So how did it go?
[QUOTE=normandy_shores;4027290]
So, Saturday is my first day as a groom on the track.
Typically, what does a groom need to do/know? I’ve got tons of experience with english disciplines (h/j/dressage), but I’m sure there are differences (not to mention the time pressure!).
Duties?[/QUOTE]
Probably most important that nobody mentioned was workload. No groom should have any more than an absolute maximum of 3 horses to rub. Any more than that and their not getting proper care. Don’t associate yourself with such fly by nighyt gyp outfits. Avoid them like the plague you have nothing to learn from them. 3 HORSES MAX!
George
George - that may have been true 30 years ago but nowadays its much more common to expect an experienced groom to rub about 5.
[QUOTE=Jessi P;4033747]
George - that may have been true 30 years ago but nowadays its much more common to expect an experienced groom to rub about 5.[/QUOTE]Not at a reputable professional outfit. Is all about inability or unwillingness to pay help. Matter of fact there were a lot of things done 30 years ago that should be returned to.
George
I know barns that win at 30% with 6-7 horses per grooom. Good help is good help regardless of how many they each rub.
You are going to have to provide her with a list of people you recommend her working for then. I have never heard of anyone only grooming 3, if you waited to find that you wouldn’t have a job.
[QUOTE=JHUshoer20;4033700]
Probably most important that nobody mentioned was workload. No groom should have any more than an absolute maximum of 3 horses to rub. Any more than that and their not getting proper care. Don’t associate yourself with such fly by nighyt gyp outfits. Avoid them like the plague you have nothing to learn from them. 3 HORSES MAX!
George[/QUOTE]
Three?? That’s just not realistic and telling a newbie groom to only associate with stables with a 3 to 1 ratio of horses to grooms is simply giving them a recipie for unemployment.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;4034049]
You are going to have to provide her with a list of people you recommend her working for then. I have never heard of anyone only grooming 3, if you waited to find that you wouldn’t have a job.[/QUOTE]
Try Belmont. Try any good outfit. I told her stay away from gyps. Being unemployed is much preferable.
George
Ok, so a green groom should only start their career at Belmont? Laughable…and most NY trainers do not have a 3-1 ratio. In fact, I’d bet there’s probably 3-4 outfits total up there who have that sort of ratio.
[QUOTE=DickHertz;4034085]
Ok, so a green groom should only start their career at Belmont? Laughable…and most NY trainers do not have a 3-1 ratio. In fact, I’d bet there’s probably 3-4 outfits total up there who have that sort of ratio.[/QUOTE]
Actually when I was coming up a green groom wouldn’t be given any more than one. As they developed proficiency and got better they got more and correspondingly more pay. Never more than 3. Is shortchanging the horse.
Now, would you like to continue defending doing things wrong by holding Penn National up as some ideal way to do things?
George
What does Penn National have to do with anything? I simply stated that very few outfits in North America have a 3-1 ratio. Your statement that “you should only work in a 3-1 barn” is laughable because it’s very rare. Why don’t you just admit that asking a new groom to go work for an outfit that has a 3-1 ratio is about the same as hitting the lottery? Why not tell her that the starting pay should be $1,000 a week because in one barn in the warped world you are living in they may pay $1,000 a week. I don’t think anyone is denying that there may be a rare situation - perhaps where you are - that a trainer may have 1 groom for every 3 horses, but to tell a newbie to seek one of these outfits is misguided.
I guess all of us trainers here in MD are doing things wrong then! LOL. I don’t know a single trainer that has a groom rub only 3. Most good grooms won’t rub that few- not enough money. Big trainers here have their grooms on 4-6 horses. Sorry, but that works for all of the big outfits here!
WOW I really hope you know what you are getting into here.
I have been around Riding / Showing & Grooming for more than 25 years now and by no means would I go to work at the track. THEY are ruthless and down right evil …I have gone to several tracks in Maryland, PA. and Charlestown and they are some serious working, hard working , and gut busting people.
Get ready for harsh words , moody people, and looong hours. Best of luck to you and my hat goes off for taking on such a job. Keep us posted as to how long you last. :yes:
Penn National might have a less than wonderful barn area but the horsemen at Penn are for the most part just that - HORSEMEN. Look at all of the good trainers to come out of Penn - Scott Lake, Bruce Kravets, Tim Ritchey, John Zimmerman, for starters. It doesn’t matter how much you might dislike one of those trainers for whatever reason (when I was dating his brother there were a lot of folks jealous of Scott Lake for his success) - that does not change the fact that they are good at what they do and win a lot of races.
So. Leave Penn National out of it.
A lot of things were different when Lassie was a pup, that doesn’t make it relevant now in today’s world. In an ideal world we could afford to have grooms for every 3 horses. But nowadays a stable lad isn’t content to have just a place to sleep and some grocery/beer money - the majority are paying rent or mortgages and have to support a family on their paychecks. Sure a lot of grooms live in dorms on the track - usually the hispanic grooms. Compared to where many of them immigrated from a dorm room on the track is a posh deal. But American’s don’t have the same view - it’s a different standard of living.
[QUOTE=DickHertz;4035492]
that a trainer may have 1 groom for every 3 horses, but to tell a newbie to seek one of these outfits is misguided.[/QUOTE] Not at all. Nobody should settle for bottom of the barrel. Find people who do things right and copy them.
[QUOTE=Jessi P;4035716]Penn National might have a less than wonderful barn area but the horsemen at Penn are for the most part just that - HORSEMEN. Look at all of the good trainers to come out of Penn - Scott Lake, Bruce Kravets, Tim Ritchey, John Zimmerman, for starters. It doesn’t matter how much you might dislike one of those trainers for whatever reason (when I was dating his brother there were a lot of folks jealous of Scott Lake for his success) - that does not change the fact that they are good at what they do and win a lot of races. [/QUOTE] A good chemist does not a horseman make
So. Leave Penn National out of it.
Why? I live 5 minutes from the place. Why should they be exempt from comment? Would you rather talk about Sufferin’ Downs? Mountaineer? Tampa?
In an ideal world we could afford to have grooms for every 3 horses.
Glad you admit it’s the right way to do things:winkgrin:
But nowadays a stable lad isn’t content to have just a place to sleep and some grocery/beer money - the majority are paying rent or mortgages and have to support a family on their paychecks. Sure a lot of grooms live in dorms on the track - usually the hispanic grooms. Compared to where many of them immigrated from a dorm room on the track is a posh deal. But American’s don’t have the same view - it’s a different standard of living.
There are plenty of people out there who would work with horses if they could. Many probably on these boards. Owners can easily pay but don’t because they don’t have to. Our shambles of an immigration policy makes this possible. Immigration, legal and illegal serve to depress wages as it always has throughout history. Thats a much bigger problem than what we speak of here, but perhaps if all grooms refused to rub any more than 3 things would get back to how they should be.
George
JHUShoer20,
Assuming a trainer is charging $50 per day and has 21 horses and isn’t a gip trainer, what should he/she pay each of the seven grooms they have on a weekly basis?
[QUOTE=JHUshoer20;4033700]
Probably most important that nobody mentioned was workload. No groom should have any more than an absolute maximum of 3 horses to rub. Any more than that and their not getting proper care. Don’t associate yourself with such fly by nighyt gyp outfits. Avoid them like the plague you have nothing to learn from them. 3 HORSES MAX!
George[/QUOTE]
Out of curiosity, which trainers out there have their grooms only rub 3 horses? Not saying there aren’t, but I’m curious as to who they are. I grew up owning race horses and remember as a child that this was the case, but it’s been a long time since I’ve heard of a 1:3 ratio.
[QUOTE=Lady Counselor;4030631]
But do expect some people to give the greenhorn a rasher of shit. They may try to pull stupid gags on you. FYI, there is no key to the quarterpole, nor can you get a bucket of steam or a right handed saddle.
.[/QUOTE]
Now you’ve done it!!!:no::no::no:
You gave away the secret rites of initiation!!!
Every new groom that comes around should be expected to be sent to find the key to the quarter pole, the saddle stretcher,bucket of cold steam, right handed saddle, box of powdered water,and others!!!
That’s just how it is, and how it should be!! LOL
[QUOTE=JHUshoer20;4035999]
Owners can easily pay but don’t because they don’t have to. [/QUOTE]
It’s just that kind of thinking that’s driving owners out of horse racing in droves. :no:
In sales parlance, buyers who intend to race their purchases rather than pinhook them are called end-users, leading my husband to refer to us (as owners) as end-losers. It’s amazing how many costs get blithely passed along by people who believe that all owners have bottomless wallets.
Last month we shipped a filly to the mid-Atlantic. Over time we hope to run in MD, VA, DE, PA, NY and NJ. Our first race was last weekend at Pimlico. Cost of 2 owners’ licenses for 1 year in MD: $625. At that rate (haven’t checked out the other states yet) it’s going to be costing us $3-4,000 a year just to keep our licenses current.
But sure, owners can easily pay, so why not charge them as much as possible. :mad:
[QUOTE=pinkdiamondracing;4036183]
Now you’ve done it!!!:no::no::no:
You gave away the secret rites of initiation!!!
Every new groom that comes around should be expected to be sent to find the key to the quarter pole, the saddle stretcher,bucket of cold steam, right handed saddle, box of powdered water,and others!!!
That’s just how it is, and how it should be!! LOL[/QUOTE]
I agree. Why spoil all the fun for everyone else? Its a rite of passage that should be a part of everyone’s race track experience. I just got my EMT certification a couple weeks ago but have been going on ride alongs for over a year. They tried the same sort of thing on me but unforunately for them it didn’t work. They sent me to look for the fallopian tubes. I told them I carry them with me wherever I go and didn’t need to look. They were bummed.
