I am curious to know what the ranges of the current Show Manager/Head Groom salary and perks are.
Is housing included?
Are you able to have a horse, how does the boarding situation work out, is board reduced?
When at shows what is paid for- hotel, food, gas, travel expenses?
If you ride are you given those opportunities/showing opportunities?
When traveling (ex:to Florida from the north) do you pay those expenses?
What type of hours do you work, do you get a day off- home vs. away at shows?
Some barns don’t tip, if so what is a normal tip?
Extra?
It entirely depends on where, who, and what the position actually entails.
I personally would never work for a yard again, only as a personal groom for one rider with a set number of horses. That is just my preference.
I don’t know anyone who pays their own way if going to a show with an employer they already work for, especially since you are often travelling with the horses.
housing is generally provided, but it depends. Like I have had my own apartment, i have shared a house with other grooms and riders, and I did live with one of my riders (which I don’t recommend :lol:).
tipping is more common if you work for a barn rather than an individual, and more common in the US than Europe.
Ladyj79 is absolutely correct. The answer is “it depends”. Having said that, I’ll share some observations with the hope that it might be helpful.
Housing will depend on the situation. It is common that housing is offered to grooms, but not always. It is also common that housing is shared.
I think you will find that the “free stall” perk is mostly offered to employees that are higher up the food chain, such as a trainer. Having said that, you can certainly find jobs where a barn will offer a stall to a Show Groom, or a Manager. It really depends on the situation.
When showing on the road, hotel and travel fees are picked up by the employer. How food costs are handled will vary. Many barns offer a “food allowance” on top of a day or weekly rate. Some do not. If you aren’t receiving a food allowance, you should expect to receive a higher day or weekly rate, all things being equal and visa-versa.
Most groom/manager positions don’t include riding. Some do, but they are usually the exception. If you are applying for groom/manager positions, don’t expect to be paid to ride, or be offered the opportunity to ride, unless that is part of the job description.
“Opportunities” for managers/grooms to show are uncommon. The trainers and the riders do most of the showing.
Most groom positions are six days a week. Weekly schedules will vary while at shows, but responsible employers will ensure their employees have a day off.
The hours you can expect to work will vary. When a barn is at home, they are able to control the schedule and they should be able to tell you the hours are from X to Y. When the barn is a show, there is less certainty. How many horses are entered at the show, who is running the ring, weather, etc. etc. all play into how long the day runs. When at home, expect an 8 hour day. On the road, the days can be as long as 16 hours. It really depends.
I agree with Ladyj79. Don’t expect a tip if you work for an individual. Private barns usually pay more right out of the gate, and tipping isn’t really the norm or expected.
Wholly cow there are so many factors that would decide including how wealthy your boss/client is. I was provided housing, a gas card, a stall (no charge for anything including supplements), hotels were paid for, I didn’t show but I prepped, my truck was shipped for me when we went south, had Mondays off and worked on a normal day 10-11 hours and longer at shows obviously. We had two clients and we got tipped at shows only.
I worked as hard as any other groom, but we had quite a cushioned perk package compared to most. We also got taken out to fancy dinners after shows. Our two clients were extremely wealthy to be able to take care of us this way, but they were the nicest, most down to earth people I have ever met. This type of job is rare and I feel so lucky to have been able to work for them.
