Racing
Careers Pathways: Horse Transport
Ever wondered how horses get from stable to track – or from sales to spelling paddocks? It’s a crucial, behind-the-scenes job that demands patience, horse knowledge and care.
This is more than just driving. It's about understanding every horse's unique needs and keeping them safe and relaxed in transit, and that's one of the reasons why the growth of Clover Glen Racehorse Transport has been rapid since Craig Fitzgerald started the business in 2019.Initially starting out with a single three berth horse float on the back of a land cruiser, Clover Glen now has two six berth trucks and two three berth floats. Craig's son Jesse who's a plumber by trade has stepped in to help run the business and drive the trucks, and Clover Glen now employs two full time staff plus contractors.
"It is really hard to find people that A, have a truck licence and B, know how to handle racehorses and provide that care and respect and take the time to understand the different personalities and needs," said Jesse Fitzgerald.
"The best thing for us is every driver that we have has a horse background. I grew up on the farm with horses and obviously dad has always been around them.
"We do get a few contractors in and every single one of them has a horse background. It's important you know your way around a horse and the driving aspect, because trainers and owners want to know that their horse will be safe during travels and that's what we pride ourselves on - making sure we get the horse to the destination safely with no dramas.
"Some horses need extra space in the float or don't like the float and only like travelling in the truck because they get nervous. Just like people they all have lots of different quirks and we do have that understanding to be patient and load them in a way that keeps them relaxed," he said.
With Clover Glen servicing most trainers in South Australia and contracting to the bigger interstate transport companies, demand is high.
Magic Millions in March is the busiest time of year. Clover Glen moved over 80 horses from the sales to their new homes.
"Trust is a massive part of it. Obviously once you gain that it makes life a lot easier, and I think we have got a really good working relationship with most of the trainers. They know the service that we provide, and they know that we will do our best and take care of their horses and that's why I guess we get a lot of the work around Morphettville and Murray Bridge now," said Jesse.
"The trainers we work closely with, we're basically picking up from their stables and we can go into their stables, grab them, load the horse up on the truck and take them to where they need to go whether it's races, trials or out to their spellers.
"When we contract to the bigger transport companies it's more or less grabbing the horse from the properties where they are and getting them to an easier location to be loaded into a big semi.
"During Carnival we can be really busy as well when the interstate horses are being looked after here and we might be called on to transport racehorses down to the beach where they can have a swim or go for a ride," he said.
And with demand for transport continuing to grow, what skills do you need to be a driver?
"A background in horses is preferred but it is something you could learn on the job so if it is something you're interested in it is definitely a career path you could go down.
"You need to know how to handle horses and in those confined spaces too. When you are in a truck it's a small, confined space and you need composure and patience to not to get flustered when things do go a little bit hairy sometimes.
"You obviously need a truck license and an understanding of how to operate a vehicle, and also a big truck at a slower pace. Driving horses around, that are very often worth a lot of money is a big responsibility and a different type of driving to what you normally see on the road," said Jesse.
Racing SA Careers helps to highlight and provide career pathways into the local industry which supports over 3,000 jobs in South Australia.
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