A dream for horse lovers - in Ireland, the Emerald Isle

Ireland's horse industry is known worldwide. Not only is the country renowned for its first-class racing horses, but it also boasts some of the best sport horses globally. With a position at stud farms, riding schools, or one of our horse-friendly family farms, you can gain experience in horse care and enhance your riding skills.

An island of horses

Did you know that some 53,000 people in Ireland are working in the sport horse sector? In addition, many hundreds of thousands of people in Ireland have horses as a hobby. There are horses literally everywhere on the Green Island! We offer placements on a variety of horse farms - from stud farms with many employees to small family farms, riding schools, and family breeders who train their own young stock and participate in local tournaments and competitions. You can imagine that there is always a lot to do on an Irish horse farm. You can get involved in all the activities that arise. 

Activities on a horse farm 

Barn jobs include simple grooming, feeding 2-3 times per day, mucking stalls and paddocks, filling and cleaning water buckets, turning horses out and bringing them in, sweeping the yard, etc.

Depending on your riding experience, you can, of course, also ride horses! If you are particularly interested in competition horses or show jumping, we will find a horse farm for you that suits your previous knowledge. You will learn how tournament horses are trained, gain insights into how a farm runs, and further develop your riding skills. Did you know that there are even stables in Ireland that run multi-day riding events at the Olympic level?

The jobs are unpaid, but you will receive free accommodation and meals from the horse ranch in exchange for your efforts.

Working in Ireland will not only allow you to travel abroad and gain international experience, but you will also acquire practical skills that can be extremely valuable for your resume or future studies/training if you’re seeking a new equine or animal-related career. Another great side effect: while in Ireland, you will improve your English skills by using the language in your daily life, i.e., with your local colleagues! 

Your everyday working life in Ireland

You will work 5 days a week for about 40-45 hours and have 2 days off a week. Since there is always a lot to do on horse ranches, your days off do not necessarily fall on the weekends. If you work on the weekends, you will have days off during the week instead.

The exact working hours depend on your job and can vary, depending on the tasks to be done. Being flexible and having a hands-on mentality are key skills if you would like to gain a foothold in the equine industry.

Please note that the work can also be physically demanding, and you should be ready to work in cold, wet, hot, or early morning conditions.

The jobs are available all year round and can be tailored to your individual needs. You can set the exact period as it suits you best.

We do our best to organize a program according to your interests and expectations. Let us know the areas that interest you the most (e.g., whether you are more interested in horse care or want to gain tournament experience), and we will match you with a job that perfectly fits your interests and skills!