From Passion to Profession: Why So Many Leave the Horse World — and How to Stop It. By Divya Gurnay.

At fourteen, she would cycle six kilometres before school just to muck out three loose boxes. Not because she was paid — she wasn’t — but because the stable yard was the only emotional space where she could touch, caress and be with  her favourite living beings, the horses,  symbols of strength in her fragile teenage uncertainties. She knew, with the fierce certainty only youth can claim, that her life would always belong to horses.

By twenty-eight, she was gone. Not because she stopped loving them. But because love alone could not pay rent, mend a fractured back, or justify a seventy-hour week for a wage that barely covered groceries. Her story is not unusual. It is endemic. Across racing yards, breeding farms, riding schools and elite competition barns, the industry quietly bleeds talent. Bright, capable, deeply committed young people enter with fire in their hearts — and leave, often disillusioned, exhausted, and financially strained. We talk frequently about equine welfare. We invest in nutrition, biomechanics, diagnostics, recovery science. Yet we speak far less about human sustainability. And without sustainable people, there is no sustainable horse world.

The Romance — and the Reckoning.

The horse world is uniquely intoxicating. It promises meaning, intimacy with animals, a life lived outdoors, far from fluorescent-lit offices. For many, especially those who struggle with rigid corporate structures, the yard offers identity.

But romance fades quickly under economic reality. Long hours are normalised as proof of dedication. Injuries are badges of honour. Employment contracts are vague or nonexistent. Paid leave is rare. Formal career progression is often unclear. In some sectors — particularly racing and lower-tier competition barns — a quiet culture persists: if you love horses enough, you’ll endure anything.

This belief is sold as a noble belief by big farm owners, but deep down most of them think and act 'EXPLOITATION', and this becomes dangerous.

A 2021 survey conducted within segments of the UK equestrian workforce (British Grooms Association) revealed high levels of burnout, musculo-skeletal injuries, and financial stress among grooms and yard staff. Similar patterns have been observed in Australian and American racing industries, where workforce turnover remains a chronic challenge. Long hours (often exceeding 50–60 per week), relatively low wages, and limited structured development pathways consistently rank among the primary reasons cited for exit. Passion brings people in. Precarity pushes them out.

A Case from the Racing Yard.

Consider the story of Aarav (name changed), a talented young lad who entered a mid-sized racing yard in western India at nineteen. He had natural feel — the kind that cannot be taught — and within two seasons was entrusted with handling difficult colts.

But his schedule rarely dipped below twelve-hour days. Accommodation was shared and basic. Formal days off were irregular. There was little mentoring beyond task instruction. After a minor back injury, he was back at work within a week — because there was no one else to ride out. At twenty-four, he left for a logistics job in the city. The pay was modestly higher. The hours were predictable. There was medical coverage. He still visits the yard sometimes. He watches the horses with unmistakable affection. But he will not return professionally, also because his mates told him, that the owner, after he left, accused him of petty thefts. The industry lost not a worker, but a horseman. Multiply this story across countries and disciplines, and the scale of attrition becomes clear.

A Case Of A Young Veterinarian.

A huge farm in India, being run by an owner so full of herself that she could blast any time any where. A young Vet, Abhilasha joins the operations. She is hardworking, very hard working, carrying multiple rectals every day, assisting coverings, foalings, being literally 12 hours on her feet, is young has ambitions, wants to leave but is afraid of consequences of not getting good work, because the owner can sabotage her progress. Any ways, after two plus years of devoted work, when she leaves, the owner starts planting stories about her character.  A  young apprentice gets discouraged and questions, where are the ladies and gentlemen of horse world? Are they also the unicorns, who don't exist in reality?

 A Case Of An Allrounder Manager:

The man was a true all rounder. Supervising the complete farm operations, taking care of men and machinery, crops, feed, and even maintainance of all buildings, including the owners residence.  Wants to leave for a better paid job in and setup. Owner says good-bye, but soon after starts spreading rumours that the fellow was slightly of unsound mind. To me what was surprising was, why it took 3 years to decide for the owner, that the man running her farm was literally  half crazy. 

Result: Demotivated New Aspirants.

Why They Leave.

The reasons are layered but remarkably consistent:

1. Economic Unsustainability.

Entry-level equine wages frequently lag behind living costs, especially in urban-adjacent equestrian centres. When individuals reach life stages involving marriage, family responsibilities, or aging parents, the financial equation becomes untenable.

2. Physical and Mental Burnout.

Handling 500–600 kg prey animals daily demands vigilance. Add early mornings, late nights, and minimal rest days, and cumulative fatigue becomes inevitable. Research in occupational health consistently links long working hours and low job control with burnout and injury risk — conditions prevalent in many equine settings.

3. Lack of Structured Career Pathways.

Unlike medicine, law, or engineering, the equine industry often lacks transparent progression ladders. A groom may remain a groom for decades without clear opportunities to specialise, certify, or advance into management, therapy, or technical roles.

4. Cultural Silence Around Exploitation.

There remains, in some quarters, an unspoken hierarchy, (And This Is Very Important), where questioning conditions is seen as weakness or ingratitude. Young workers internalise hardship as a rite of passage rather than a systemic issue.

5. Gendered Pressures.

In many regions, specially in the west, the workforce is significantly female at entry level. Yet long-term retention drops as women face safety concerns, lack of maternity support, or limited leadership representation.

The Cost of Losing Them.

When talented horse people leave, the consequences ripple outward. Horses suffer from inconsistent handlers. Training continuity breaks. Institutional knowledge disappears. Safety risks increase when inexperienced staff replace seasoned ones. Owners face higher turnover costs. The industry’s public image weakens as stories of burnout circulate. Most critically, we lose empathy capital — the quiet, intuitive understanding that only time beside horses can cultivate. You cannot automate feel.

How to Stop the Exodus.

If we are serious about preserving horsemanship, reform must move beyond sentiment: 

1. Professionalise Employment Structures.

Clear contracts, defined working hours, overtime policies, and basic insurance coverage are not luxuries; they are foundations. Racing jurisdictions that have implemented standardised employment frameworks have reported improved retention and morale.

2. Establish Tiered Certification Pathways. Structured skill accreditation — from stable management to rehabilitation therapy to breeding science — gives young professionals visible horizons. When people see a future, they stay for it.

3. Protect Physical Health.

Mandatory rest days, ergonomic training for lifting and handling, and access to physiotherapy should become standard in larger operations. Studies in agricultural sectors show that ergonomic intervention significantly reduces long-term musculoskeletal disorders.

4. Develop Mentorship Cultures.

The old apprenticeship model had value — but it must evolve. Mentorship should include education, emotional support, and business literacy, not merely task delegation.

5. Pay Transparently — and Fairly.

Ethical horse care cannot coexist with exploitative labour practices. Owners and governing bodies must confront an uncomfortable truth: if we demand five-star welfare for horses, we must budget sustainably for the humans providing it.

6. Celebrate Career Longevity, Not Martyrdom.

The narrative must shift from “I survived brutal years” to “I built a sustainable, skilled career.” Endurance should not be the highest virtue. Competence and wellbeing should be.

A Yard That Chose Differently.

There are encouraging examples. A mid-sized sport horse breeding farm in Europe restructured its employment model five years ago. Staff were placed on formal contracts with capped working hours, guaranteed two days off per week, and annual skill-development stipends. A mentorship ladder allowed senior grooms to transition into assistant manager roles with training in budgeting and communication. Turnover dropped by nearly 40% within three years. Injury rates declined. Horse performance improved measurably due to greater continuity of care. The owner later remarked, “When the people stopped surviving and started thriving, the horses did too.”

From Passion to Profession.

We do not lack passionate young people. Riding schools are full of them. Racing academies continue to enrol them. Veterinary colleges graduate them in steady numbers. 

What we lack is a coherent bridge between passion and sustainable profession. If the horse world wishes to retain its most devoted hearts, it must evolve from a culture that romanticises sacrifice to one that respects labour as much as lineage.

Because here is the quiet truth:

People rarely leave horses.

They leave conditions that make loving horses professionally impossible. If we change those conditions — thoughtfully, systematically, courageously — the industry will not merely retain talent. It will mature, and perhaps that fourteen-year-old cycling to the yard before sunrise will still be there at forty — not worn down, but weathered wisely — passing on her knowledge to the next generation who arrive with the same shining eyes. Passion brought them in.

It is our responsibility to make sure profession allows them to stay.

©️ @ 🧘DG.🐎

Advocate at Indian High Courts. 

Academics:- LL.M, LL.B., PG Human Rights, MA. Mass Communication and Journalism, B.A. Honours Psychology.

Special Skills Certifications :-

1. Film-direction and audio-visual story-telling certification from FTII, Pune, 

2. MOI. Qualified Mountaineering instructor from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, India.

Equine Education and Skill sets:-

- 'Stud Management and Sales Consignment Graduate with honours' from National Stud England.

Certifications from the online campus of International Federation for Equestrian Sports, Switzerland (FEI): -

1. Handling Horses.

2. Handling horses in challenging situations. 

3. Equine Behaviour.

4. How Horses Learn.

5. General Conformation.

Certifications from the online campus of Michigan State University (USA): -

1. Normal Horse Behaviour.

2. Horse Handling.

3. Horse Manners.

4. Horse Hygiene/ Grooming.

5. Basic Horse Keeping.

6. Training and Exercising horses.

7. Machinery and Chemical Safety

8. Traveling with Horses.

9. Biosecurity for Horse Farms.

10. Healthy Horses.

11. Employer/ Employee Relations.      

        (in Equine Industry)