Groom du Jour

[chaserider]

Not a foxhunter, just a wannabe. In the meantime, my riding instructor has asked me if I would like to groom for two of her boarders who will be foxhunting this weekend for Opening Day. Happy to do it - great opportunity to see the beginning of the hunt. BUT! Questions:

1. jeans and paddock boots and a nice clean polo in the hunt colors o.k. for me to wear?

2. though my instructor said she would give me some pointers for the day, anybody else have certain expectations of their hunting groom that I could hear about? I would like to do a nice job for these folks and reflect well on my instructor for choosing me to do this.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

[ecileh]

I think clean, nice jeans (no holes, stains, etc) would be fine, but if you want to make a good impression with the Masters of said hunt, khakis would be better. Tuck in the polo and wear a belt, too.

Horses and riders should be spotless before the hunt moves off (when they come back this will be a different story entirely!)…so keep a towel handy and possibly something like a lint roller or clean brush to get last minute horse hair off of the jackets of your riders.

Personally, I am always parched as a desert when I am done with a hunt…if I had a groom to hand me water and hold my horse for a moment while I drink, I would probably kiss them.

Random tip: If you find yourself near the hounds, do not interact with them–tempting as it may be. They are there to work and should be focused on the huntsman.

As an aside, if the hunt has road whips and you get the chance, see if you can hop in one of the cars and tag along. It will be a good way to see the hunt in action and learn more about what is going on. You may even wind up with a hound or two in your lap by the end of things.

Have fun!

[Foxglove]

Ok --confession --a million years ago I pulled into a big estate to hunt with my club --a scruffy little man directed me on where to put my trailer, then helped me unload my horses (horse for me, horse for a whip). He helped me brush and tack, then held my horse while I mounted, giving my boots a final rub. He led the staff horse to the whip. We milled around a bit waiting for the land owner to appear which he did after a bit, impeccably turned out on a to-die-for grey. It was only then I realized he was the scruffy man who had so nicely helped me groom, saddle, and wiped my boots. To this day I try to remember to speak politely and kindly to everyone at the hunt (and every place else) because you never know who is the land owner and who is the groom.

Foxglove

[mvp]

OP, the much bigger deal is the work you’ll do for the horses and riders when they return from the hunt. Rider will really want to just hand you the horse. Horses and their tack will be a hot mess. Hopefully, the horses will not literally still be hot; they will have had a long walk in.

But your job is to efficiently set to work getting everything cleaned up so that when the HO comes back from the hunt breakfast, the horses are ready to load and go home. Ideally, they are also clean, dry and wrapped (or not) such that the HO can put them directly into their stalls or paddocks at home. Same goes for tack. You want everything to be ready to go back into the tack room.

If you will ride to and from the hunt, you take care of the unpacking and cleaning of the trailer.

You would do well to bring the equipment you like to use. I suggest a nozzle at least and perhaps a hose if you think conditions at the hunt will be primitive. Maybe you even need buckets and a water heater? I bring an old grain back along for the dirty laundry and a tack hook to make cleaning the tack easier.

Just ask yourself what you would want done if you were in the rider’s shoes and you’ll know how to be a good groom.

[BeastieSlave]

mvp has a good point. After hunt is very important!

As tempting as it is to ride along and road whip, you need to be SURE to be back before your riders return. Personally, I’d be worried that wouldn’t happen - especially if I didn’t know the people running things. And what if one of ‘your people/horses’ comes in early? It would not be good if you weren’t there.

Just go prepared to keep yourself amused (or take a nap) while everyone is out hunting.

[RPM]

So? How’d it go?

[chaserider]

[QUOTE=RPM;8819768]
So? How’d it go? :)[/QUOTE]

It went very well, thanks to all of your great tips. I stayed with the trailer while they hunted which worked out since I corralled a rogue hound and returned him to the kennel! While the riders enjoyed their breakfast, I cleaned tack. When we returned to the barn I hosed off the horses and helped put stuff away.

Your suggestions were always in my mind and helped me do a good job. They asked if I would be available in the future and told my instructor I did a great job.

Thanks again, all!

[RPM]

Yay! Congratulations! Thanks for letting us know.