Also it was the best job ever and I miss it but I no longer live in an english horse state… Im way up north now with mostly cow horses. I easily job a job when I moved, knowing 0 people. The reference and high praise from that job quickly got me employed.
Do you mind sharing what state/area and the year? Sounds like the pay was about $10 an hour without housing. Just me being curious.
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Keep in mind +30 a night for 45 minutes of night check and I got training that was probably close to 900$ worth when I owned a fancy jumper horse, a plethora of amazing knowledge + lunches and little extra perks. It was pretty sweet when I was age 17-18.
It was about 2 years ago in California
I would be the employee in the northeast.
The barn has 30 horses that are stalled with 3 other full time employees. They typically do all of the barn work, when I have time since my horses are outside, I help them in the morning for about an hour give or take doing waters to help their day run a little smoother.
The hours at home are 9-430/5 depending on the day, sometimes a bit sooner or bit later. This includes a 1.5 hr break in the day to lesson 3 days a week (this is valued at $600) and 3 days a week the break is 1 hour for lunch. During the horse shows I am lucky to lesson 1x a week, so that value declines…
Board is not included and I pay that out of pocket, $850 per month.
I pay rent for myself with utilities included at $550 a month.
I am given the opportunity to body clip the show horses, which is between 5-12 every other month, which is additional money even as a check.
When i do show (rarely) I do not pay trainer fees, I pay shipping at all shows except to one circuit that is 5 minutes away from the farm so that becomes included.
At the shows I typically start around 530-6 and finish around 6:30 but then have to go ride my horse at home.
I am not tipped at shows. I have one client who gives me $50 per circuit, the rest including the full service client does not tip or offer anything.
At the shows with no open barn tab I am on my own as far as food goes, one show has a barn split so my lunch or meal for that day is split. Otherwise I am on my own.
I have never been given a per diem for food or gas/travel expenses when on the road. This summer I did have housing paid for at the 2 week show we went to.
This past winter in Florida I paid my travel, food, gas, and rent, in addition to board. I was miserable, and ran negative.
I have talked briefly to the employer about the situation for this winter due to finances, rent is trying to be included, however it is a very small apartment in the barn right next to the first stall, there’s no privacy, and no get away from the horses, it is probably 20x12 with a bed,sink, toilet all in the same space. I have a hard time accepting this being the show barn manager/head groom. The trainer is renting a large house on the property for herself and the clients, which has plenty of room. I am not trying to be unappreciative but at the same time I think between the pay and hours but in this arrangement is silly.
Ok, $550/week is a basic groom’s salary for a groom that works 6 days per week. Maybe I’m wrong, but I call BS on valuing the 3 lessons per week at $600. Let’s say they are worth $75-100 each, for a max value of $300 per week. So, that’s approx $850 per week in compensation which is reasonable. Honestly, many “barn managers” are paid pretty much a groom’s salary anyway.
Obviously, if you have a college education, a job in just about any other industry would pay better and offer benefits including health insurance, retirement, and paid vacation, and you would be better off simply paying for your lessons.
As far as the travel arrangements, I find that unacceptable. If you are traveling to a show to work (and not bringing a horse with you) your travel costs should be fully covered, including gas, lodging, etc, and there should be some kind of a food allowance. I also think that you should be paid for the hours you work–a salary of $550 per week doesn’t cover a week of long horse show days.
Now, if you are bringing your horse with you, I think that changes things significantly. I think it is very awkward to be both “client” and “worker.” It gives an employer an excuse to not pay you things like travel and housing if they can make an argument that you are “there anyway to show your horse.” On your employers side, I think it is reasonable for them to charge you similarly to any other client for things like travel for your horse and care/stabling/splits, though some employers might choose to discount those things. Make sure you are not discounting the value of anything that is provided for your horse while at a show/showing, because those costs can be significant, even just for a couple of shows per year. Obviously, if you are showing your own horse and caring for your own horse while it is at a show, those things also take you away from your work for your employer.
I would also keep in mind that there are probably a lot of young people out there who would be willing to replace you. The horse world does not offer a plethora of fair, well-paying jobs. Most jobs are either a ton of manual labor (and paid as such) or low paying but offer the glamour of free lessons or simply being associated with a well-known trainer or getting to work around horses.
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You make $550 a week or $2200/s month before taxes. You pay $850 to board and $550 for your own rent or $1400 a month in fixed costs. You have $800 a month left for everything else. Out of that you need to eat. Do you have a vehicle? I expect you have no health insurance.
You pay $850 a month for full board for a horse that you probably end up caring for!
Do you pay rent to live on site or do you just have an apartment?
At the very least you should get the horse boarded at cost. If the trainer owns the whole barn that would be feed which is probably under $200/a month. If the trainer is paying dry stall rental then maybe another $200?
I can’t see how this is a living wage for an adult.
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this is 2017, but 43 years ago in 1974 I was being paid nearly what the OP is being offered today… we each had six head to care for…oh we got tips at shows.
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If they will cover your board and you take the room to live in at no cost then you might be able to have money at the end of the month ! I wouldn’t mind living in the barn. Horses are the one thing I wouldn’t have to get away from at the end of the day.
The apartment sounds super sub-standard, though. I live in a very small efficiency and this room offered to OP is about half the size. Being in the barn right by the stalls, is there heat for the winter? If there’s truly only a sink and toilet, where would OP shower or bathe? (Imagine working around horses all day with no ability to shower? Ewww.) Is there some kind of kitchen facility? Otherwise she’s going to end up spending a ton of money on take-out.
If the person running this place is big name enough that they truly charge $200/lesson, surely they can provide a better setup and better pay for what is supposed to be one of their main staff members?
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Me too.
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Sorry I should clarify- $600 per month for lessons not per week.
You seem unhappy and undervalued so that would be your answer right there. If I am reading and doing math correctly it’s likely COSTING you money to work for them when you are showing, given that you are paying your way. That doesn’t seem like a reasonable deal to me!
Now, wait a sec, a “living wage” doesn’t include $850 for boarding a horse. If the OP weren’t spending money on her horse she would be in a much better financial position. There are few people/ families that can swing $850 per month on board!
Scribbler, I’m really not trying to attack you here, I usually enjoy your posts. But I hear comments like yours all the time and they are way off base. I cannot stress this enough, most boarding, even at $850 per month, is already “at cost.” It is bizarre to think that the cost of the feed, hay and bedding is somehow reflective in any way of “at cost.” With all due respect, you would either have to be extremely bad at math or have lost your marbles if you think than any BO is making $650 per month of profit on a boarded horse!!! If the employer chose to give reduced board as a benefit, that benefit is coming directly out of the employer’s pocket.
Also, I don’t know any decent show barn that would offer dry stall rental for $200/month, and I am in a less expensive area than the OP.
Secondly, the OP is being PAID to care for her own horse. She isn’t doing that work on her own time, she is doing it as an employee, and as an employee she costs just as much as any other employee (salary, taxes, workmans comp, payroll & accounting fees). So it is completely irrelevant that she is “caring for her own horse” as part of her job–that fact doesn’t save her employer a dime.
This is why I personally am very reluctant to give free board as a benefit or as part of a compensation package for an employee. It simply is never valued by the employee for the enormous and very expensive benefit that it is. I run a boarding barn and my costs for a full care horse are almost exactly what I charge–if I’m lucky.
You do bring up a good point, though, which is that the OP might want to consider moving her horse to another less expensive barn.
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