Non Equine Majors Useful for Careers in the Equine Industry

[CvilleRider]

Hello!
I am new to the forum so bare with me. I have searched past threads but cannot find quite what I am looking for in terms of my situation.

I am a college freshman and am currently a Nursing major but am looking to change majors. I have ridden and shown all of my life and would really like to pursue a career in the horse industry. Although the idea of owning and operating my own jumper barn sounds appealing, I realize that in 20 years it may no longer be as fun as it once was. I also realize that it is a career that is hard to make a decent living at. So, I would like to pursue an office job that would still allow me to be in the industry, but will provide a more steady income. Working for a large show circuit, Equine Affaire, Smart Pak, or something similar really sounds appealing to me. Right now I am thinking a business-related major, that way I would be able to either pursue a career as an instructor and/or barn owner (I am hoping to be able to get some hands on experience through working student positions during summers) and/or an office job. I am looking into Accounting, Marketing or Business management. These majors would also allow for a non-equine related back up plan, which is a good security to have!

My question is, which of these majors do you think would give me the best chance of finding a decent career that would still allow me to be in the industry? Do you all have any other suggestions for majors or career options/ideas?
Thanks!

[cutter99]

Animal science- as a major or a minor, agribusiness, business, marketing, communications.

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

I have an advertising degree, and also took a lot of psychology classes. Both of those fields blend well with horses and their people. It never hurts to know how to communicate well, and opens a lot of job opportunitites.

I have a friend who chose anesthesiology because of the flexible scheduling options. And the money allows her to get to some nice shows and maintain a nice, small string of horses.

[Lady_Eboshi]

BUSINESS degree, 10,000 times!

If you can’t crack the numbers, doesn’t matter HOW much you know about 'osses!

[arapaloosa_lady]

You can make pretty much any major “horsey.” And the vast majority of graduates work in a field completely unrelated to their major. Focus on getting good experience (summer jobs, internships, etc.) & building relationships with people who can act as professional references for you.

Computer science? Design websites for horse companies
English? Write articles for companies like COTH or start your own successful blog
History? Well, (practically) no one gets a job in history anyway!

[DancingArabian]

Business degrees take you into a lot of corporate stuff that isn’t useful. Accounting is more useful and will allow you to better run your business and save money by giving you a good skillset to do your own taxes. You could also offer accounting services to other barns.

[ddashaq]

My husband has a Hotel and Restaurant Management degree and works for a horse association, so I would agree with any type of business. He transitioned from private clubs to a membership association and they are remarkably similar.

[gottagrey]

I would do accounting/business and marketing - and careers in equine industry doesn’t have to be just trainers. Look at equine nutrition or pharmaceuticals, then there’s the riding apparel/design or tack/equipment, equine massage,

[FitToBeTied]

Any major that can provide a real living so that you can have horses as a hobby.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;8006207]
BUSINESS degree, 10,000 times!

If you can’t crack the numbers, doesn’t matter HOW much you know about 'osses! ;)[/QUOTE]

yes to this… and some schools (Un of Louisville) have business degrees in Equine Management… and Churchill Downs is only a few blocks away , so if you become an exercise rider with a track card, well everything then falls into place

[DaniW]

Lots of nurses own horses. Its likely to make you more money than a business degree and you can always take management courses after college or as a minor if you are sure you want to get into managing.

[IronwoodFarm]

It sounds like the OP may want to change majors for reasons other than a horse career. But DaniW is right – lots of nurses own horses. A business degree is fine too. Just don’t get your hopes up about having a career running a barn or even in a horse related venture. Horse related work is notorious for being poorly paid. Yes there are exceptions, but don’t count on your being one of the very few. Get a job that is interesting to you and that pays well enough to support your horse interests.

[pluvinel]

Nursing allows you flex schedules and time for horses…I heard someone say that horses cease to be fun when they become “work.”

[Flash44]

[QUOTE=IronwoodFarm;8007684]
It sounds like the OP may want to change majors for reasons other than a horse career. But DaniW is right – lots of nurses own horses. A business degree is fine too. Just don’t get your hopes up about having a career running a barn or even in a horse related venture. Horse related work is notorious for being poorly paid. Yes there are exceptions, but don’t count on your being one of the very few. Get a job that is interesting to you and that pays well enough to support your horse interests.[/QUOTE]

Ditto! And the horse industry is really not growing, so if you major in something specific to horses, you might run into trouble down the road a few decades. A major (like business fields - marketing, accounting) can be applied to the horse industry as well as well as many others.

[Burbank]

business and psychology, horse people are nuts and you are wanting to make money and be able to retire

[LookmaNohands]

Physical therapy?

[jcraig10]

I graduated with an accounting degree. All businesses have an accounting department, you can pretty much work for anyone. I just so happened to fall into the accounting department at a hospital because it is 3 miles from my house, but if I wanted to find something horse related, I’m sure I could.

Good luck Choosing a major is tough stuff.

[CvilleRider]

Thank you everyone for the advice thus far. At this point I think I am leaning away from business management and marketing. I tend to be a planner and those 2 majors scare me because they are so broad that I could potentially get out of college and still not really know what to do. Don’t get me wrong, I know thousands of people have very successful careers with those careers, I am just a bit apprehensive. Accounting is something I am looking into. I also have recently come across the IT Management major where I would be able to specialize in business analysis. Although I do not think of myself as a “tech geek”, it seems to be less computer focused and more business focused than I would have expected. I am thinking it might be a bit of a more marketable degree, and is certainly still something that every equine or non-equine company is going to need! Does anyone have any experience in this major or career route?

To those who are saying that nursing is a good route, I certainly do not disagree with you. Reasons such as flexibility and decent pays are why I originally chose nursing. However, I have come to realize that nursing really isn’t a field to pursue unless your heart is totally in it, and I can already tell at this point that mine’s not. My lack of enthusiasm or commitment to nursing would not only affect me, but the patients, because they are having some of the worst days of their lives and deserve someone who really wants to be there and help them. Unfortunately, I just don’t foresee that being me.

[Flash44]

Sounds like you are really thinking logically. Can you research the job market and expected salaries in your area in the fields you are now interested in?

Another idea would be to target an area that is very horse oriented and consider moving there to work for a while, just to do something different. When I finished college, I worked for a race horse trainer and did the NY-KY-FL circuit for a year (following the good weather), and had a blast. I really loved Lexington, would have settled there permanently but my friends and family are on the East Coast, and I also love the beach.

Since you don’t appear to be saddled with kids or a mortgage at this time, it might be fun for you to be out and about while you have the freedom to do so.

[Mukluk]

See if your college has a career center where you could take a career interest inventory. I think such inventories are also online. These inventories can be useful to help you choose a career that is a good fit for your interests/skills. There is no point in pursuing a career that you end up hating. It is best to enjoy your work.