Thanks for all responses.
Fifteen years ago, I got $100/day - housing and food during the day paid for (I usually bought my own Chinese take out before collapsing in to bed). I would expect AT LEAST that, probably more because it’s not 2002 anymore
I know that $100/day is on the lower end in Texas, with hotel and food being paid for. So I’d say MINIMUM that, but try to angle for more depending on what other people reply!
The issue here is you aren’t really a “day groom”, you’re more a long term freelance since you are working weeks rather than days, like at a one week show.
It might be very hard for you to renegotiate at this point, and you’re working seven days a week? But if they aren’t awful and you think you can renegotiate I would be looking for a weekly pay rate of at least 750, which is maybe less than a true day groom might make, but again, you aren’t really a day groom working weeks on end for the same people.
I show A/AA shows. Grooms start at 5AM- sometimes earlier depending on how many horses we have to hack. Stay until trainer is done, as late as 10PM if there is a night class. No matter how many grooms we have (often our main groom has extra guys depending on the amount of horses we have going) we pay $500/week plus tips. It just got raised from $400 to $500 this year. I usually tip $100 per week, $150 if it’s a two-week show (because they work that Monday). Often our grooms stay on-site- if there are showers, and sleep in the feed stall/dressing room stall/clean trailer. Even if we don’t provide it, they often have a network of on-site places to stay.
At the last show, my horse got an abscess on the first day of classes (Wednesday) on week two. My horse ended up hitching a ride home on Friday. I paid for the whole week- just like I paid my stall fee for the whole week. If anything those three days he was dealing with the abscess was a bigger pain than if he was showing- soaking 2x a day, hand walking possibly the most obnoxious horse when stall bound, and re-wrapping hoof after soaking. He also kept my horse in cross-ties as much as possible because he likes being in the center of activity.
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