Stable Attendant

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
horses.
Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high lifts, fork lifts, skid loaders. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Build/repair fences.

Instructions and general supervision will be provided by a designated lead worker or company supervisor. Exceptionally complex or non-routine activities will be closely supervised. Workers will be expected to perform basic horse management and handling duties in a timely and proficient manner without close supervision.

Perform a variety of semi-skilled tasks associated with horse breeding activities. Tasks include but are not limited to: identify and catching horses in fields, affixing halters and lead ropes, leading into barn and tying securely; and assisting farrier in trimming feet and shoeing horses. Must be competent in basic grooming practices including bathing, brushing, hoof care, clipping. Clean stalls by removing soiled bedding and manure. Replace with fresh bedding. Strip stalls and disinfect floors, walls and surrounding areas for broodmares. Sweep barn aisles, stall areas, ceilings to remove dirt, hay, cobwebs and other detritus. Maintain/clean and fill water troughs and buckets. Handle basic feeding activities including apportioning grain, hay and feed supplements according to instruction. Hold horses for farriers and veterinarians and administer routine intra-muscular injections. Assist veterinarians with treatment of sick/injured horses and pregnancy checks of mares. Administer first aid and medications to sick/injured horses. Take temperatures of horses. Wrap legs of injured horses or for transporting horses. Administer worming and vaccination schedule for yearlings. Administer worming and vaccination schedule, pre- and post-natal, for mares for foals. Use shiftneys and shanks to lead yearlings. Assist in breeding and foaling of mares. Assist with post-pregnancy treatment of mares and neonatal care of foals. Work with foals/yearlings, including brushing, leading, picking up feet, petting and touching foals to acclimate them to humans. Change foals' halters. Must demonstrate common sense and awareness of safe equine handling procedures, i.e., no running in barns, shouting, abusing horses, leaving gates/stall doors/feed rooms open or smoking in and around barns, sheds and hay storage.

Work is done in the field for long periods of time. Workers may assist in handling product weighing up to 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet. Workers must work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Work required in fields when plants are wet with dew and rain, and may be required during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 10 to over 100 degrees F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job. Workers should be able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

Workers with a clean driving record (no major moving violations such as but not limited to Driving While Intoxicated or Reckless Driving) and able to obtain an insurable driver's license may be required to drive company vehicles.

Special Requirements

Safe handling concerns require that, to be qualified for this position, workers must have no less than one year of prior verifiable experience as stable assistant in a horse breeding operation. Workers will be subject to a trial period of up to five days during which their performance of required tasks will be evaluated. Employer will hire any worker with the requisite experience who demonstrates he/she can safely and competently perform the job of handling brood mares and young horses. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. as stable assistant in a horse breeding operation. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.