Animal Trainers

Earnings of animal trainers can vary widely according to specialty and place of employment. Salaries ranged from $28,960 to $65,320 a year or more in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The median salary for animal trainers was $38,810. In June 2024, Glassdoor.com reported salaries that ranged from $51,000 to $83,000 for animal trainers, averaging $65,000. Those who earn higher salaries are in upper management and spend more time running the business than working with animals.

In the field of racehorse training, however, trainers are paid an average fee of $50 or more a day for each horse, plus 10 percent of any money their horses win in races. Thoroughbred OwnerView.com states that a trainer's day rate can range from $50 at a small race track to as much as $120 or more at a major race track. Depending on the horse and the races it runs, this can exceed the average high-end earnings for a trainer. Show horse trainers may earn as much as $30,000 to $35,000 a year. Trainers in business for themselves set their own fees for teaching both horses and owners.

Benefits for full-time workers include vacation and sick time, health, and sometimes dental, insurance, and pension or 401(k) plans. Self-employed trainers must provide their own benefits.