Career Opportunities

2026 Yearling Preparation Team

Looking to join a fun team that lives and breathes horses? Come join us at Waikato Stud as we prepare another draft of quality yearlings bound for New Zealand and Australia’s leading sales. We’re very proud to have bred and offered stars like Atishu, Savaglee and 2025 Karaka Millions winner La Dorada.

This is a hands-on role working with some of the best young horses in the country. If you’re reliable, ready to learn and thrive in a team, we’d love to hear from you.

Dates: Start date is as early as October 2025 through to 27 January 2026 – availability to work at the Karaka Yearling Sale is required.

About the role
A typical weekday starts with feeding the horses in their boxes and bringing them in from their turnout paddocks.

Once the yearlings are boxed for the morning, your day will be directed by the Yearling Manager or 2IC. Duties include grooming, hand walking (exercising), washing, educating with gear, parade practice for clients and assisting with photos and videos.

You’ll also be responsible for mucking out, filling waters and assisting the vet and farrier as needed. General cleaning and maintenance tasks, as expected on a working farm, will also form part of the role.

We offer competitive remuneration based on experience, with shared on-farm accommodation available.

Weekends
Weekend hours run from 6am to 5pm, with every second weekend being a shorter shift focused solely on feeding and checking horses in the morning and afternoon.

About you
We’re looking for someone with a strong work ethic, a team-first mentality and a can-do, will-do attitude. Ideally, you’ll have experience or confidence handling both colts and fillies, but we also welcome those newer to the industry who are eager to learn and grow. You must hold an eligible New Zealand work visa. Clear communication, a willingness to follow direction and a positive attitude are essential.

Thank you for your consideration, we hope you join us – The WS Team