Groom's "quarters"

[skydy]

Meydan is a Title sponsor as of yesterday (?)

Perhaps the Sheikh can perform miracles with his enormous wealth. It’s a bit late for construction. I would think perhaps RV’s can be purchased.
Of course there is no way to predict hurricanes and It sure is rotten luck. Hopefully Florence will make landfall in an area that keeps the WEG from getting the worst of the rain, though no matter where she lands somebody will suffer.

[ladyj79]

Hilariously GiGi Stetler has made it known that she both offered and still has available all the RVs that would have been needed, but that given her ongoing feud with Bellissimo, said offered contract to furnish rvs for WEG was rejected.

[Tiramit]

@ladyj79

Hilariously GiGi Stetler has made it known that she both offered and still has available all the RVs that would have been needed, but that given her ongoing feud with Bellissimo, said offered contract to furnish rvs for WEG was rejected.

I’ve always found it distasteful when people start bragging about their would-be “save the day” efforts if only “X” had done “whatever”… IMO, if someone is really trying to help, then help. No gold stars needed.

It’s hard to imagine that given the PR nightmare the tents have been coupled with the potential hurricane that any reasonable offer to help would be rejected.

[ladyj79]

Oh…yeah, no, go look up gigi stetler and bellissimo (and their protracted legal battles) to understand why it’s not just possible it’s probable.

[Tiramit]

@ladyj79

Oh…yeah, no, go look up gigi stetler and bellissimo (and their protracted legal battles) to understand why it’s not just possible it’s probable.

Then why bother offer at all other than to cause public sensation? It reads less as an offer to help and more of a rival getting a dig in while others are in need.

[amb]

@Midge

When I saw the $650 a week, I understood why she had trouble keeping help.

Hah, yes. “I was told many experienced grooms have left the industry for the summer because landscapers pay more than farms.” was followed a few lines later by “What is the answer to this dilemma? That is the question. Nobody I asked had any solutions.”

Well, that and the bad attitude the whole thing reeked off. Yay for Planet Wellington.

[egood]

@Can'tFindMyWhip

In this article published July 13, 2017- a year and two months ago- Bellissimo clearly states, “The only issue is housing… but we’re going to crush it and generate huge revenues to offset costs.” So he knew this was coming, and he seemed to decide on his own that the grooms were the least important.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article161280743.html

As for other funding being promised, and not delivered, I recall a really interesting and kind of scandalous article that tracked spending by a Polk county official who was working with Bellissimo to attract investors to TIEC. I wish I could find the article again. I think it was published by a relatively small news outlet so it didn’t get much attention, or maybe it was even wiped from the internet. I love a good conspiracy! Any way, this official was spending outrageous amounts of taxpayer money to fly to Wellington regularly, promised hundreds of thousands of dollars to Tryon and she also spent something like $30,000 on a banquet for potential investors held in-get this- ASHVILLE, so not even Polk County. And I don’t think that Polk County has the kind of economic resources where investing the public’s money in a world class equestrian venue is a priority for residents and taxpayers. I imagine that county official got in a lot of trouble for that and the county refused to pay the money she promised.

Could this have been the article? https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/12/02/wanda-greene-spent-577-000-taxpayer-money-equestrian-groups-worth-it/898059001/

Looks like it was Buncombe county manager that was trying to get the Asheville Airport to be a sponsor of an event at Tryon. Don’t know if it materialized, but she sure gave a lot of money to equestrian organizations in order to promote an airport.

[ohsopersuasive]

oliver4ever & phoenixfarm

i was at WEG in Kentucky as a groom. We were in the campers 3 of us, no room for luggage except kitchen table. 2 in the bunks and 1 in bedroom. We were not provided with running water, had to use the campground washrooms or portable washrooms set up.

Pan Ams in Toronto had RVs, much larger and provided us with water. Much improved from Kentucky.

[ohsopersuasive]

@Mardi

Any word from the US team ? Robert Dover ? Robert Ridland ? Hard to imagine Steffen Peters’ long time groom and security guy in one of those cabins (security is for SP’s owner’s horse, not SP). There must be a good many grooms who are put up in hotels by the owners.

The jumping grooms for the US always get put up in nicer accommodations than provided. They do an amazing job taking care of all their support staff

[ohsopersuasive]

@vineyridge

Don’t they still have lockdown for the horses from a certain time at night to a certain time in the morning? Not even grooms are allowed to be with their horses during that time if the 2010 WEG procedures were still followed–at least as I remember the procedures in 2010.

The stables during the London Olympics had hours, but exception could be made to check on a horse late in the night with permission and an escort. Stewards would call grooms at 4am to make them come fix a blanket strap on a horse, even if they were going to be there in an hour. And they were not allowed to fix the strap themselves or let the groom come at a normal hour to fix it

[jetsmom]

@Mardi

Interesting observations, but this one “They take pride in their work and they do it well even when nobody is looking.”
is a view through rose colored glasses.

I have seen grooms - when they believe no one is looking, or no one else is at the barn - hit (with closed fist) horses directly in the face, completely unprovoked. I have seen them spray horses in the face with water, and although the horse raises his head, pulls back in the cross ties and begins to slip on the wash rack, continue to do it after being told to stop. His response ? “Horses are food. I don’t care.” Would he pay the vet bill if the horse was injured ? I’ve seen grooms walk carefully and quietly while approaching a hesitant horse in the turn out. The horse ran from him each time he came near. The groom was patient, and waited for the horse to settle. Finally the groom got close enough to snap the lead rope on to the halter. It appeared to be a lesson in quiet patience and earning trust. As the groom turned to lead the horse to the gate, and the horse obediently and quietly followed him, the groom suddenly turned around to the horse, and repeatedly hit him with the lead rope, jerked hard several times on the halter. and hit him with closed fist on the neck… The horse, of course, backed up to get away, and the groom followed him, jerking on the halter, and repeatedly struck him. The groom only stopped when he heard my voice, yelling at him from far away, to stop beating up the horse. He had no idea I was on the property, and had witnessed the entire scene.

Each one of these situations (and there are more) happened with three different grooms, when they believed no one else was at the barn (early morning) or in a place where they thought no one could see them. These grooms work at a high end h/j barn, and are mostly unsupervised. They are part of the reason I will never, ever use a groom, unless it is a particular person (and friend) who is a professional groom and with whom I would trust with my own life. She stays in hotels during shows, and is well looked after by the trainer and clients.

There are good grooms and bad, but the bad ones keep their jobs for years because the trainer doesn’t know what goes on, thinks it will be too hard to find a new one and so gives his/her long time employee a pass. Added on to this is the concern that if the groom is fired, there is risk of retaliation against the horses. Granted this is a cultural problem, but one that most certainly exists.

And there is a groom/barnworker that is Mexican,at the barn my mare is at that i caught doing something when he thought no one was looking…there used to be a rooster and 2 hens that showed up at the barn one day. Rooster was known to have a mean streak. Unfortunately, a stray dog or coyote, killed first one gen, then the other. So the rooster seemed lonely. I came around the corner and caught Jauquin, down on his knees, patting and cuddling the rooster, telling him he would be ok.
Yeah…those awful groons, and what they do when they think no one is looking…
. My experience with them has been very positive. They notify the BM if a horse that normally cleans up his food doesn’t or one that normally keeps a clean stall looks like they were pawing/rolling/colicy. And that is several different grooms/barnworkers.
. Just didn’t want the post accusing many grooms of being animal abusers when no one is around to go unanswered.

[fair_judy]

@jetsmom

And there is a groom/barnworker that is Mexican,at the barn my mare is at that i caught doing something when he thought no one was looking…there used to be a rooster and 2 hens that showed up at the barn one day. Rooster was known to have a mean streak. Unfortunately, a stray dog or coyote, killed first one gen, then the other. So the rooster seemed lonely. I came around the corner and caught Jauquin, down on his knees, patting and cuddling the rooster, telling him he would be ok.
Yeah…those awful groons, and what they do when they think no one is looking…
. My experience with them has been very positive. They notify the BM if a horse that normally cleans up his food doesn’t or one that normally keeps a clean stall looks like they were pawing/rolling/colicy. And that is several different grooms/barnworkers.
. Just didn’t want the post accusing many grooms of being animal abusers when no one is around to go unanswered.

I agree. Mardi is hopefully in the minority. Sounds exactly like the article penned by the infamous wife of Kevin Babbington… an elitist rant by a woman who likely cannot even get a groom to walk into her barn now.

[neigh]

You obviously do not know the Babingtons. They are certainly not “elitist” in any sense of the word.

[Rallycairn]

I guess I’m in the minority, but regardless of the fact that it was an 11th hour attempted rescue move after Bromont dropped the project, I don’t think it’s ok to offer such a substandard event. If you can’t do it right, don’t do it. The games would have been better off canceled than held in a clusterf@@@ type situation, imo.

So, yes, I do hold Bellissimo accountable - if he couldn’t deliver, he shouldn’t have taken the project on; he knew the time frame. No brownie points for trying to be a white knight if you can’t perform acceptably in the lists once the bugle sounds.

[MHM]

Maybe the French grooms will invite everybody over for a cookout. :lol:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10217543675244045&id=1242065954&ref=bookmarks