Acquiring Funds/Passive Income

So I've just spent all my saved money on my trip to South Africa - and it was well worth it! But I'm now back to square one, saving up again. Sometimes it seems a silly task due to the fact that as soon as I've saved a decent sum, I spend it all at once!

My mum is a big believer in building up a passive income and I'm starting to see the benefits. The general idea of a passive income is to have funds coming in without having to put in the work. Well that's not quite right. You put in the time and effort to start off with, but manage to build up a process by which eventually you're not working but still receiving money for the initial work. For example, you write a book and get it published and then put it as a product on Ebay. You've put in all the work and as the book gain's interest, you continue to sell it with no real continual effort from your behalf.

Now it's to be a long time before I see this dream realised, but it's nice to be aware of ways to bring in funds to put towards a goal and if I had this built up now, I'd be less worried about taking working holidays (granted, I learn lots and work lots and acquire contacts on these holidays) that aren't actually earning me any money while I'm away.

If you've a goal in mind - whether it be instructing horse riding; running your own property; renting a horse related property; start up your own business but you're not sure where to find the funds. For example, for insurance, purchasing a property or shop or ongoing costs of rent, feed, etc I encourage you to look around at the funds on offer. Just be willing to prove that you can make a living off your dream.

The Nescafe Big Break (http://www.nescafebigbreak.com.au/) although taking a break this year, has for the past 17 years provided funds (up to $20,000 to winners) for young Australians/New Zealanders to start up their own business.

The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (http://www.nna.asn.au/NEIS.htm) is focused on bringing back to the workforce people whom were previously unemployed, by training them up in business skills, creating a business plan and helping with funds to start their own business. I have a friend who is so excited as she has just finished work with NEIS and is to start her own photography business. Have you a passion for taking photos of horses, creating calendars, diaries? Perhaps you hadn't considered the possibility of turning it into a business…

Sorry that both of these links are Australian oriented, but if the only thing holding you back is funds, start researching the schemes or people that are willing to invest their time and money in others. Initially it may be a way for you to kick start things, but who knows - in the future it may be a way for you to invest in someone else's dream.

Also, don't underestimate the value of putting your money to work. Consider a savings account - every little bit helps. Ing Direct, an online savings acount is free to set up, has an interest rate of 6% and has a competition offering $10,000 to a random person whom sents up an account:
"When you use an Automatic Savings Plan (ASP) between 1 August and 31 October 2007 to deposit funds into your Savings Maximiser, you'll be automatically entered into the draws to win $10,000 in bonus interest. For every one dollar you deposit in August, September and October, you'll have one entry into the draw for that month. Deposit $100 in August and you'll have 100 entries into the draw for that month."

"If money can't buy happiness how do you get a horse?"

Jumps Course Design

Really enjoy jumping? Love riding and working out related distances, setting up different types of jumps with rollbacks and interesting changes of lead? Perhaps you should look into jumps course designing.

http://www.aachen-course-design.com/ - Seems to be the place to go to learn about course design and get yourself known in the industry/gain certificates. Links to seminars on Course Design run through the Federation Equestre Internationale; upcoming seminars in Brazil, Russia, France, Australia and Germany.

http://www.jumpdesign.net/ - website of Eduard Petrovic, International Course Designer.

http://www.mudhotline.com/la/coursdes.htm - Longacres Course Design
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_jumping - Show Jumping on Wikipedia
http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/horsesense/sporthorse/jump_design/interview.html - Interview with Richard Jeffrey, renowned course designer.

"Been There... Jumped That!"

Job Opportunity: Weatherbeeta

Hi guys!

Back from a week up in Sydney - have a post for you once I sort through all my stuff! Just thought I'd post a job possibility received through an email from Horseland.

'Weatherbeeta are looking for a new Marketing Coordinator to join their vibrant Marketing team based in Nunawading, Victoria. If you have a passion for horses, a marketing degree, and at least 12 months marketing experience Weatherbeeta would love to hear from you!

Send your resume to jobs@weatherbeeta.com.au by 11th July.'

Weatherbeeta specialise in horse rugs and provide for the US/Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

"Horse people are stable people."

Calling All Bloodstock Wannabes

So I've signed up to receive news from William Inglis, a rather large bloodstock setup here in Australia and thought I'd share one of the emails as it's regarding a 12 month position with the Inglis crew.

So if you're interested in/wanna learn about "an excellent opportunity to gain an understanding of the workings of William Inglis & Son... spending 12 months gaining experience in all facets of the company," take a look at the William Inglis and Son Internship.

"Time will be predominantly spent within the bloodstock sector of the firm, while the opportunity to work within the company’s marketing, leasing and insurance divisions, will offer this person a succinct knowledge and thorough understanding of the runnings of a respected auctioneer/bloodstock agency."

They have setups in Newmarket, New South Wales and at Oaklands Junction, Victoria, Australia and applications are due in by October 26, 2007.

"Whoever said that money cannot buy happiness didn't know where to buy a horse."

Your Hands, Their Feet

I always thought farriery was the way to go - variety, good money, physically active - and then concluded equine dentistry was even more appealing. Yes, it was the money that persuaded me, how did you guess? However, I see some pros for farriery in that this business is easier to run on a smaller client base - your horse's feet need doing every 2 months, unlike the teeth which are done annually, calling for more people to use you to be constantly in work.

Spending the majority of my short working life on studs, I've viewed many foals born with the most interesting looking legs. Sometimes it's the vet's job to fix problems; others the farrier can fix in various ways.

The legs are a focus over the first few months of a foal's life as at this age, things can be adjusted to "encourage" growth in a different direction (correcting/minimising the problem).

For example - a foal that toes in - a farrier can rasp a little more off a particular side, encouraging extra growth on this side, pushing the foot in the opposite direction, straightening it out over time. The end result may not be a 100% correct horse, but can alleviate problems, make them more correct and therefore more appealing to buyers/less likely to receive stresses on their legs while in work.

In Victoria it's pretty common for a farrier to charge around $50 to trim your horse's feet (less, the more horses you have) and around $100 for a set of shoes all round. Now in a day one farrier can easily manage 20 horses. Say they were all done at the same place, all trims and therefore at a cheaper rate - $30 - this is still $600 for the day. And honestly, they can manage more, but 20 horses would be quite a demand on the body!

To become a farrier in Oz, you're looking at a 3 year apprenticeship with what I've been told is an average income, but once you've invested this time over the short term, the wage is a lot more appealing.

Some Associations:
American Farriers Association:
http://www.americanfarriers.org/

Aust. Farriers and Blacksmiths Association:
http://www.afba.org.au/

New Zealand Farrier's Association:
http://www.nzfarriers.co.nz/

Brotherhood of Working Farriers Association:
http://www.bwfa.net/

"Be wary of the horse with a sense of humour." - Pam Brown

An Abundance of Horse Jobs

So! I've added a random "quote" generator to the page, listing horse jobs, careers, possibilities working with or in relation to horses. There's 54 in total listed in the coding, so if you think of other job possibilities with horses that you think others should know about, feel free to let me know so I can add them to the coding!

More of the Force

So I got an email back yesterday from a Senior Sergeant at the New South Wales Mounted Police. Here are her replies to the questions I've sent out:

Do you have to be a certain rank as a police officer to become a mounted police officer?
To join the Mounted Police you need to have 3 years of general duties policing experience.

Do you need horse skills or are these taught?
You really need to have some basic horse knowledge and skills to be a successful applicant. And also a good level of fitness as it is quite a physical job riding all day and working with horses.

Why did you join the Mounted Police?
I joined the Mounted Police along with most of my collegues to combine a love of horses and riding with a worthwhile career in policing. It is a very unique job and I feel priviliged to be a part of this organisation and the continuance of such a historical institution.

How much of the job is horse related?
All of this occupation is revolved around horses being the riding of and management of. Obviously when we do Police work on our horses we have to do relevant paperwork and go to court etc...

How long have you been a mounted police person?
I have been with the NSW Mounted Police for 18 years.

Is lots of training involved for the horses?
Yes the horses have quite extensive assessment and training. This training is pretty much on going for the horses to keep them fit and obedient.

What would a normal day consist of for you?
For me a normal day could be anything from completing my relevant paperwork, to attending a demonstration or public protest, patrolling the streets of sydney or a country location, training at randwick racetrack or just mucking out some stables, grooming horses and doing general tasks that need to be completed every day such as vetting horses and checking shoes etc taking horses for spells, assessing new horses and instructing new riders.

New South Wales Police Website:
http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/

"How to ride a horse:
Step One - Mount the horse...
Step Two - Stay mounted..."

A Tooth Fairy Goldmine

Admittedly, I am terrible with my horse's teeth - I've had him rising 10 years and not had his teeth done once. (Gasp, shock horror!). Initially, it was ignorance and quite possibly still could be, but I've figured as long as he's in good condition and having no problems keeping weight (he's always rather festively plump) that he's chewing and digesting everything alright.

Well he had them done for the first time today, along with 23 other horses at one of the riding schools I work at. Apparently they get done this time each year and the same trusty equine dentist comes out with his helper and they get them done in a day.

Now, between the two of them they managed 24 horses in 4 hours. For curiosity's sake I enquired about costs - if it's a special visit for just your horse, you're looking at around $110 to have their teeth done. For a number of horses, it's $50. So, in the four hours, they made $1,200.00 between the two of them and this was only from the one riding school.

They'd done a few before coming out to us and had another half dozen or so to do before finishing up for the day. What an income! The main dentist pointed out he has a bit in the way of expenses - the big one being insurance and then lesser - petrol, cost of floats (used to do the horses' teeth - one costs around $100 and he went through four between the 24 horses). But still, taking out $400 for the floats, say $60 for a tank of petrol and then giving even half to his coworker would leave him with around $370.

I'm sure it's higher as the apprentice probably gets a lot less than 50% of the day's earnings! So, for around $100 an hour, not a bad way to work at all!

The dentist who annually comes out to this riding school advocates the course at Melbourne University - one year of study, one year on the job. Apparently there's a lot of people doing the course and too many from Victoria, so quite a few get trained and then head overseas to put their skills to use. But consider two years of training, then another few years on the job and travelling and then you'd be set with experience, a build up of clients in more than one country and the chance to earn a decent income with horses. Not a bad five-year-plan, ey?

"A stubborn horse walks behind you, an impatient horse walks in front of you, but a noble companion walks beside you."

Straight to the Source

And my current source? This week, the force. Mounted Police if you want to get down to specifics.

I've sent out a request to the London, Royal Canadian, New South Wales and Victoria Mounted Police to see if they'd answer a half dozen questions or so for me. I'm waiting on the answers from Canada as they agreed to answer my questions but as yet haven't heard back from London or NSW.

A Victorian Sergeant was kind enough to answer them and promptly returned his replies:

Do you have to be a certain rank as a police officer to become a mounted police officer?
No a constable can apply but only after they have completed their probationary period of 2 years

Do you need horse skills or are these taught?
Yes you do require horse skills as the positions available are highly sought after and for safety reasons you have to be competent on a horse before attempting to become a member of the Mounted Police.

Why did you join the Mounted Police?
I grew up with horses and I wanted to use my experience with horses in a policing role.

How much of the job is horse related?
At the Mounted Branch all of the tasks we attend are horse related.

How long have you been a mounted police person?
I have been a member of the Mounted Branch for 13 years.

Is lots of training involved for the horses?
Yes the horses are constantly undergoing training even when they are a fully qualifed troop horse.

What would a normal day consist of for you?
Stable work in the morning for an hour depending on the current tasks riding my horse at a variety of activities (patrols/ceremonial jobs training or protests).


Victoria Police Website:
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/

"Our hoofbeats were many, but our hearts beat as one."

Job available in North East Victoria on TB stud.

Hello out there! Anyone interested in a job? Was chatting to a previous boss not too long ago who is looking for at least one person to fill in a permanent position at a Thoroughbred stud.

Don't think TB experience is necessary, but definitely horse experience. In the middle of weaning foals currently, breeding season starts August 1 and Yearlings from December. Accomodation available on the property and about 5 mins from town.

I worked here for nine months, learnt lots and gained lots of sale experience through many yearling preps. For the breeding enthusiast they are a decent sized stud with many mares going through the property to foal down and be bred and they have their own stallions.

If interested get in contact with me via darquette_@hotmail.com or leave a comment with a way to contact you.

Chris

"You Know You're A Horse Person When... you try to get by someone in a restricted space and instead of saying "excuse me" to him/her, you cluck at them instead."