Assists with handling of horses and maintaining and cleaning stables.

• Exercises horses by walking, riding, leading and swimming, and attending to horses at track work, barrier trials and races; cleans stables, stores bedding and performs minor repairs on fixtures, buildings and fences; assembles, prepares and stores horse gear.

• Works predominantly outdoors in stable yards or at tracks, but also works indoors in stables.
• Works in all weathers to carry out a wide range of horse care and training activities in preparing horses for races.
• Works long hours starting early in the morning.
• Conditions can be smelly, dirty, dusty, hot, wet and muddy; conditions will vary to some extent on the basis of the weather and season.
• Training and breaking in horses can be dangerous and strenuous work.

• Medium to heavy physical demand
• Constantly stands and walks about the stables, yards, paddocks or race track areas.
• Frequently rides (gallopers or jumpers) or drives (trotters and pacers).
• Sits to ride, exercise, train or race horses.
• Occasionally stretches up or across for many horse care tasks such as grooming, fixing harnesses and other tackle in place or when riding or driving.
• Bends occasionally when completing daily horse care tasks such as checking horses hooves.
• Occasionally twists body or neck when physically handling or riding horses.
• Substantial contact with skin irritants or water is rare other than for washing down horses.
• Light to heavy lifting, pulling or carrying is frequent in the form of saddles and harness, attaching carts, restraining frightened or flighty horses or carrying feed and water buckets. Occasional heavy lifting, pulling and carrying is necessary.
• Tasks such as grooming frequently involves repetitive hand and arm movements for relatively short time periods, unless the role is that of groom where this is a frequent or constant task.
• Driving of farm vehicles is often an occasional requirement.
• The use of hand tools such as brushes and combs when grooming horses is frequent as is the use of general tools to carry out repairs on harnesses, buildings and in checking horses hooves.
• Mental skills necessary include administration, animal handling, planning and decision-making skills.

An NZQF Level 1 qualification, or compulsory secondary education (ANZSCO Skill Level 5). For some occupations a short period of on-the-job training may be required in addition to or instead of the formal qualification. In some instances no formal qualification or on-the-job training may be required.

• There are opportunities for flexibility of movement but they are limited.