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Opinions on equine careers/ Vet school

4K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  PaisleysMom 
#1 ·
Hello everyone!

I need some direction here. I have always wanted a career in the equine industry. Basically my entire life I have wanted to be a vet. The problem I have with this though.. is its a lot of school and very expensive. This wouldn't be as big of an issue if I wasn't already a mom of 2 young boys. I have a fear of not being able to handle all of the schooling plus being a mom. My children are young.. 5 and 3 years old and eventually they will both be in school which will allow me more time with my studies and work. I just don't know what to do. I need to make a decision soon and get back into college. I have tried to think of other options in this field and I just cant find anything worth the time plus the money just isn't there. I had thought about vet tech but they just don't make anything. I don't want to be a trainer or anything like that. I currently lease a barn and have boarders but its not what I want to do for a living... I don't do it now for a living. I want to be hands on with the horses and would love to work at a facility. I just don't think its logical at this point in my life to be going to vet school but its what I really want to do and have always wanted to do. I have thought about other careers not involving horses and I always come back here.. Wanting to work with horses. Can anyone give me some insight on any other careers in the equine industry that might be a good option and make a decent salary? Thank you.:runninghorse2:
 
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#4 ·
About Vet School- (I have been researching - my daughter wants to be a vet she is a SR in HS) It is expensive - it is also hard to get into.
1. Most USA based vet schools take in only 120 students each year. This is out of 400-500 applicants.
2. The average GPA from an applying Vet Med student should be a minimum of 3.0 in your undergrad college.
3. Expect almost $200K of student loan debt over the course of the 8yrs of college.
4. Expect to relocate at graduation to find a job
5. The application process requires an interview to get into school - the interview is a large part of the entry. They want someone who is driven and not distracted


As many said farrier would be a possibility but expect long hours and weekends. This is not normally a 9-5 job

Saddle Fitter or Equine Massage therapist - could be good work but depends on the area you live in.

Research research research.
 
#5 ·
Carshon has already said what I was thinking - Vet training is very expensive and you'd have to find a Uni close to home if you have ties to a property and don't want to relocate. Its actually cheaper for US students to do Vet training in the UK than to do it in the US!!
On top of that a Vets life is very demanding, you can be called out at all hours of the day, any day of the week so could be challenging if you have children. It can also be dangerous - horse's in pain aren't always easy patients and that's before you even get into the one's that just object to things like shots and blood tests
You can make money doing trimming and Equine Physio/massage and that type of thing but you could find yourself having to travel quite a lot to get enough clients
 
#6 ·
I agree with others that have said vet school is probably not a great move for you at this point in your life. Vet school is incredibly demanding and incredibly expensive and unless you can specialize in something like lameness and sporthorse medicine and get in with some big training, showing, or racing barns you just don't make that much money and your hours will be weird. Same with being a vet tech, the money just isn't worth it.

Have you ever held any other jobs that interested you that you might be able to spin for the horse industry? For example, equine law or accounting, journalism, competition management, hospitality, nutrition, tack and equipment, etc. Getting into a business that is horse related can be a great way to have a stable job with real benefits and a real salary while remaining involved with the horse industry.
 
#7 ·
Have you looked into becoming an equine chiropractor/massage therapist? I believe the schooling required for such a thing is less intense then vet school and you'd work for yourself, allowing all jobs to be done on your time. You can book clients or go to your childrens parent teacher conference... whatever takes priority for you. It also gives you hands on work with horses and their owners and though there are always going to be people who say it's silly to have a chiropractor or massage therapist out for a horse, I truly believe in it. I had a 16 year old horse I was told would never be ridden again, I had a lady out to work on her a few times and she is 100% to this day and going on 18 years old. I'm not sure on the income, however you would be your own boss and make your own hours. I worked for two years at an equine reproduction vet and many of the horse breeders there were registered vet techs who never got into that line of work because the pay was no good. The vet techs that did work at the clinic often told me that if they could go back, they wouldn't do it again, and to be completely honest, the vets there never treated them very well. Now this could just be that specific clinic, I'm not saying that all vet techs are treated poorly, but it would be something to keep in mind. Some vets do get a God complex and can be very arrogant, when that's the case, being hired help means that they "can treat you poorly because you're beneath them" as messed up as that sounds. Another benefit to the equine chiropractor/massage therapy profession is how much gentler it is on you. Unlike farrier work which us backbreaking labor even when you get a good horse, it allows you to help relax the animal and puts less stress on your own body.

I might also add a lot of people swear by acupuncture in their horses...you could look into that as well.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the responses everyone! I have thought about massage Therapy. Most people have to contract that out on their own though. I love the idea.. just the job security scares me a bit.
I looked up the acupuncture.. but it looks like you have to be a licensed vet to practice this? Is that true? Maybe I'm not understanding it fully or maybe just depends on what area you're in. I'm in the heart of KY. I feel like there's a lot of opportunity here! I really wish Vet Techs made more..I would love to do it. I just think 45,000 (if that) Isn't that great considering I have children.

I'm going to look into the other recommendations you all have given me as well. I have thought about nutrition too. Hopefully I can come up with something! Do any of you currently work in the equine field?
 
#11 ·
The vet school route is going to be extremely difficult - especially with a family. School is not your average 8-3 schedule- it is literally all day, every day, lots of overnights and very little free time. All of my vet friends will tell you – don’t go to vet school. They are in way too much debt and will never be able to pay it on a vet salary. They love the work they do but almost all of them will advise anyone against it.

I really enjoy being a vet tech and don’t think you should write it off so quickly. I’ve worked in both private practice and now I’m a research technician at a company that develops surgical products. $45,000 is a very high end salary for vet techs in my area, most of them are lucky if they are getting $32,000. But – job placement is about 100% after you finish school and school is significantly less than a vet. Had I not bounced around so much in undergrad I would have paid my loans off by now but that’s a different story! I’m fortunate that I am toward the higher end of the vet tech income scale, but I also am married so we have two average incomes. We own our house, have two car payments, plus board a horse so we make it work. Even though a vet might make more money than me, they are also working 60-80 hours a week, and have hundreds of dollars a month in student loans (my best friend is a small animal vet and pays $850 a month and many of her classmates pay even more).

I personally would never use a “certified equine dentist” as these people might have training but they are not vets – they cannot sedate your horse for a real dental procedure and I really feel like you are throwing your money away and also risking your horse. But that is just my opinion. I only use my vet for any dental necessities for my horse.

I’d second the massage therapist route – we have a lady that comes out to our barn every weekend and is booked literally every week, and weeks in advance. She travels between us and a few other farms and makes a good living just doing that.
 
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