Racetrack Starter – Horse Jobs

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What You Need

This is a position which benefits from a deep understanding of horse (Thoroughbred in particular) behavior, physical strength/ agility and a love of the sport. This can be a dangerous job and this position may have a higher percentage of track injuries.

This is a great position for someone who wants a lot of hands on time with the animals and has a calm demeanor.

Job Description

Responsible for getting each animal safely into the starting gate stalls and quiet enough for the race to begin. They also work trainers & jockeys during practices helping train young animals to enter & break from the gate.

Responsibilities

Calming upset animals at the gate
Guiding each animal into their gate stall
Keeping animals calm while waiting for start
Catching and re-loading early starters
Training young animals to enter & break from gate

Requirements

This is a position which doesn’t require much formal education (however equine studies are always a plus). Trainers and track mangers will probably be more concerned with track experience and a knowledge of race horse temperament. Larger facilities may require a high school diploma for employment.

Resources

The best place to start looking is the tracks themselves & speaking with barn mangers. Here are some resources for finding the tracks near you.

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National Thoroughbred Racing Association
British Horseracing Authority

The Right Job For You?

If this isn’t your dream horse job, you can find more horse job descriptions on our careers page.