I am usually really late to current event parties and postings like this one, but my DH sent this to me the other day and I did not see it posted. I hope the link works. I am not sure how to make it work if its broken.
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The Professional Grooms Association in the UK has been working really hard to raise the profile of grooms and it has done excellent work with FEI too. Good stuff.
My thoughts, when I saw the link - a white male is the face of pro grooms?
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He seemed to be the one who was quoted the most in the article, and he’s a white male.
He also works for a very successful European show jumper, and I think those guys have fewer Hispanic grooms over there.
Exactly, it’s a start, but this piece was just a bit light on the nitty gritty of the life the avg groom leads
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when I worked as a show horse groom in the early 1970s most grooms were white men/women. The Hispanic grooms were just coming into play,
That is when a groom’s pay went to hell.
I was being paid $250 a week plus tips in 1973… which is equivalent to $1777 a week in todays devalued dollar (92k annually in today’s dollars) The barns that were using at that time illegal aliens grooms were paying a faction
As the pay dropped those that could went onto to other work that paid.
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Sure, its a bit of a fluff piece, but when I was an FEI groom in the 2000’s+ I would have loved to be apart of this group.
@clanter The article focuses on EU grooms, I don’t think they have a large hispanic demographic there (but I could be wrong) with a small mention of TB track grooms. (My mom groomed at Belmont and was not paid anywhere near what you stated you were paid in 1973)
@Willesdon, that is awesome that there is a group in the UK as well. Having been out of the scene for 10 yrs, its nice to see that the hardest working people in the industry are getting recognized.
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@clanter $256 was my take-home pay as a groom in the mid-90’s. And there were not many tips, although that changed when I went for a reprise in the early oughts.
The British Grooms Association was the first ever membership organisation for grooms and others who work with horses. Since 2007, when it was set up by Lucy Katen, BGA has worked for better, fairer work conditions, education, support, employment ops, benefits such as personal insurance and, most importantly, for the industry wide recognition of the professional skills of grooms. In 2010 BGA became a member body of the British Equestrian Federation, the NGB. It has a good website: www.britishgrooms.org.uk
As recently as the 2018 WEG grooms did not have adequate accommodation. They were simply forgotten by the Tyron organizers. The International Grooms Association was established in 2022 at the request of the FEI. The Directors are an impressive bunch.
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I was a hunt groom in 1982-1984 for a very large yard. 27 horses with 13 active field hunters. Six day work week and on call for the 7th day. 10 hour work days during off season and up to 14 hour work days during the hunting season.
I was paid $125 a week with a bonus at holiday time. I was very young and probably very dumb, but it was grand.
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I love this!
I worked for a variety of hobby farms. Coaching, CDE’s etc. These were east coast, privatly owned “fun” for the owner that did not employee hispanic help.
Pay always included housing and basic ulitities. If I wanted cable/phone I paid for that (thank god for cell phones) I would call myself a professional, freelance groom for 2001-2012 Pay was never more than $350.00 a week (plus living accomindations) and all travel expenses. Managed barns with an average of 10-20 horses/ponies. Usually with one other person.
6 days a week, no holidays, 10+hour days, on the road/shows the days were longer.
I was in my 20’s, single, had a dog, was not tied down anywhere, everything I owned I could fit in the back of my Corolla. I got to go to Europe for 2 summers all paid for by the owner/driver, groomed under the US flag at 2 WEG’s, spent a summer in England, again on someone elses dime, and while my knees are paying the price now, it was a great time and met a ton of wonderful people. I loved the nomadic life of following the sun and shows.
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Can anyone add a gift link?
Sorry about that, I thought I was sharing the gift link. See of that works Axl. If not, I will C&P the article.
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