Equine Studies: Careers to Consider in the Horse Industry

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• Equine Studies Careers to Consider in the Horse
  Industry

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Equine Studies

• Equine studies programs can prepare you for a
  rewarding career in the multi-billion dollar
  horse industry. Diverse and interesting, the
  horse industry offers numerous career paths for
  knowledgeable and skilled workers.
•  
• By enrolling in equine studies while in high
  school, students can jump start their careers.
  They develop the basic skills needed to be
  competitive within the industry.
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• So how should you go about selecting a career
  with horses? Like any other field, you should
  approach the decision analytically. The
  following guidelines will help you narrow your
  choices and gear your equine studies courses to a
  particular field.

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Equine Studies
Your Skills and Interests

• First, you need to think carefully about what
  interests you. Then, evaluate your skills in
  this area, or the skills you expect to gain.
  After evaluating these two areas, you can develop
  a plan for your equine studies. Here are some
  possible career positions based on common
  subjects
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• English and History. If you enjoy these types of
  courses, you should consider horse industry
  careers in journalism, advertising, writing,
  publishing, pedigree researching and more.
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• Math. With skills and interests in math, you can
  direct your career path to accounting, auditing,
  statistics and more.
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• Science. If science floats your boat, you can
  focus your equine studies on horse industry
  careers as a chemist, geneticist, nutritionist,
  lab researcher or veterinarian.
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• Art. If creative fields interest you, you may
  want to hone in on photography, illustration,
  painting, graphic design, videography and other
  fields requiring artistic skills.

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Equine Studies
Understanding a Career with Horses

• Careers in the horse industry fall into two
  categories direct and indirect contact. In a
  direct contact field, you are hands-on with
  horses. Your equine studies will offer good
  overviews of what is required to succeed in these
  careers. Here are a few examples
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• Veterinarian, veterinarian technician, equine
  dentist, equine chiropractor, equine therapist,
  farrier
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• Horse trainer, instructor, handler, groomer,
  breeder, stable manager, boarding manager
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• Trail guides, outfitters, dude ranch owners,
  jockeys
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• Law enforcement with mounted police officers
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Equine Studies

• As you can expect, indirect careers dont involve
  hands-on work with horses. Instead, these
  positions are important to the industry, but in
  more of a support manner. Again, you can gear
  your equine studies coursework to these
  opportunities. Some examples include
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• Business services such as accounting, legal, farm
  management, equine products management at a
  manufacturer, association executive, etc.
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• Transporting services including horse trucking,
  trailer sales
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• Professional services for feed manufacturers,
  tack suppliers, equipment suppliers, etc.
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• Technology services for all horse-related
  organizations. These include computer
  programming, website development and more.
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• Event management including course and competition
  designers, judges, programming, etc.
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• Recreation services such as park rangers, travel
  organizers
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• Non-profit positions with horse rescues and other
  charities

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Equine Studies
The amount of equine studies youll need will
depend on your chosen field. The options are
wide open. You can always adjust your career
choices as your progress in your coursework.
  Equine studies provide a solid base knowledge
and hands-on experience so youll be exposed to
and prepared to pursue any number of
horse-related careers. The horse industry
offers something for everyone!
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About the Author
Linda Proctor-Downing is Executive Director and
Founder of Arizona Agribusiness and Equine
Center, Inc., (AAEC), a multiple campus,
independent high school district offering a
rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Learn
more about Equine Studies by visiting our website
at http//www.aaechighschools.com.