FEI grooms sleep in the tack rooms of the non-FEI barns 
At one show I went running over to another barn who is well known for having donuts and sweets available 24/7 (obviously a kids and very ammy friendly barn, not geared towards the Eq or other needing to be super thin sorts) and accidentally punted a sleeping man. He was not one of their grooms! Poor guy is probably still mildly traumatized by being kicked awake by a chubby middle aged woman feening for some sugah!
I can only speak to straight fei grooms/shows where there is no non fei stabling. And most fei grooms I know would not be sleeping in stalls. We work long hours in all weather so yeah, sleeping in the boxes would pretty much be the last straw. I can’t imagine expecting your groom to sleep in boxes.
[QUOTE=jiona;8878595]
Groom here:
I typically ask for $100/ day + food and a stall to sleep in for any show. Sometimes I might take care of 2 horses, while other times I take care of 12. An average day usually consists of getting up at 6AM and going to bed at 1AM when I work for people with more than 10 horses. Usually, the trainer I work for negotiates down to an average of $80/ day, which is still considered good in the industry. I do all clipping, grooming, braiding, mucking, and cleaning for the trainer (or as much as I am physically capable of doing). Clients usually tip me from $20-100 per horse they bring, although I have gotten no tips from clients with 6+ horses.[/QUOTE]
IMO, you need to rethink your rates. :lol: If you are taking care of two horses, fine but anything more and you are really under selling yourself, especially if you are braiding. I would move to a per horse model, set prices at $50/per horse and add braiding on extra at the going braiding rates for your area.
I have never seen or heard of any grooms sleeping in stalls on the East Coast, at least not in the last 25-30 years. Most stay in hotel rooms, although some will stay in campers on the showgrounds.
I cannot image asking my grooms to sleep in a stall. I have one simple rule: if I wouldn’t stay there, then no one who works for me should either.
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Wow! As a saddleseat groom, I need to get into the hunter world! $50/ horse and a hotel!? And you don’t even groom them, just care!? I usually clean all tack/ carts, do all bathing, blowdrying, braiding, painting feet, and tacking plus the regular horse care for 8ish horses at $100/ day, sleeping in a stall… How do I start grooming for hunters!? lol
[QUOTE=RugBug;8879001]
IMO, you need to rethink your rates. :lol: If you are taking care of two horses, fine but anything more and you are really under selling yourself, especially if you are braiding. I would move to a per horse model, set prices at $50/per horse and add braiding on extra at the going braiding rates for your area.[/QUOTE]
For the circuit I’m on, I’m paid really well… After I saw some of the going rates for the hunters, I’m thinking about switching over this summer haha
Staying in a stall is pretty common. It’s nice to be able to get up if a horse becomes cast/ loose and address the issue. I honestly don’t mind it if as long as I have a ceiling (tarp) and drapes for walls. I bring an AC unit if it’s hot.
I expect the clients to tip $20 per day, non showing and $40 per day showing.
In my barn, my grooms got their weekly normal salary plus $25 extra per day for food money since they are having to buy every meal. We also paid for their hotel room. The average weekly salary was about $500 per week. Normally, one groom was assigned to 3-4 horses. The clients tipped them either per show or gave a bigger tip at the end of a series like Florida or Vermont. I don’t think there is a set amount to tip but keep in mind the amount of days the horse showed and the early morning hours or late days the groom had to work with the horse. A good groom is a major part of the overall success so take good care of them!!!
Necroposting sometimes brings up the most interesting threads…
[QUOTE=ladyj79;8878996]
I can only speak to straight fei grooms/shows where there is no non fei stabling. And most fei grooms I know would not be sleeping in stalls. We work long hours in all weather so yeah, sleeping in the boxes would pretty much be the last straw. I can’t imagine expecting your groom to sleep in boxes.[/QUOTE]
Because they are not expected to sleep in a box.
Grooms are paid for hotel lodging. The ones who get paid cash before the show to acquire lodging choose to spend it how they wish. Many if not most of the younger guys will choose their portable cot and sleeping bag, most of the older guys either use a camper or a hotel. Some (not most) trainers will just purchase a hotel room.
Which “straight fei shows” do you attend?
[QUOTE=MHM;8879005]
I have never seen or heard of any grooms sleeping in stalls on the East Coast, at least not in the last 25-30 years. Most stay in hotel rooms, although some will stay in campers on the showgrounds.[/QUOTE]
Grooms start about 4 am, and end well after you leave. Come early or stay late some time.
Most do not stall sleep at Thermal or Bend out here, it is nasty cold at night. But the rest of the shows have temperate weather for the most part.
[QUOTE=jiona;8879282]
Wow! As a saddleseat groom, I need to get into the hunter world! $50/ horse and a hotel!? And you don’t even groom them, just care!? I usually clean all tack/ carts, do all bathing, blowdrying, braiding, painting feet, and tacking plus the regular horse care for 8ish horses at $100/ day, sleeping in a stall… How do I start grooming for hunters!? lol[/QUOTE]
Just to be clear–our grooms do all the grooming and feeding and tack cleaning and longing, bathing, tacking up and down, stall cleaning, ice-packing, hand walking etc. The only thing they don’t do is braiding. I’d say its a 5 am-9 pm job at most shows. And the pay is $50 per day per horse at the show. At most shows we have at least 2 grooms if there are more than 4 horses so that fee would be split (say 7 horses at $50/day = $350 a day split between the grooms plus tip).
[QUOTE=TresGauche;8879746]
Grooms start about 4 am, and end well after you leave. Come early or stay late some time.[/QUOTE]
Oops! :eek::lol:
?? Did you mean to put my quoted response to MHM with your quote of mst?
Nope. I failed at posting on my phone. Internet is still down at my house.
I’m totally lost LOL!!
Is Capital Challenge so small this year literally no one went? Or is that not one you like to go to?
Thanks for the insight into horse show life. That’s the best laugh I’ve had in a long time. 
I can assure you that I’ve been at horse shows at all hours in many capacities, but I’ve never slept in a stall in the process. Nor have I seen others do that. Again, my experience is based on standard practice on the East Coast.
It’s just that MHM is a top free lance groom, much in demand. So your suggestion that she come early and leave late was funny to me.
I try to avoid all finals if at all possible. The only time I went to CC was the year I showed there.
