Looking for advice: Horse care professional looking for position

[DAVIS]

Good Afternoon,
I’m looking for some advice if anyone has a moment. I’m planning on moving to Denver within the next month for a position at a real estate company (I’m a recent graduate). And I’m looking for a caretaker position with full care in exchange for residence. My schedule will be completely flexible and I’ll be able to handle both am and pm feedings, barn maintenance, basic medical needs etc.

I’ve been involved with horses for 14 years. I’ve owned three of my own, worked as an equine guide, worked with a hippotherapy company, and I’ve also worked as a caretaker for a professional show barn. I have great references and a great network out east but I’m having a really hard time finding someone who needs this kind of care around Denver.

I’m not sure How to go about finding families or small barns that need this help in exchange for board. Can anyone help point me in the right direction? Thank you so much!! I really really appreciate it!!

[Lace]

I am not from the area so it’s hard for me to give specifics. Here’s where I would look though.

Local Feed/Tack shops
Yardandgroom.com
Facebook Groups
Colorado Horse Park
Local H/J and show circuits

Post ads, spread the good word, be willing to compromise. Make sure you have references ready, be prepared to show them, and surely you’ll find a place!

[Scribbler]

I would expect such positions to be rather rare anywhere.

There could also be regional differences in how people with land and horses arrange their lives. In our metro area, we only have smaller acreages (up to maybe 20 acres). People who own acreage and a few horses would tend to live on the acreage and do their own work, therefore not needing a caretaker. If they need or want to cut down on the workload, they’d do pasture board, something low maintenance.

For the big boarding barns, if there was a house it might go to the barn manager or head trainer, someone who is full time. I very rarely see ads for live-in caretakers.

Are such opportunities common where you are now? Would this be linked to people only living part time on their horse properties, essentially having the horse property as a weekend house? Or to people having truly palatial estates, where they don’t expect to be doing barn chores at all?

Money and lifestyles can vary a lot between the East coast and the west. The concentration of wealth in the New York area and its environs is amazing in comparison to the rest of the USA. Someone who knows Denver can say with more certainty, but my guess is that there might be a more do-it-yourself mentality in the west. On the other hand, there might be some vacaction homes/ranches owned by wealthy out of towners that need an on-site caretaker in the off seasons?

You might want to plan on taking an affordable apartment for your arrival, and you can try to figure out the lay of the land when you arrive.

[DAVIS]

Thanks so much, that’s a great to think about it from that perspective. And it makes perfect sense, I’m from the east coast and I know a lot of people who have 3-6 horses who are looking for care either because of work or they spend a significant amount of time out of town. And that might not be as common out west.

[Manni01]

Maybe you should consider to move to Florida I could get you connected with a great real estate company, and I have a barn with 6 horses and a barn apartment…

But I dont think your schedule will be flexible when you get into real estate…

[Long_Spot]

The Facebook group “Colorado Sporthorses: Eventing, Hunter-Jumper, Dressage” is actually quite active. It’s a closed group, so join the page, and then try a post there.

I actually do see positions like this posted.

[DAVIS]

Beautiful horses, thank you for sharing! And shoot If only.