Nine reasons why owning a horse is a good thing to put on your CV

Sadly, horses are an expensive pastime, so you’re likely to need some form of employment to fund your money-munching dependent. It’s lucky, then, that caring for him has earned you a number of cross-over skills that could also make you an attractive prospect in the job market…

1. Your powers of negotiation know no bounds. After all, you regularly manage to convince your horse to walk past scary plastic bags caught in the hedge while out hacking.
2. Standing your ground with stroppy clients or customers has nothing on a half-tonne of temperamental horse throwing a tantrum, and you deal with that on a daily basis.
3. You’re the master of improvisation. Any true equestrian understands there’s nothing that can’t be fixed with baling twine, some duct tape and a bit of imagination.
4. You have the patience of a saint. Whether it’s deciding not to load, turning his nose up at a feed that he wolfed down the day before or refusing point-blank to be brought in from the field, your horse’s personality quirks have given you a serenity in the face of adversity that rivals a Buddhist monk.
5. You thrive on healthy competition – it’s how you spend most of your weekends.
6. Dropping everything to jet off on a last-minute long-haul holiday? You must be joking! Leaving home for any period of time is a military operation that requires at least six months of detailed planning before you’re willing to leave your darling horse behind – another skill that’s useful to mention in interviews.
7. You’re not afraid to get your hands dirty… literally!
8. Your work ethic is second to none. How many other people can say they’ve mucked out, ridden, rugged up and turned out, all before 8am every morning? Speaking of which, you’re also no stranger to getting up early and cracking on after a big night out or one-too-many glasses of wine. No pulling a sickie for you!
9. All those childhood (and not-so-childhood) dreams of galloping round the Badminton cross-country track or trotting down the centre line at Olympia mean you’re not afraid to dream big.

Can you think of any that we’ve missed? Let us know!