You’re the only groom for all 12-15 horses? Even with clients helping, that’s a crazy amount of work for one person at a show. I’d ask for $75/horse/day or slightly lower amount per horse plus another groom coming along.
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In my Mid-Atlantic show barn experience, you’d be paid a minimum of $100/day (by the trainer) and you’d get cash per diem of at least $25/day along with all expenses paid (hotel, gas) and clients would tip at least $10/horse/day. Typically this is assuming that you’re doing full-care grooming for about 5 horses max, which is a full day’s work and impossible to do for 12-15 horses - I assume what you’re doing is partial-care grooming for more horses instead. Which is still more than a full day’s work! I would think that the pay should still be similar, or higher, to account for what sounds like extra-long days. Are you driving a rig too?
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@Redlei44 @JustTheTicket I’m definitely only doing partial care, and these are one day shows. I am not driving the rig–a few of our clients haul their own, and my trainer drives her own rig. Most of our clients pitch in quite a bit, and in the summer, we often have at least one college student coming to groom with me. In the winter months, it’s typically just me, but we also have closer to 5-7 horses on most show days, though my hours are the same. (We typically have people in the first division of the day and the last division of the day.) When we are staying overnight, there is at least always one other groom.
I usually had 8 horses I could groom for shows by myself anymore than that I needed an extra hand. I would think with 14-15 horses presumably in multiple classes you would need at least 3-4 grooms. in 2013 I was paid $100/day all housing and food was provided whether it was in a camper or hotel. Some of the clients with multiple horses tipped others didn’t. The idea is that you don’t run around really anywhere else during a horse show so you should be profiting just not sleeping 
I must say, I’m stunned by the differences in grooming pay. It seems like anyone who wants to make money grooming needs to come to California. Our grooms were routinely making $300+ per day (considering they were taking care of 4-6 horses)… and payment was expected to be in cash. Note, these are not grooms associated with the barn. There is a community of Spanish-speaking grooms associated with the Northern California show circuit, and the trainer hires them on a per-show basis (often establishing a regular relationship with one or two favorites). These grooms are knowledgeable and unflappable… really terrific.
Yes, it seems like the two coasts have very different systems. On the East Coast, it is much more typical to have a full-time groom who works for a trainer, or at least helps the same trainer regularly, even if they don’t work for that person full time. That groom might be paid a weekly salary, or a flat rate per day at shows, plus housing and tips. But the pay-per-horse approach seems to be much more of a West Coast thing.
I have groomed for my trainer to help fund my own showing - her barn is a competitive hunter/jumper facility that attends shows from the local “C” circuit through the national A/AA. Regardless of show length or location, she compensates at around $~40 per horse, per day, divided by the number of grooms (usually 1 for 6 horses or fewer, 2+ for 7 plus) and covers food plus lodging (if necessary for an away show). Clients may also tip depending on their satisfaction with the quality of care and length of the show - a 2-day C show might be a $20 tip, whereas a 5-day A/AA might be a $100 tip.
Responsibilities include: wrapping and loading/unloading horses, setting up the tack rooms and stalls at the venue, lunging as needed, stall cleaning/bedding, helping to feed AM/PM and throwing hay throughout the day, filling and cleaning water buckets, bathing horses at least daily, grooming and tacking, untacking and unbraiding, and holding for any vet/measuring appointments. We also bring horses, tack, etc. to and from rings as needed depending on how schedules are running.
Grooms do not: ride client horses (unless invited to by the owner), administer meds, clean tack for clients.
A lot of local shows grooms will go home at night, but for those more than 90 minutes away, they will usually split a hotel room with the trainer. The clients pay the day rate to the trainer who distributes to the groom(s) at the end of the week. Costs of trainer and groom room/food is also split among the clients.
I think what’s tough about your situation is it’s not a typical groom situation that applies in the pay scenarios others are tossing out. It’s hauling in, one day, not full care…you’re essentially the Trainer’s assistant, doing whatever’s needed at the moment for a variety of clients and horses.
That’s very different than being in charge of 4 horses with a somewhat regular schedule each day over a week of showing.
I would think about a set day rate minimum with a surcharge once the # of horses/work exceeds a certain point. Whether it’s 5 or 15 horses, the hours can often be the same, it’s just the work in between that increases. So you need a rate that makes it worth your while if you’re there from 5am to 9pm with 5 horses (because when there’s only five, someone is always showing in the first and last divisions!! :lol:) as well as something that compensates you for the added work when there’s 15 horses.
Something like $xxx dollars per day for up to x horses, with an extra $x for each additional horse.
OR you could keep it super simple and come up with an hourly wage that makes sense for you…plus perhaps a little bonus for horses in excess of x.
I don’t think a set per day fee or set per horse fee really makes sense. The set per day fee fails to take into account the amount of work that fluctuates based on quantity of horses, and the per horse fee doesn’t take into account the hours or the amount of work per horse, which can and will vary in your situation. The combo would be your best bet.
