Looking for Barn Work in my area! PA

[KSheerer2019]

Hi all!

I am currently looking for barn work around the Washington PA area.

I have over a decade of experience, combined, with barn work. I do have references as well if you need them.

A little about my horsie background:
I fell in love with horses when I was four and had my first ever pony ride. The horse’s name was Caramel and you got a caramel when you were done with your ride and after giving him a treat to thank him for the ride. Almost like an exchange of thank yous lol
My family could not afford riding lessons and I wanted them so badly, so when I was 13 I started to flip through the phone book at the barns in the area. (I am 32 lol and I know we no longer use phone books ). Only one called me back and I began working with her and her horses in exchange for riding lessons. I worked with her and her horses, falling in love and developing a strong bond with one of her horses which still is on going to this day, up until I needed to focus on college and working.

I went to the University of Findlay for one year, could not afford to go back sadly. I learned a lot there! Two years later I graduated college and eventually found a barn job where I fed, mucked stalls, and turnout/turnin for a couple of months before having to take another job and ending up with a full time job that required more time. This actually helped me get back in touch with my original trainer and I began to work with her and her horses again and also taking care of them when she would go away on vacation.

It has actually only been within the most recent 2.5 years that I was forced out of the ability to work with horses. This was because she had to move her horses to a barn that had specific rules for safety reasons, and I moved over an hour away and worked full time, unable to put a focus on horses.

I no longer have a full time job and am instead self employed with my fragrance business. This allows me to have a bit more time on my hands that I would love to fill some of it with horses again.

What am I looking for:

• A place that I can at the very least muck out stalls! I do not mind if this is all I do lol
• I would love a place that I could come by two to three times a week. One of those days could even be a Saturday on occasion as well! (Sundays are my church days and I serve there so I need to keep those days open)
• I am looking for $11 an hour OR $20 per stall. I do not stretch my time. I am actually known to be told to take a break as I will typically work through my breaks so things get done. I have a habit of making sure the horses are taken care of first and am learning to grasp the concept of ‘put your mask on first before your friends mask’ lol (Look I am getting there but old habits ya’ll!)

What do I know:

• My trainer taught me how to do a stall WELL and I can be pretty OCD about it. Has to have the right amount of bedding, has to have the wet areas taken out as completely as possible, I will pretty much sift through every single corner and I will find the individual horses habit spots so the old bedding can go there and the new bedding can go in the opposite areas.
• I clean out all water buckets when necessary and during stall cleaning (If this does not need done, please tell me in advance! This is a habit I have built up over time!)
• Happy to fill and put up hay nets while working on stalls if needed!
• Capable of setting up feed for morning/evening feeders if needed so it is already done!
• Capable of feeding when/if necessary (May not be able to do this all the time, but happy to offer the assistance when/if needed!)
• Happy to help watch your horses when you go away, if needed! (I no longer stay on property, but happy to assist! If you have a house sitter who does not have horse knowledge, I am happy to help!)

If you have any questions, please ask me! I am happy to answer! I may have easily missed something lol but if you need references just let me know and I will compile them together and send em your way!

[Jump314]

@KSheerer2019

Hi all!

I am currently looking for barn work around the Washington PA area.

I have over a decade of experience, combined, with barn work. I do have references as well if you need them.

A little about my horsie background:
I fell in love with horses when I was four and had my first ever pony ride. The horse’s name was Caramel and you got a caramel when you were done with your ride and after giving him a treat to thank him for the ride. Almost like an exchange of thank yous lol
My family could not afford riding lessons and I wanted them so badly, so when I was 13 I started to flip through the phone book at the barns in the area. (I am 32 lol and I know we no longer use phone books ). Only one called me back and I began working with her and her horses in exchange for riding lessons. I worked with her and her horses, falling in love and developing a strong bond with one of her horses which still is on going to this day, up until I needed to focus on college and working.

I went to the University of Findlay for one year, could not afford to go back sadly. I learned a lot there! Two years later I graduated college and eventually found a barn job where I fed, mucked stalls, and turnout/turnin for a couple of months before having to take another job and ending up with a full time job that required more time. This actually helped me get back in touch with my original trainer and I began to work with her and her horses again and also taking care of them when she would go away on vacation.

It has actually only been within the most recent 2.5 years that I was forced out of the ability to work with horses. This was because she had to move her horses to a barn that had specific rules for safety reasons, and I moved over an hour away and worked full time, unable to put a focus on horses.

I no longer have a full time job and am instead self employed with my fragrance business. This allows me to have a bit more time on my hands that I would love to fill some of it with horses again.

What am I looking for:

• A place that I can at the very least muck out stalls! I do not mind if this is all I do lol
• I would love a place that I could come by two to three times a week. One of those days could even be a Saturday on occasion as well! (Sundays are my church days and I serve there so I need to keep those days open)
• I am looking for $11 an hour OR $20 per stall. I do not stretch my time. I am actually known to be told to take a break as I will typically work through my breaks so things get done. I have a habit of making sure the horses are taken care of first and am learning to grasp the concept of ‘put your mask on first before your friends mask’ lol (Look I am getting there but old habits ya’ll!)

What do I know:

• My trainer taught me how to do a stall WELL and I can be pretty OCD about it. Has to have the right amount of bedding, has to have the wet areas taken out as completely as possible, I will pretty much sift through every single corner and I will find the individual horses habit spots so the old bedding can go there and the new bedding can go in the opposite areas.
• I clean out all water buckets when necessary and during stall cleaning (If this does not need done, please tell me in advance! This is a habit I have built up over time!)
• Happy to fill and put up hay nets while working on stalls if needed!
• Capable of setting up feed for morning/evening feeders if needed so it is already done!
• Capable of feeding when/if necessary (May not be able to do this all the time, but happy to offer the assistance when/if needed!)
• Happy to help watch your horses when you go away, if needed! (I no longer stay on property, but happy to assist! If you have a house sitter who does not have horse knowledge, I am happy to help!)

If you have any questions, please ask me! I am happy to answer! I may have easily missed something lol but if you need references just let me know and I will compile them together and send em your way!

No one is going to pay you $20 per stall. Based on your proposed rates, if you take about two hours to clean one stall, you are too slow to finish a whole barn before the horses come back inside.

[KSheerer2019]

You could have asked me probing questions instead here.

$20 per stall, dependent on size of barn and what is needed and how long. I was asked multiple times to do 2 stalls for a small barn owner where my horse used to be boarded. She was only gone for a day, needed my assistance. She paid me $50. For two stalls. I didn’t ask to be paid nor did I ask for that rate, but that is what she paid. I won’t ask hourly for a short job. It takes me 30 minutes to an hour to do one stall DEPENDING on how bad the stall is. Does it need a quick clean? Or does it need stripped? That sort of thing. So if it takes me 30 minutes to do one stall and another 30 for the other stall, that is an hour total and I am only getting paid for an hour. So yes, I am going to ask for $20 per stall because I put effort and extreme attention into doing them. I don’t half-A$$ my work.

$11 an hour, this would be negotiable upon request and based on many factors, but I would really prefer someone ask.

I presented a lot of information about what I have experience with and the attention to detail I provide. That would also be known as soon as someone talked to my references. Especially the one reference who taught me all I know, worked in showing her whole life, and whom I have worked with off and on since I was 14.

If I was looking for someone to take care of my horses, which I will be doing some day at some point in my life because we all need a break, I would not be immediately turned off by their rates they posted. I would look at their experience, I would want to speak to their references to see if they were indeed speaking correctly about their experience, and then I would discuss with them about their rates asking if they would be willing to negotiate and why.

I have worked for a barn that had two barns. They paid an hourly rate of $10 up to a certain time frame of hours, which to be honest with you I wouldn’t take advantage of the hourly rate and say ‘oh it took me 10 hours to get 5 stalls done, pay up!’ no… if it takes me an outrageously long time to do a basic task I have been doing for decades, then there is something insanely wrong.

I am not new at this.

If someone is not willing to give me the time to have a genuine, kind, conversation with me to dig deeper and come to an agreement, then I don’t want to work for them either. It doesn’t take much to be kind and have a conversation with someone instead of flatly say ‘No one is going to do that.’

Thank you for your time. I hope you have a great fourth of July if you celebrate it. <3

[FjordBCRF]

@KSheerer2019

It takes me 30 minutes to an hour to do one stall DEPENDING on how bad the stall is. Does it need a quick clean? Or does it need stripped? That sort of thing. So if it takes me 30 minutes to do one stall and another 30 for the other stall, that is an hour total and I am only getting paid for an hour. So yes, I am going to ask for $20 per stall because I put effort and extreme attention into doing them. I don’t half-A$$ my work.

$11 an hour, this would be negotiable upon request and based on many factors, but I would really prefer someone ask.

Just clarifying here…30 - 60 minutes PER stall?? If it takes you an hour to do a stall but your hourly rate charge is $11…you don’t charge $20/stall not that anyone is going to pay that for regular staff. Someone throwing a $50 at you as a one off thing here or there is completely different than a regular employee.

What if you have to clean 10 stalls? That shouldn’t take anyone 5 hours at a minimum to do even if you are stripping ones that have been let go for a couple days unless you’re doing it with your bare hands! Going rate per stall for cleaning in my area is $4 per if you’re lucky.

Why not shoot for at least minimum wage plus a little based on your experience? $15 -$18 an hour is about the best you find per hour in my area (northeast Ohio ).

[KSheerer2019]

I was very clear by what I meant between the two pay options.

$11 an hour if I am a regular part timer FOR a large barn and it is negotiable.

If its a SMALL barn and I am handling only 2 to 4 stalls i am NOT asking for an hourly rate but instead a base rate.

I have even checked this WITH other barn owners and being told I am not unreasonable with that if I am driving to do a minimal amount of stalls not as daily work.

Its a different rate dependent on whats happening.

Thank you for your time but I really dont know how else to explain it if everyone is just going to misunderstand what I am saying from the jump even after I explained it again more in depth.

I put myself out there… i tried… but this was a mistake.

[SusanO]

@FjordBCRF

30 - 60 minutes PER stall??

Well sometimes it takes me that long too. But I am retired and I clean stalls for fun these days. And down to 2 horses so I am not spending quite that long. In the heat of the summer I am not killing myself. I would be an expensive employee. Hahaha.

[MunchingonHay]

@KSheerer2019

if it takes me an outrageously long time to do a basic task I have been doing for decades, then there is something insanely wrong.

Then something is insanely wrong.
A stall should take less than 15 mins and I am being generous. (includes rebedding and water buckets)

on a serious note, if you just want to go to a barn and clean stalls and get some dirt under your nails, … I would see if there is a local therapeutic riding group and volunteer your time and add up the hours at the end of the year as a donation/tax write off.

Horses with Hope, Horse N Soul Riding academy and In-Stride with Therapeutic Riding come up in a quick google search for your area around Washington PA.

[furlong47]

If you’re looking for that level of pay you may do better offering farm-sitting type services which tend to come at more of a premium. Nobody is going to pay you $20/stall on a regular basis, but they might for a few days while they’re away. I’ve seen $3-5 per stall as a more typical rate for ongoing piecemeal work. And very few people are going to hire someone who takes 30+ minutes to clean a single stall, no matter how fastidious you may be. My current barn would take you 9-10 hours just on stalls which is nuts. I can turn in, feed, turn out, do all the stalls, inside and outside waters, sweep and set up the next feeding, both AM and PM, in 6 hours max.

People are not roasting you just to roast you… your expectations are unreasonable.