Horse trainer to pet sitter
A horse trainer already meets 48% of what the pet sitter role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.8/ 100
1 How much of what a pet sitter is expected to do is already part of a horse trainer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the pet sitter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A pet sitter role treats 11 of its required skills as things a horse trainer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- animal behaviour
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- apply animal hygiene practices
- biosecurity related to animals
- implement exercise activities for animals
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A pet sitter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a horse trainer background worth leading with.
- already held provide an enriching environment for animals handling and moving
- already held implement exercise activities for animals handling and moving
- already held assess animal's condition information skills
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare management skills
- already held provide nutrition to animals handling and moving
- already held biosecurity related to animals agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
All 15 carried skills, including the 11 the pet sitter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assist in transportation of animals required
- still to learn control animal movement required
- still to learn manage animal welfare required
- still to learn handle veterinary emergencies required
- optional, not held follow client animal handling programme optional
- optional, not held breed reptiles optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held provide dog walking services optional
- optional, not held provide home pet sitting services optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held understand the needs of animals optional
- still to learn manage animal biosecurity required
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- still to learn environmental enrichment for animals required
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
- optional, not held handle petty cash optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a pet sitter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist in transportation of animals practise this
- 02 control animal movement practise this
- 03 environmental enrichment for animals study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held animal behaviour knowledge
- already held animal welfare knowledge
- already held animal welfare legislation knowledge
- already held apply animal hygiene practices skill
- already held biosecurity related to animals knowledge
- already held implement exercise activities for animals skill
- already held monitor the welfare of animals skill
- already held provide an enriching environment for animals skill
- already held provide first aid to animals skill
- already held provide nutrition to animals skill
- already held signs of animal illness knowledge
- already held anatomy of animals knowledge
- already held assess animal's condition skill
- already held make decisions regarding the animal's welfare skill
- already held physiology of animals knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held deal with challenging people optional
- optional, not held animal species optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held follow client animal handling programme optional
- optional, not held breed reptiles optional
- optional, not held calculate rates per hours optional
- optional, not held cope with challenging circumstances in the veterinary sector optional
- optional, not held groom animals optional
- optional, not held maintain animal accommodation hygienic optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held provide dog walking services optional
- optional, not held provide home pet sitting services optional
- optional, not held understand the animal's situation optional
- optional, not held understand the needs of animals optional
- optional, not held animal species optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held deal with challenging people optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
- optional, not held handle petty cash optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
23 held skills the pet sitter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise customers on appropriate pet care skill
- not needed by the target role advise on animal purchase skill
- not needed by the target role advise on animal welfare skill
- not needed by the target role advise on care products for pets skill
- not needed by the target role assess animal behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role assess customers skill
- not needed by the target role breed-specific behaviour of horses knowledge
- not needed by the target role care for horses skill
- not needed by the target role clean stalls skill
- not needed by the target role create animal records skill
- not needed by the target role design plans to address undesirable behaviour in animals skill
- not needed by the target role design training programmes for animals skill
- not needed by the target role design training programmes for individuals and animals skill
- not needed by the target role develop an animal handling strategy skill
- not needed by the target role horse anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide animal training skill
- not needed by the target role teach young horses skill
- not needed by the target role train animals and individuals to work together skill
- not needed by the target role train horses skill
- not needed by the target role transport horses skill
- not needed by the target role treat animals ethically skill
- not needed by the target role work with veterinarians skill
- not needed by the target role young horses training knowledge
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn environmental enrichment for animals required
- still to learn safe work practices in a veterinary setting required
- optional, not held animal species optional
Common questions about this move
Can a horse trainer become a pet sitter?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A horse trainer already covers 48% of what a pet sitter is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 11 of which the pet sitter role treats as required.
What skills does a horse trainer need to become a pet sitter?
7 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is assist in transportation of animals.
How hard is the move from horse trainer to pet sitter?
Its learning distance is 56.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.