17 minute read
Careers, Education and
Equestrian careers... WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE?
The British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) is showing its support to the varied and diverse range of jobs within the equestrian sector by pledging to feature passionate professionals in varying roles from over on its social media platforms.
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The BETA Careers Month boasts an impressive schedule of video content and live broadcasts that will be shared across BETA’s social media platforms and podcast during the time. Not only does this provide a brilliant platform for BETA members and other professionals in the equestrian sector, but it also provides people looking for a career in the equestrian industry, colleges and universities, with real life examples of people doing those jobs. “We have an incredibly diverse range of members in BETA, and running this campaign allows us to showcase many of them,” said Claire Williams, Executive Director of BETA. “We’re working with our members and people beyond who have kindly said they’ll help us to provide an engaging and interactive schedule of content including many live broadcasts that will also give those interested the chance to ask any questions they like. “Although we feel that this campaign will be really useful for younger people looking to enter the industry, we also feel it’ll help increase understanding across the sector, and provide those looking to change career at a later point in their life with a fabulous resource.” During BETA’s Careers Month, information will be shared from a wide range of professionals including saddlers, sales representatives, vets, physiotherapists, journalists, a member of the household cavalry, retailers, nutritionists, and many many more. On the first Live in the series, Claire Williams spoke to Emma Dyer, the founder of Equine Careers, to share some tips around getting your dream job. Here are a few suggestions:
• Read any job advertisement
thoroughly. Make sure you understand what the job is, what it entails, and what the company is really looking for.
Just because a job has the same title as another doesn’t mean it’s the same job!
• Put together a good covering letter and tailor it to the company you’re sending it to.
This is where you can highlight why you’re the most suitable person for the job. You can also reference points in the advert you’ve seen through the covering letter. This can really BETA CAREER MONTH IS SET TO PROVIDE INSPIRATION AND EDUCATION FOR THOSE LOOKING TO ENTER THE INDUSTRY, OR JUST LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIVERSE RANGE OF CAREERS WITHIN IT.
help your application to stand out. • See your CV as factual - it should be clear, concise and specific too.
• Get someone to proofread your covering letter and your CV.
You don’t want silly mistakes to compromise your chances of landing the job of your dreams. The full interview is available on BETA’s Facebook Page, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and podcast which can be found on all the normal places you download your favourite from.
For more information about BETA, see www.beta-uk.org, and to like the Facebook Page to ensure you get all the content direct: www.facebook.com/ betaequestrian
Social media expert, award-winning PR adviser and Absolute Horse Magazine columnist, Rhea Freeman, has recently been announced as the winner of Podcast of the Year at the 2021 Digital Women Awards for her Small & Supercharged Podcast.
The Small & Supercharged Podcast is published each week and shares social media, PR and marketing tips aimed at small businesses in the equestrian and rural space, interspersed with interviews from small businesses with stories and experiences to share that are inspiring, informative, and often amusing.
Search for ‘Small & Supercharged’ on any podcast platform you listen through.
EQUESTRIAN ENTREPRENEUR
NORFOLK BUSINESS: LAUNCHES CHARITY CANDLE
Armaros, which has developed an innovative new type of flexible body armour for horse riders, has just secured a £100k investment from British Design Fund.
The company was founded by Esmeralda Tuomi, a former Finnish showjumper who suffered a bad accident while riding. The body protector she was wearing at the time saved her life but like fellow riders, she found existing products to be very rigid and uncomfortable. In some cases, also impacting on balance. After conducting research amongst the equestrian community, she found many riders were put off from wearing body protectors because of this – potentially putting their own lives at risk. Esmeralda explains: “I had always found body protectors to be very uncomfortable, but my accident really hit home to me the importance of wearing one. When I started asking fellow riders about their experiences, I quickly found that most riders don’t wear one because they find them incredibly stiff and restrictive. That was a lightbulb moment for me.” Esmeralda set about finding a solution while on a Global Innovation Design course, backed by the RCA and Imperial College London. She went on to work with a team of engineers to create a new type of material using biomimicry design techniques that take inspiration from nature. The result being the creation of a material technology that is flexible yet incredibly supportive, inspired by the human spine. Esmeralda continued: “What has been really important for us is that the design is accessible, scalable and suitable for mass manufacturing, so the maximum number of people can potentially benefit from it. After many iterations, we have managed to engineer a product that works with existing manufacturing techniques and which also has potential for many other markets. I’m excited to have the backing of British Design Fund and their support in bringing our design to market.”
www.armaros.info A local business, whose cruelty-free candles have been stocked by Redwings’ shops since they launched during the pandemic, has created a special edition to raise funds in memory of foal Phoenix.
Norfolk Aromas was set-up at NHS-worker Andrew Macey’s kitchen table – and he credits Redwings with turning his lockdown hobby into a business. Andrew said: “I wanted to do something to honour Phoenix and his memory and so we came up with this In Loving Memory candle to raise money for Redwings.” Locally-made, ethicallysourced, recyclable and 100% cruelty free, Norfolk Aroma’s candles are popular on the Redwings online shop and at its visitor centres.
www.redwings.org.uk/shop
CAREERS, EDUCATION & TRAINING MY LIFE AS A... WRANGLER
Let’s face it – most horse riders at some point have wanted to work on the ranch. There is something intoxicating about the Western way of riding and incredible skill that is tempting to most of us in the UK – but what does it take to make it as a wrangler on one of America’s most popular ranches?
We caught up with Steph Kuenast who is Head Wrangler at Vista Verde Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Vista Verde is located 25-miles from the nearest traffic light and as such is the ideal post-covid retreat. Nestled within the 1.25 million acres of National Routt forest one of Steph’s daily roles is to oversea the wellbeing and management of the 100-strong herd of working ranch horses. One of the highlights of the ranch calender is the annual cattle round-up. Every October Steph begins the process which sees her (and carefully selected guests) take the horses out to the 16,000 acres where the cattle are hiding and round them up for the winter. Like a gigantic game of hide and seek this week includes early starts, riding over hills, through meadows and over logs in an effort to get them all tucked up for winter. What is your job title at Vista Verde and how long have you had this role? “I am currently the Head Wrangler, but I have been leading rides at Vista Verde for over two years now.” How did you get into this job and have you always loved horses? “I started riding when I was four, and I grew up riding all different types of horses. I always had a place in my heart for horses but never thought I would have the opportunity to have a paying job working with them. “After being immersed in competitive riding during my formative years I discovered the world of dude ranching, and fell in love with ranch riding. “I really love how much horses can teach us, and everyday I learn something new from them. “Working with a herd of onehundred horses gives me the opportunity to observe and work with a variety of personalities and each horse brings their own mix of gifts and challenges. “Being able to communicate with a creature that doesn’t speak the way we do and be able to work together is incredible. And I feel very fortunate to be able to teach that to our guests.” Can you tell us about the cattle round-up week and what it entails? “The cattle round-up week is one of the highlights of the year. After seeing the cow-calf pairs grazing out in the National Forest all year, the time for us to round them up is exciting and high pressure. “We need to teach our guests in a couple days to do the work that cowhands take years to learn. And then we are on a deadline to get those cow-calf pairs in before 1st October, when we need to have them off the forest according to the arrangement with the US Forest Service. “Some days the gathering is easy as the cows are all gathered up and willing. Other days it’s like hide and seek to find them, and we’re happy just to bring in four pairs. “The riding is rugged and independent, so the guests need to have enough confidence to be sent out on their own to one side of a meadow and handle their horse and the cows without a wrangler right next to them coaching them. And they need to trust their horse as we are on trails just some of the time, but more often bushwacking through down trees, down and up ravines, and crossing water. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
We know that a great deal of groundwork takes place before you match the horse to the rider why do you
spend so much time in this preparation? “Every horse has their own personality and style, and so does every guest. My job is to understand what the guest is showing up with as far as skills, expectations, and the complex mix of their personality and then match that to one of our horses who will help guide them through the learning process. “Some guests just want to be a passenger and not have to work, so those guests need to be paired with a horse that will be happy to just follow the leader. “Some guests are interested in learning more and being more of an active rider. With those guests the tricky part is to sort out how much are they willing to be challenged, and how much do they need to succeed? “Horses are teachers, and they give us exactly what we need and are adept at pointing out our blind spots. Some guests are open to receiving this message and some are not. The goal is to pick the horse that gives the guest what they need, knowing that no horse is perfect. “The hardest guest to match is one who wants a horse that works like a car, and our job is to help them see that doesn’t exist and help them embrace the process of learning to work together with their horse and be a leader to their horse. “At the end of the week, we want our guests to be madly in love with their horse, and enjoy the feeling of having connected and formed a partnership with their mount. We have guests who request the same horse year after year, and that is always a good sign that we paired them up well!”
How many hours a day are you in the saddle? “We start round-up anytime between 5-6:30am depending on the day. That involves saddling up one of our round-up horses, going out to the pasture and gathering the herd to run them into the corral. Once they are in the corral we saddle anywhere between 50-60 horses. “Our typical day with the guests involves a morning and afternoon ride, typically about two hours each. Then we unsaddle, run the herd back out, finishing chores, and start scooping the corral. Actual time in the saddle is about 4-5 hours each day. During our round-up weeks it’s more like 6-7 hours.” Any highlights from round-up we can mention? “Round-up was special. We have a group of women who have met up at the ranch for over five years to round-up, and we were able to witness some really powerful moments of them celebrating their friendships, working through challenges during the round-up, working through some really profound personal struggles, and lifting each other up. Also it didn’t hurt that we were having one of the prettiest falls we’ve had in a long time, so the weather and the colourful aspens were just perfect. That sure helps when you’re out on the trail all day to have stunning views!”
www.vistaverde.com
JO FORRESTER:
A WOMAN ON A MISSION!
Jo Forrester was a typical horsey child. Her first love was ponies and together with some skill and bravery Jo developed a successful stint as a young event rider. When the time came to decide where her passions lay for further and higher education, Jo knew there was only one subject she was interested in - horses!
She attended Hartpury College in Gloucestershire to study for a BTEC National Diploma in Equine Management and then headed to the Royal Agricultural University to study for a BSc in Animal Science and Management. At the RAU she naturally focused her studies on horses once more, in biomechanics and the impact of tack on a horse’s way of going. This gave Jo a deeper understanding of how important it is to ensure horses are comfortable and happy when we ask them to be our mounts, whether that’s for hacking or for high-level equestrian sport. More and more research studies reveal that poor bridle fit can impact everything from a horse’s willingness to accept contact and their head position (expected!) to the engagement of their hindlegs (a little more surprising, perhaps). This passion for improving performance whilst ensuring comfort and wellbeing meant that when Jo saw the bridle brand Elevator Equestrian was for sale in 2018, she jumped at the chance to take the reins. Elevator was founded by qualified saddler fitter Lorraine Green following her development of the original comfort bridle, designed to help her sensitive warmblood mare Elevator.
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Elevator had shown enormous promise in dressage but what appeared to be behavioural issues crept in and threatened to derail her career. Countless visits from vets, saddlers, osteopaths and physios could find nothing amiss. In the end, Lorraine tried riding in just a headcollar which went surprisingly well. Lorraine correctly identified Elevator’s bridle as being the root of her beloved mare’s issues and designed the bridle which all the brand’s designs are still based on today. Under Jo’s stewardship more bridle styles, nosebands and even accessories such as breast girths have been added to the Elevator brand but all with that same keen attention to horse comfort and performance. But Jo has never been someone to rest on her laurels… In 2019, Jo had the chance to purchase EquiAmi, home of the patented lunge aid of the same name and another equestrian brand putting horse welfare firmly at the heart of what it does. Jo took a leap of faith and took over EquiAmi, and her stable of equestrian companies now numbered two. Jo immediately set about revamping the brand’s supply chain, materials and packaging to ensure it was as green and sustainable as possible, and last year unveiled a smart new website too. The lunge aid itself has legions of fans and its unique and forgiving ‘self-centering’ design makes it perfect for any horse or pony, from those being rehabilitated or retained to competition horses, riding horses and even youngsters being broken in. Now, despite a turbulent couple of years thanks to the pandemic and the widespread cancellation of equestrian events, the businesses are thriving. As we look forward to the return of events such as Badminton and Burghley and (hopefully!) a return to normality, Jo is excited to share the news that she has added a third business to her portfolio. In January of this year Jo purchased Artemis Equestrian, an online store selling high quality horse and rider clothing, tack, bits and grooming tools from leading European brands. It’s an exciting time to be developing a brand forged on the four pillars of quality, function, performance and sustainability. The perfect fit for the Jo Forrester equestrian business empire? We think so!
www.artemisequestrian.com
WE MEET THE BRAND MAN...
Tell us about your background? “I am not from an equestrian background, my family are big cyclists so I am the ‘black sheep’ of the family. “When I bought my first horse I obviously started at novice level eventing but eventually competed at 4* at Blenheim Horse Trials which was all very exciting and one of the high points of my riding career.” What did you do before Zebra Products? “Before Zebra I worked in sales and used to sell fruit to supermarkets so a very different world. “My wife Lindsay had a livery yard and was also a trainer and one of her clients ran a wholesale irrigation business and they asked would I like my own business and I said yes, I would like my own equestrian business. “So we formed a partnership together and decided to give it a go.” How did you start the business? “The business was established in the 2000 with just three people and we now employ over twenty.” Did the business start well? “That’s an interesting one! In the August just before we launched I was competing at an event and fell off and broke my back so the first week of the new business I was in hospital. “I was fortunate to get better quite quickly and Lindsay used to drive me round shops with me wearing a body brace for support. It wasn’t the best start but pretty quickly we got some momentum going.” How did you come up with the name for the business? “Lindsay and I got married in Kenya and we have always been big fans of a safari holiday and one name came up - Zebra Products - and we were away.” What brands do you distribute? “We now distribute seventeen brands with the main brands being German and Italian, then we have two Swiss brands and one Belgian in our portfolio. “Initially when we started it was quite difficult to get brands on board as we were small and just getting going but as one came on board others followed and currently we have Alogo, Amerigo, Bucas, Cavalleria Toscana, Cavallo, Cavalor, Covalliero, EGO7, Equipe, Fleck, Konigs, Mattes, Nathe, Sprenger, Tucci, uvex and Veredus in the herd.”
IN THIS ISSUE WE CATCH UP WITH SIMON MIDDLETON, THE MAN BEHIND LEADING WHOLESALER ZEBRA PRODUCTS.
What do you look for in the products you distribute? “We have always pitched ourselves at the premium end of the market and that is our focus.”
