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Livestock farm workers

How to become a Racing Stable Hand

Also called: Stable Lad, Racehorse Groom, Stud Groom

Trains and looks after racehorses and gets horses that are ready to run into races.

Workers in this job say high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

For central (JRA) racing, to become a stable hand you must complete the set course at the Japan Racing Association's Horse Racing School and then pass the recruitment exam run by the Japan Racehorse Trainers Association. For regional (local government) racing, stables recruit when there is a vacancy. To apply for the course at the JRA Horse Racing School, you need at least one year of experience riding racehorses, horses in training or riding horses, and must be able to ride three gaits (walk, trot and canter) on your own. The first stage includes written tests on general knowledge (reading and writing kanji, and social studies) and on horse racing, along with physical and motor function tests. The second stage is a riding aptitude test and an interview. For regional racing, there is no training school such as the Horse Racing School and no regular exam. You need a deep interest in and love of horses, the ability to get on with others since facilities are shared, and the strength to handle racehorses weighing 400 to 500 kg and do all the work involved. To keep racing fair, it is also important to have firm moral values.

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Racing Stable Hand?

For central (JRA) racing, to become a stable hand you must complete the set course at the Japan Racing Association's Horse Racing School and then pass the recruitment exam run by the Japan Racehorse Trainers Association. For regional (local government) racing, stables recruit when there is a vacancy. To apply for the course at the JRA Horse Racing School, you need at least one year of experience riding racehorses, horses in training or riding horses, and must be able to ride three gaits (walk, trot and canter) on your own. The first stage includes written tests on general knowledge (reading and writing kanji, and social studies) and on horse racing, along with physical and motor function tests. The second stage is a riding aptitude test and an interview. For regional racing, there is no training school such as the Horse Racing School and no regular exam. You need a deep interest in and love of horses, the ability to get on with others since facilities are shared, and the strength to handle racehorses weighing 400 to 500 kg and do all the work involved. To keep racing fair, it is also important to have firm moral values.

How much does a Racing Stable Hand earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,607,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Agriculture, forestry and fishery workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Racing Stable Hand?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 13% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Racing Stable Hand?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026