Ethnic diversity in the stable?

Question

In my quest to have a life, I decided to try to find some stable help. Now, don't get me wrong. I am ALL FOR ethnic diversity. As long as you are honest, hardworking, somewhat experienced, LEGAL and speak English, I don't care where you are from. America is the great melting pot after all.

I did not expect to find it to be so challenging to find all the above in one person. Is it just my area (NJ -USA)? or is this common everywhere? Why is it so hard to find help?

Answer 1

Most barn help around here consists of Mexican illegals or teen girls enamoured of horses.  If you are like most barns, you want a lot for very little.  Can you offer benefits like sick days, paid vacation, insurance, etc. that are basics on top of at least minimum wage?  Providing a hazard-free environment is out of the question, and what kind of hours do you offer?

You list all the qualities you want to find, but you don't mention what you have to offer in order to get it.Why would anyone take $10.00 an hour to work in a barn when they can make $12.00 an hour plus benefits working at

a store like Woodman's, and get raises every few months? It isn't a bad work ethic....it's basic intelligence.

Let me rephrase that.......there is a huge problem today with the work ethic, but if you expect to find quality employees, you have to compete with what other employers offer.  the people willing to work as barn help are choosing that for a reason, and being an illegal immigrant or a horse-crazy kid are the most common reasons.

Answer 2

I live on the Yankton Sioux reservation in South Dakota. The unemployment rate is so high that I have no problem finding anyone to help out when I need it. If the unemployment rate where you live is low, then I think it might be harder to find someone to do that kind of work. I would think there would be some high school aged people that would do the work just to be around horses.

Answer 3

lol. if i were in NJ i'd help you. ^^

but again...i'm a teenage girl who's obsessed with horses. lol.

i think its everywhere but in different jobs.

its probibly hard to find help because maybe the stable isn't well known or in a place where its very common? (most stables are out in the country where its not very populated).

but i wish you luck in finding some stable hands!!!

Answer 4

Yeah - isn't that a kicker - the economy is down, people are out of jobs, but they're above shoveling kaka.

I would agree with the first answer -there's all sorts of kids wanting to be around horses and learn from them.

However, your description of a desired worker might be a little hard to get if you're a perfectionist - what's a hard worker?  One that's willing to work for 10 hours a day 7 days a week?  there are people who think this - not saying you do.

with a kid you won't find all these qualities either.

Any person who employs another automatically becomes a manager - the manager/employer is responsible to grow the employee into a better person.  therefore, find a person that's as close as you can and work with them - clearly establish your expectations without speaking down or mean to them - positive communication of what you expect.

Each day, you should ask them how their day is going and if there's anything you can help them with - maybe they have a problem they can't solve - no matter how small, could be a flat tire on a wheelbarrow or a horse that doesn't want to lead correctly - that they feel they cannot bring to your attention.

It's your duty to recognize their shortcomings, determine if there's a desire to build these weaknesses and help them build themselves into a good worker - to allow them to make more money either with you or someone else.

Start off at their level giving them things they can do - then when you see them succeed, tell them they're succeeding and ask them if they're willing to take on more.

each day they should get praise for something well done - praise for things well done goes much further in improving their performance and morale than does criticism for what they do wrong - if you MUST criticize something they do, tell them also at least two positive things they do right.

A teenager or college student without funds to keep a horse near them may be the best option for you - and a college student if available already has set forth goals for improvement and "making it" in life by simply going to college.

Don't give trust expect someone will be honest without seeing proof that they are, yet don't treat them as if they'll steal you blind. Respect gains respect.

Hope this helps - maybe check the local tack stores and post offerings for employment.

Answer 5

if you mean they dont bother to learnt the language... its not just you. i live in a particularly bad area and they get everything. im not being rude to the honest ones! just it is so common to find them all in one person. i think iv only met 1 person that ticks all the boxes!

Answer 6

Yeah, well good luck with that.  I am an office manager in a busy sales office and nothing makes me shudder and wish I could do anything else in the world as when it becomes necessary to HIRE SOMEBODY.  Anybody who has ever had to weed through poorly written resumes and interview people who couldn't string two sentences together gets what I'm talking about.  You finally make a decision to hire somebody and THEN you really get to know them.  OMG!!  You wouldn't believe the lies people will tell you!  And then the ones that have just too much drama in their lives to actually come to work!  Or they suddenly come down with some exotic illness or something.  Or they can't actually DO anything they claimed they could do.  I hired one person who said that she has designed all the spreadsheets at her former job and knew Excel in and out.  Suddenly she couldn't figure out how to TURN on the computer!!!  I feel your pain, I really do.  Shoot me in the head next time we have to go through the hiring process.  All I wanted was somebody who could do basic office jobs, had some computer knowledge, good work ethic and common sense.  Not as easy as it sounds.  Thank God I haven't had to do that for at least 4 years.  I've never gotten over the last employee search fiasco.

Thanks for listening to my rant.  Good luck!

Answer 7

have you tried Equimax??? I send you the site it is a country wide site that is for people seeking jobs in horses, from barn help, to grooms, too trainers. Im pretty sure you can look just for free, to place an add i think is 40 bucks, If not here you could put an add in your local paper under horses and boarding, for barn or stable help. I saw your other question on employment wages and my employees that do cleaning stalls, turn out, feeding and grooming. get minimum wage and up depending on how long they have been with me and how much Ive invested in there training.

http://equ.equimax.com:8080/index.htm

good luck

Answer 8

It's changed a LOT since the 1960's!  Back then you had mostly white, failed cowhands, men with records and those dodging alimony working on ranches.  By the 1970's I noticed that most of the stall cleaners in So.Cal were illegals and most didn't speak English.  Then they seemed to travel NORTH...  

Upon going back to my old stomping grounds as a kid, I noticed that the wranglers no longer spoke English and if you weren't up on your Spanish from highschool, you'd be at a loss.

Seems all are taking the jobs that nobody else wants nowadays, even when it comes to "wrangling renters"...

We'd all better brush up on our Spanish....

Answer 9

Funny you should mention it.

I have had that problem too. These are my observations from my neck of the woods.

In my opinion, many Americans would not choose the type of work we do. I see boarders come in for lessons (mostly teen to mid 20') driving daddies discarded Lexus or last years BMW. They certainly aren't interested in cleaning my stalls for $10 an hour. They don't even pick their own stalls lol! (you think I'm kidding, but I'm not).

Most of the help I find are not American born, and same as you said I don't care where you are from as long as you are honest, legal and speak english.

I don't know where the American work ethic has gone, but I am happy to hear others take on this.

Very good question btw.

Answer 10

Nope. The only people wanting to do work as a stable hand are teenage girls and non-english speakers. Try finding a high school or college kid and offer them discounted board if they work for you. I would do it.

Answer 11

Ohhhh I'm hearing you!! I'm not raciest but my gosh it is awful!!!!! Las Vegas is BAD here, too!!!!!!! As in southern Ca.!!!!  Some of the  elementary schools, English is secondary language. How in the heck does that happen???!!!!! The USA is slowly dieing...... Signs on the freeway in spanish..... Do you think they would do that for us in Mexico?? HeckNO!!! I think they ALL should have to learn English!!!! That is the difference in the immigrants way back then to the ones now. The ones now, know  they can suck off our government & we let them.......   sorry I have to stop I will get violated.

Answer 12

I hear that!

In my area, all stable help is from either Mexico or Argentina.

We have a lot of polo clubs around here and most of the polo horses are from Argentina too. It seems that when they bring in horses, help seem to follow.