Monday, November 8, 2010

Now Hiring!

Part of the challenge of running a boarding stable is in the hiring of good qualified staff to help care for the horses.   During the summer time, when school is out, there's often a surplus of young women seeking an opportunity to be able to breathe the scent of horses for hours on end .  But during the rest of the year, finding good people can be a lot more challenging.

We are now actively looking for a couple more people to join our team.   But they have to have the right stuff!   Horse handling skills, general horse health & care knowledge, handiness with stall & barn cleaning tools, a polite & respectful attitude towards clients and coworkers, and a strong belief that the overall wellbeing of all of the horses on our farm should be given the highest priority.

Interviewing candidates for these skills begins well before their first visit to the farm.   A little can be learned about the candidate via email and telephone.   And in this day of social networking and Web 2.0+, even more can be gleaned about a person by what they publish online about themselves and others.

When the face to face interview takes place, we look for the ability of the candidate to think in terms of safety.   Whether it involves approaching the horse in a pasture, handling a leadrope, opening a gate, or picking a hoof, each test in the interview provides an opportunity for the candidate to demonstrate safety in action.

Being safe around horses is not easy to teach, and certainly is not an approach learned in a day or two.   This is a big reason why we only hire people who have a lot of experience with horses.   Not cows.   Not dogs or cats.   Not pigs.   Horses!

So, if you know of anyone in our area who is savvy about horses and wants some part time work, please send them our way!

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