How to Start Working in Equestrian Circus

So, you’ve been training really hard and you’re ready to take that step and get your first job as a performer. And even if you’re not quite ready, it is a good idea to start thinking about these things anyway.

Reaching Out to the Industry

You should have a few things prepared before you start contacting shows and events for booking. Keep updating these as you gain experience and skills.

  • Demo video: Put together a video of your best skills to demonstrate what you have to offer to a show. Demo videos should be made up of short video clips that show a variety of skills. Two to four minutes is a good length for a demo. Longer is not always better – casting agents and show managers often do not have time to sift through long videos. Need an example? Here is my demo.
  • Bio: Write a short bio that describes a little bit about who you are, your background, and the skills you focus on. Need an example? Here’s mine.
  • Resume: This one isn’t always applicable, but some shows do request a resume along with your bio and demo video. Even if you don’t have any performing experience yet, you can still put together a resume. Things to include in lieu of performing experience: any professional work you have done with horses such as training, care, and coaching, any competition experience/accomplishments, the disciplines you are training currently, and work experience outside of performing.
  • Headshot: Invest in a professional headshot, as this is something almost every casting call and audition will require. Many photographers do headshot sessions at a reasonable price. You might even get lucky and find a photographer who will throw in some headshots for free if you and your horse model for them. Trade/TFP sessions like these are great for building each other’s portfolios, and you might get some great promo photos out of the deal.
  • Passport: Don’t think you need a passport right now? Get a passport. There will be scenarios where shows and international tours need a performer – right now! If you already have a passport, it can be the deciding factor in whether you are hired or not.

Be a Working Student

I do recommend spending some time as a working student or intern working for experienced performers before trying to get hired on your own. This is a great way to learn new skills and get some real performing experience.

Start by looking at which shows and performing groups are out there, and ask yourself which ones offer skills that you would like to learn. Pick several that pique your interest the most, and contact them to see if they have any working student or volunteer opportunities available. If they don’t, you may need to reach out to other shows, or wait a few months until something opens up.

Did you find a show that is willing to take on a working student? Awesome! Now hold up a minute. How much do you know about these people? What are their expectations of you? What are your expectations of them? How long will the internship period last? Is there housing provided? Is there any opportunity for paid work, either now or in the future? What are the hours and tasks expected of you? Do these hours leave enough time for you to take a part time job to pay your bills? Who is currently working there who you might be interacting with?

These are just the basics you should be asking before taking on the huge commitment of becoming a working student. In addition to getting the facts, I would try to get to know the people you would be working with as much as you can before accepting the position, especially if you will be moving to a new location in order to work with them. Some performers are wonderful people who are also great coaches. Others treat the working student position as a way to get free labor and as a license to treat you any way they want. Please take this warning and stand up for yourself. If you are ever being treated in a disrespectful way in your working environment, it is time to re-evaluate the situation.

Your First Paid Contract

So at this point, you’ve been training and/or doing the working student thing for awhile now, and you have an offer for paid work. How exciting! Just like accepting a working student position, find out all the information first. How much will you be paid? Are you paid per week, per show, or in total? What is expected of you? What acts will you be expected to perform in, and what are the requirements outside of shows? Is housing, transportation to and from, plane tickets, or food included? Are the housing conditions acceptable? What happens if shows are canceled – is your pay guaranteed? It should be. Get all this information in a written contract.

Repeat after me. GET A WRITTEN CONTRACT.

Now don’t get me wrong. You probably won’t be offered the best contract your first time out. And that’s okay! However, you still have to look out for your physical, mental and financial well-being. Your safety should be a top concern. (Repeat after me… MY SAFETY IS A TOP CONCERN. Okay, okay… I promise I’ll stop doing that now.) You should be treated with respect. And while you probably won’t be making a pile of money, you shouldn’t be broke at the end of the contract.

Let me tell you a little about one of my first contracts. It really isn’t a short story, but a book I should write one day, but for our purposes I’ll keep it short. I got a call one day from a group that had a contract starting in Canada in a couple weeks that was short a cossack rider. I had no cossack experience, but they were getting desperate and they were willing to train me since I had a passport and experience in trick riding and vaulting, and I had worked for some of their friends before so I came with a recommendation. Since it was such short notice and I was excited to gain experience, no written contract was signed. They did have me sign a form releasing them of liability – red flag. Basically, the tour was a series of nightmares. They had me fly into Florida for rehearsals even though there was a category 5 hurricane scheduled to hit, and then they failed to provide safe housing during the storm. I ended up renting a car out of pocket to go stay with family several hours away. They had us riding in an RV which had no AC or heat, and later started leaking toxic fumes into our living space. When asked to fix this, they said they had no money. The rig broke down at one point and we were stranded in a Canadian snowstorm for several days. We missed shows because of this and we were not paid. They never reimbursed my plane tickets like they promised to. We were made to sleep in Canada and Alaska in October with no heat on several occasions. At one point I wasn’t given an opportunity to shower for 6 days. During that time we were asked to climb on top of the circus tent and lay in freezing, muddy water and assemble the tent side walls that the ground crew hadn’t finished. At another point, the boss man got angry and left me and another performer in the middle of the night in the Yukon in a van that was barely running. We were asked to perform in unsafe conditions. Guys, I wish I was exaggerating, but these things all happened and more. At times, I wondered if I was really going to make it through. I ended up flying home early at my own expense, because I simply didn’t want to risk my well-being anymore.

Don’t be like me. Do your homework. Wait for the right opportunity. There are some wonderful people in this industry, and there are some terrible people. I’m nice enough to leave out names, but really, if they wanted to be spoken highly of, they should have behaved better. Let this be your warning! Ask all of the questions! Don’t just ask if they offer housing… ask if that housing comes with a heater! But really though…

That being said, I hope your first experiences performing are wonderful. Have a question? Please comment or contact me directly!

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