Horse show grooming pay

[LimitedChrome]

I apologize in advance for asking this, as there have been a handful of threads on this topic. Unfortunately, they are a few years old and do not really specifically speak to my circumstances.

My barn primarily attends one day horse shows. We trailer in, and we’re home the same day. We have anywhere from 5-15 horses on any given horse show day. I groom at these shows, and my responsibilities include loading/unloading, helping to tack up/untack, wrapping legs, unbraiding (if we’ve braided), mucking the trailer throughout the day, watering the horses, lunging, filling hay nets, cleaning horses ringside, and occasionally coaching flat classes with the younger riders, if there is a conflict with another ring. I meet the trainer at the barn in the morning to help them feed, free lunge, spot clean, and load. A typical day begins at 5am, and we get back to the barn between 8pm and 10pm.

The trainer and I have discussed sitting down to talk about my compensation, because as it stands, I receive a flat rate for my day (not per horse), whether there are 2 horses or 15. Because most of our horse shows are now trending towards 12-15 horses attending, where it used to be 4-5, we’ve discussed changing how I am compensated.

I truly have no idea what a fair wage would be in this situation. If anyone attends local horse shows and can advise me on how their grooms are paid, I would greatly appreciate it.

We also attend a handful of 3-4 day rated horse shows throughout the summer, and I’ve been asked to come along to groom. In the past, my meals have been paid for, as well as my hotel room, and I was paid my flat rate. I’m not sure what compensation should look like for these shows either.

Any help and guidance you can offer would be so helpful. Thank you in advance!

[OnDeck]

I find $100/day to be very standard in my area. Plus food (a tab at the food stand) and tips, although not all barns have clients that tip.

[Scribbler]

It soynds iike you need to set a ratio of horses per groom, and get a helper. I don’t see how you can do all that for ten or 15 horses. I would think one groom for 5 horses?

[MHM]

I would say $100/day sounds a bit low for a day that goes from 5:00 AM to 8-10:00 PM. It’s a little on the low side even for a 12 hour day once you do the math. The math looks even worse for a 15-17 hour day.

And welcome to the BB!

[AAHunterGal]

When I freelanced, I used to charge $100/day for 3 horses and $25 per horse additionally after that. Plus $20 day money and tips were the norm. But I agree with @Scribbler - seems like anything over 5 horses would be too much for one person to handle and continue to do a top level job. On the road, hotels and gas were also covered. But this was over 10 years ago, and I would probably charge $150 a day now for the 3 horse limit.

[Peggy]

We pay $75 per day per horse, whether one day or more. Plus tips. But that is for total service; the OP says help with tacking which makes me think that the riders are pitching in. Somewhere around five horses there is a second person.

I once helped out at a show where we had one regular groom for twelve horses, but there was additional al help by the ring and a bit at the barn. Not the current barn.

[MHM]

@Peggy

We pay $75 per day per horse, whether one day or more. Plus tips.

Is that $75 per day per horse going directly to the groom? Or to the trainer for day care? And is the groom’s hotel room covered?

I think it has come up before that it’s a bit of an East Coast versus West Coast thing. It seems like the grooms on the East Coast usually are paid a flat day rate, while on the West Coast they charge per horse per day.

The flat rate up to a certain number with an additional dollar figure for each extra horse sounds like a good system.

[streamline]

100 a day plus tips. I think most of the guys I worked with got paid closer to 150 a day plus tips. Gas allowance and hotels were covered. Usually max of 3 horses per groom.

[kenyarider]

$95 a day per horse for groom, stall cleaner is extra, trainer fees extra and no payment for food/hotel for anyone other than trainer IME.

[MHM]

@kenyarider

$95 a day per horse for groom, stall cleaner is extra, trainer fees extra and no payment for food/hotel for anyone other than trainer IME.

General location?

[LimitedChrome]

@Peggy you are correct that (most) of our clients are helping. I definitely want to be fair to our clients while also ensuring that I’m at a bare minimum making minimum wage for my day, which as it stands, I am not. @MHM thank you so much for both your input and your welcome!

Thank you all so much for your input! This was very helpful!

[HLMom]

It sounds like you are being paid by the trainer? That makes no sense to me. When my daughter showed in local or B rated shows, the riders pay the groom. Riders could elect full grooming (full service) or half grooming (feeding, watering, and mucking only). Half grooming was $25 per day plus expected 20% tip; full grooming was $50-60 per day plus tip.

With everything you are doing, each rider should be paying you at least $50 per day. However, I would not expect you to have full groom responsibilities for more than about 4-6 horses.

[HLMom]

And to answer someone’s question above: the $50 day (coaching) fee payable to the trainer is totally separate from the grooming fees.

This is in Northern California.

[Peggy]

@MHM

Is that $75 per day per horse going directly to the groom? Or to the trainer for day care? And is the groom’s hotel room covered?

I think it has come up before that it’s a bit of an East Coast versus West Coast thing. It seems like the grooms on the East Coast usually are paid a flat day rate, while on the West Coast they charge per horse per day.

The flat rate up to a certain number with an additional dollar figure for each extra horse sounds like a good system.

It goes directly to our head groom. He then pays any people that are hired to help him. There is a second barn groom who always stays at home, for what it’s worth, so any extra grooms are not our regular people. For some of the shows we go to, the groom can go home at hight. At other shows he brings a cot and sleeps in the utility trailer (another coast vs coast phenomenon?). At one show our barn cat hitched a ride in the utility trailer, somehow didn’t escape while they were unloading, and was only discovered when the groom went to bed and found a cat on his pillow. If he stays in a hotel (I think this happens when it’s too cold out?) then it is covered. Not sure about food–maybe that gets rolled into the expenses line item on my show bill? We’re kind of a frugal operation, the trainers generally drive back and forth, up to an hour, and pack lunches.

[PonyPenny]

I would think $50 per horse plus tip would be fair for your scenario.

[LimitedChrome]

@HLMom You are correct, I am paid directly by the trainer. I am not privy to what she is charging clients for grooming, if anything.

I would like to discuss getting paid $25/horse for the day, because that would at least make it worth my time spent away from home. There is one client that consistently tips me, but otherwise, I am not typically tipped. I enjoy the job quite a bit, and I do it to help alleviate my own bills/showing expenses. I’ve just arrived at a point where a part time job on the weekends would bring in quite a bit more income, and if increasing my pay is not in the cards (which is ok, and I understand), then I may have to bow out and do something else.

[Madison]

@LimitedChrome

@HLMom
I would like to discuss getting paid $25/horse for the day, because that would at least make it worth my time spent away from home. There is one client that consistently tips me, but otherwise, I am not typically tipped. I enjoy the job quite a bit, and I do it to help alleviate my own bills/showing expenses. I’ve just arrived at a point where a part time job on the weekends would bring in quite a bit more income, and if increasing my pay is not in the cards (which is ok, and I understand), then I may have to bow out and do something else.

In your scenario I would think a per-horse charge like that would be fair, with a minimum of $100-$150 per day guaranteed pay. And I would also think it would be fair to ask the trainer to convey to the clients that tips are appreciated if the customers are so inclined, since it is normal for people providing grooming/care to be tipped in most showing situations. That’s hard work!!

[kenyarider]

@MHM

General location?

PNW. Stall cleaners charge $35 per horse per day. So it adds up pretty quickly.

[TheHunterKid90]

We do not have a groom but I feed, clean stalls and coach and it’s $40/day. Riders tack and bathe their own horses.

[MHM]

@Peggy

For some of the shows we go to, the groom can go home at hight. At other shows he brings a cot and sleeps in the utility trailer (another coast vs coast phenomenon?).

It’s possible. On the east coast, grooms usually stay in a hotel room or sometimes a camper, which is typically paid for by the trainer and split between the clients. I don’t know of anyone who stays in any other set up at a horse show, other than maybe kids camping out in a stall for fun at a little unrecognized show.