a ramble, lol. As for jobs I really am not sure what is available out there right now. I know grooms for Arab and hunterjumper circuit are paid good money. But can't go much farther than that. Well feel free to drop me a line if ya want to chat. Nicole

I know this thread is old, but I couldn't help suggesting the Budweiser Clydesdale farm. If you're willing to relocate, that would be awesome. I have heard their barn is about as good as it gets, and from the photos I've seen it does look amazing. I imagine, since it's a corporation, you'd be paid reasonably well compared to a lot of barns out there. I've heard the race tracks don't pay well, and it's pretty seasonal. A bigger TB breeding barn could be okay, but again, I've heard they don't pay well. I'd have a hard time working for that industry anyway. I love racing because it has to do with horses, but anything much higher than a pleasure horse barn will usually dip into borderline (if not blatent) abuse. I think that's another reason why the Budweiser barn would be good, those horses have a lot of money around them, and not to do anything much more than be horses. You posted that you worked for an andalusian trainer; I would love an andalusian or an andalusian X!