Stable Staff
British Racing School
Thomas H
00:00:02 My name is Thomas H and my job title is Stable Staff. What happens is, in my yard, that we have three horses which we look after, and we muck them out in the morning, when we first get there, which is about quarter past six. And then we ride out ten past seven, first lot. We come back in and have breakfast, and ride out second lot at ten past nine. And then we come back in and we there’s – we’ll have a third lot up for us, so we’ll ride that out, and we come back in, and we then feed all the horses. And then the evenings is four till six, and that’s basically – the three horses that you muck out in the morning, you come back and you skip them out in the evening, and brush them over and make sure that they’re clean. And then we let them down, and the boss might look round to see like the condition of the horses, and that they’re all OK. And then we – we then feed for the night then, and then we leave them for the rest of the night.
00:01:45 I did all right at school and I got 10 GCSEs, which was quite good, and there – I always liked – what happened was my Granddad got me into horse racing. He’d started me in an Equestrian business and then it went from there really, I really enjoy it and then I got a weekend job at a small Point to Point yard. And I decided to go to the Racing School. And from that I would go to a yard, and if it didn’t work, out go back to college with me GCSEs that I’d got from the school. I had to go to the Racing School for the nine weeks foundation course and I did well on that course, and the Director called me in for a meeting and says, like, we have to do a dream sheet, like where you’d like to go and so forth – and he called me in and he said that you’d be all right in -picked a yard for me in Newmarket. And which – I went to that yard and things have took off from there.
00:02:03 I fell off in I think it was about my fourth day there, which is a bit of a low point ’cause I felt a bit silly really, and I suppose that was a bit of a low point. And also like the other week my horse didn’t do well in a race, and it came back lame with a broken cannon bone, so that was pretty low. That was the bad point. You just have to pick yourself up and hopefully get back on the horse, or hope he comes back stronger for next year. That’s what I’m trying to do now, yeah.
00:02:33 It is a really enjoyable job and the rewards are better than the low points, so it’s definitely – it’s definitely a really good job and everyone in – everyone is great around the business, so it’s a really good job to have, I really enjoy it. I would say my job is quite hard work in the fact that we get up quite early, and like this morning the weather was not very nice and we had to ride out three lots, and so in that respect it’s quite hard, but it’s rewarding at the same time. When we go racing – the three horses that we look after, we take them to the races, and if they win a big race it’s really rewarding for you, it’s like a massive boost. Like when they do win, yeah. One of my horses won at Royal Ascot this year, which was an amazing feat, absolutely brilliant.
00:03:21 In the future I’d like to hopefully get my apprenticeship out for Michael Bell, and hopefully become a professional jockey from that. I would have done everything the same way, I would have – I don’t think there’s anything I could have done differently to what I’m doing now just – hopefully just keep on getting better from now. In the next few years I’d like to carry on what I’m doing, enjoying the job and hopefully improve and keep on progressing at the way that I am.
00:03:48 ENDS
Thomas H works in a stable for racehorses. He feeds, grooms and rides three horses. He loves his job and hopes to become a professional jockey someday. His grandad started him off in the business after he left school. He enjoyed the work so he did a course at the British Racing School and they found him a job in a yard in Newmarket. You have to like getting up early for this type of work because it starts just after six in the morning. There are low points like injuries to a horse or rider, but the high points make it all worthwhile. “One of my horses won at Royal Ascot this year, which was an amazing feat, absolutely brilliant.”
More information about Animal care services occupations n.e.c.
The UK average salary is £29,813
There are 37.5 hours in the average working week
The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male
Future employment
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