Race Horse Trainer Career Profile
- Career Name - Race Horse Trainer
- Category - Animal Care / Business / Farming & Livestock Management
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic School Subjects - Biology, Business Studies, Language
- Minimum Required Education - College Diploma
- Species Worked With - Horses (Farm Animals)
- Kind of Interaction with Animals - Direct
Do you want to work as a race horse trainer?
READ: This page helps you to read about the career and the info you need to decide on whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for your career, then join the OZT Community! Members have access to tools while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTOR
UPDATED:
24 June 2023
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What is a race horse trainer?
A Race Horse Trainer is a person who is responsible for the care and training of horses to enable them to compete in various kind of races
The race horses include the following:
- Thoroughbred horses
- Standard Bred Race Horses
- American Quarter Horses
- Steeplechase of Jump Race Horses
- Harness Race Horses
Career Categories
The Race Horse Trainer Provider career can be found within the following OZT career categories:
- Animal Care
- Business
- Farming & Livestock Management
Like Lightning?
The fastest race horse was Winning Brew at 77.6 km/h (43.97 mph)
Average Weight?
The average thoroughbred racehorse weighs around 450 kg or 1,000 lbs
What does a Race Horse Trainer do?
Groups of animals a Race Horse Trainer works with
What is the level of Interaction with the Animals?
- Directly - A person works directly with the animals with some form of physical contact at least once every few days
- Indirectly - The career doesn't require direct or physical contact at all.
What does a Race Horse Trainer focus on?
Race horse trainers focus on training horses so that they can be physically in shape to take part in specific kinds of races (speed, endurance and obstacle).
With who does a Race Horse Trainer work?
Besides working with all of the animals, Race Horse Trainers will need to interact with other people while doing their daily tasks. The people might include fellow staff members or the public.
Fellow staff might include:
- Supervisors/Managers
- Operational staff, such as Human Resources, Finance and Maintenance
Sales Staff - Jockeys
What are the daily tasks of a Race Horse Trainer?
- plan effective workout sessions
- train the horse physical endurance and speed
- monitor the horses to ensure best performance
- ensure the safety of the horses while training
- create favorable habitats that will help with training
- communicate with race horse owners
- operate the business, if created
Work conditions of a Race Horse Trainer
Where does a Race Horse Trainer work?
Environment –
Race horse trainers mainly work outdoors, and in most cases within a training area and on track.
Places of Employment –
They are employed by stables (private horse owners) full time, but they may also decide to start their own training businesses.
What is the average annual salary of a Race Horse Trainer?
The average yearly salary of race horse trainers:
- Australia: $53,000
- Canada: $39,000
- Europe: €25,000
- New Zealand: $40,000
- South Africa: R200,000
- United Kingdom: £15,000
- United States: $30,000.
The top trainers may also receive shares or a bonus of the race winnings, or own a percentage share of the horses.
Can a Race Horse Trainer be promoted?
Advancement in the field typically depends on work experience and place of employment. First year trainers often begin on a part-time basis, or work under a mentor trainer. Promotion to senior levels can occur and the levels of each promotion might differ from organization to organization, but generally are the following:
Intern > Junior Trainer > Senior Trainer > Supervisor/Manager
What kind of difficulties can a Race Horse Trainer face?
Race horse training careers often experience difficulties associated with aggressive or frightened animals that may bite, kick or scratch, causing injuries. You may also be required to work irregular hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays. Trainers usually travel with the race horses to the different events, which could be across country, or even abroad.
Future growth and Possibilities
The prospects of future growth in this industry is slow with tough competition among the top trainers.
Which Skills are required by a Race Horse Trainer?
The skills required for a career as a race horse trainer can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills
- Basic animal handling and care techniques
- Basic instructing & racing techniques
- Basic customer service skills
- Good health and physical fitness
- Basic computer literacy
Which Subjects must I have at School to help prepare for this career?
If you do want to study further, then biology will be compulsory to gain admission into most Colleges and Universities.
Business Studies is a good subject choice if you do think of opening up your own training business.
Language will be compulsory for further studies, as well as a way to learn more about effective communications with horse owners, breeders, veterinary staff and even suppliers.
These subjects are the ones recognized around the world. The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
What will I need to Study to become a Race Horse Trainer?
Minimum Requirements
The minimum requirements for training careers is a High School Certificate, but the best have furthered their studies with a College Diploma, or excellent Short Courses. The larger racing stables will require a diploma or higher.
Study Focus
A diploma with a focus in Equine studies, animal behaviour, animal physiology, or a closely related area is preferred.
Study Duration
The duration of most good diplomas is between 3 and 4 years full time. The duration of short courses differ, but can range from a few days to a few months.
Possible Career Preparation Paths
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to be.
Possible Paths:
Possible Combined Career Paths
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternative(s):
Training and apprenticeship
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal caregiver careers, most of the skills you will need will be acquired through on-the-job training. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.
In some cases entry level positions (or junior positions) require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.
Apprenticeship is also possible where you need to learn skills from a more senior person or expert. The more hands on careers, such as animal trainers might require apprenticeship.
Race horse training has a long history of inter and mentorship. Join the Race Horse Trainers Group in the OZT Group to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average level of education of those that enter the career
Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations
Certain animal care careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Race Horse Trainers are specialized careers, and the trainers must be licensed by a country’s racing commission and even specific race tracks. In some countries intern trainers are only allowed to train on their own after a few years and successfully completing training exams.
Learn more about requirements by joining the OZT Community.
Professional Associations
Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards animal care and training.
Do you want to Contribute?
Do you have information that you would like to contribute to this career?
Join the OZT community and chat Group
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a race horse trainer.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledge
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
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