Also called: Starting Gate Crew, Gate Crew Member
Loads racehorses into the starting gate and keeps them calm until the race starts.
Leads a nervous thoroughbred into a narrow gate stall, holds its head steady for seconds that feel like minutes, then jumps clear when the bell rings.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. On-the-job training; horse-handling experience.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing slowly. Racing is shrinking slightly.
Low risk for 10 years. Starting gates get safer, but loading nervous racehorses by hand stays physical, risky human work.
Age 18+. One way to start: Ask the starter at a racetrack about gate crew openings, then get licensed at the track office First: State racing commission license (application, fingerprints and fee)
Classes: Physical education, Agriscience (FFA), Biology, Spanish.
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.