Livestock worker to equine worker
A livestock worker already meets 32% of what the equine worker role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.6/ 100
1 How much of what an equine worker is expected to do is already part of a livestock worker’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 equine worker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An equine worker role treats 4 of its required skills as things a livestock worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assist animal birth
- biology
- maintain pastures
- maintain the farm
What stands in the way is 10 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An equine worker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a livestock worker background worth leading with.
- already held maintain the farm constructing
- already held maintain pastures handling and moving
- already held breed stock handling and moving
- already held equine dental diseases agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held train horses handling and moving
- already held present the farm facilities communication, collaboration and creativity
All 11 carried skills, including the 4 the equine worker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 9 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 clean horse's legs required
- still to learn clean stalls required
- still to learn control animal movement required
- still to learn provide care for horses required
- still to learn teach young horses required
- optional, not held assess equid footcare requirements optional
- optional, not held attach horseshoes optional
- optional, not held make farrier tools and supplies optional
- optional, not held prepare equid hooves optional
- still to learn breed-specific behaviour of horses required
- optional, not held livestock species optional
- still to learn young horses training required
- still to learn supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings required
- still to learn animal welfare legislation required
- still to learn biosecurity required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an equine worker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 breed-specific behaviour of horses study this
- 02 clean horse's legs practise this
- 03 clean stalls practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held assist animal birth skill
- already held biology knowledge
- already held maintain pastures skill
- already held maintain the farm skill
- already held agritourism knowledge
- already held agronomical production principles knowledge
- already held breed stock skill
- already held equine dental diseases knowledge
- already held operate agricultural machinery skill
- already held present the farm facilities skill
- already held train horses skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held analyse animal locomotion optional
- optional, not held assess lameness in horses optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held safe horseback riding principles optional
- optional, not held transportation vehicles for horses optional
- optional, not held assess requirement for horseshoes optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse animal locomotion optional
- optional, not held assess equid footcare requirements optional
- optional, not held assess lameness in horses optional
- optional, not held assess requirement for horseshoes optional
- optional, not held attach horseshoes optional
- optional, not held livestock species optional
- optional, not held make farrier tools and supplies optional
- optional, not held prepare equid hooves optional
- optional, not held safe horseback riding principles optional
- optional, not held transportation vehicles for horses optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
40 held skills the equine worker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role animal nutrition knowledge
- not needed by the target role arrange tables skill
- not needed by the target role breed ducks skill
- not needed by the target role breed goats skill
- not needed by the target role breed ostriches skill
- not needed by the target role breed rabbits skill
- not needed by the target role breed snails skill
- not needed by the target role clean rooms skill
- not needed by the target role computerised feeding systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct shearing of wool skill
- not needed by the target role control livestock disease skill
- not needed by the target role cut pig's teeth skill
- not needed by the target role direct the preparation of food skill
- not needed by the target role dock pig's tail skill
- not needed by the target role handle feathers skill
- not needed by the target role handle pigs skill
- not needed by the target role harvest crop skill
- not needed by the target role install irrigation systems skill
- not needed by the target role livestock feeding knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain farm equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain linen operation skill
- not needed by the target role manage crop production skill
- not needed by the target role manage farm supplies skill
- not needed by the target role manage grain storage skill
- not needed by the target role manage the health and welfare of livestock skill
- not needed by the target role milk animals skill
- not needed by the target role monitor crops skill
- not needed by the target role monitor the production of eggs skill
- not needed by the target role operate dairy farms skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role perform farm equipment hygiene skill
- not needed by the target role perform milk control skill
- not needed by the target role process dairy farm products skill
- not needed by the target role process harvested honey skill
- not needed by the target role raise hens skill
- not needed by the target role recycle livestock manure skill
- not needed by the target role serve food in table service skill
- not needed by the target role skin animals skill
- not needed by the target role slaughter animals skill
- not needed by the target role store raw food materials skill
7 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 breed-specific behaviour of horses required
- still to learn young horses training required
- still to learn animal welfare legislation required
- still to learn biosecurity required
- optional, not held livestock species optional
- optional, not held safe horseback riding principles optional
- optional, not held transportation vehicles for horses optional
Common questions about this move
Can a livestock worker become an equine worker?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A livestock worker already covers 32% of what an equine worker is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 4 of which the equine worker role treats as required.
What skills does a livestock worker need to become an equine worker?
10 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is breed-specific behaviour of horses.
How hard is the move from livestock worker to equine worker?
Its learning distance is 67.6 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.