Racing and Breeding

The Racing industry in Australia is one of the largest in the world and not only covers horse racing (thoroughbred and harness) and greyhound racing it also has a diverse range of other businesses including breeding/farming and management of facilities used specifically for these activities.

Almost every occupation in the Racing industry involve a relevant industry licence and both racing and breeding are highly regulated requiring proof of proficiency, integrity, safety and experience.

What does this industry cover?

The Racing industry is not just about racing and breeding, it also includes re-training and re-homing of thoroughbreds and greyhounds. Greyhounds have proven to make great pets due to their gentle natures and thoroughbreds excel in new sport roles such as show jumping and polo, or other roles such as pleasure horses and paddock mates.

Occupations that have licencing requirements are: Trainers, Jockeys, Stablehands and Kennelhands, Float drivers, Farriers, Syndicate promoters and Rider agents.

Job hunting information

Top priority skills are Animal welfare/integrity and ethical conduct.

The Racing and Breeding industry have some extremely challenging work environments with long hours and are quite transient moving from state to state for race meets.

There remains a critical shortage of track riders, and stable staff. Track riders should have some degree of knowledge on riding and handling of horses.

Information for further research

Industry information is published by peak level associations, government and major employers. Accessing industry association sites, including member lists, is a good way of building up an understanding of an industry. Visiting employer websites and looking for careers or employment menus helps identify how employers recruit and the skills they are recruiting.