If I was inclined to take such a position, and I wouldn’t, I would want housing, a stall for my horse, health benefits, and about 50k a year.
ETA: I’d also want to be reimbursed at the federal mileage rate for carting the kids around.
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You would not have time for a horse of your own.
I would scratch that as a benefit.
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Sounds like exploitation, pure and simple. If the trainer can afford good horses then she can afford to pay good rates for professional staff. YOU are subsidising her business. Would an IT designer work for less than cost? Would a lawyer offer their expertise for lunch money?
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That is assuming the horse is owned before taking the job. So yes, I want that in there too.
When I took the position I didn’t know it was going to be like this. I was told basic grooming and feeding grain in the AM and PM with a small amount of office work like helping fill out entries for shows.
Without housing and stalling a horse, how much would you accept along with how many days/hours would you work?
The mileage will be difficult to add up because on occasion I would take her car instead of mine.
Well, all but 7 horses here are client horses. But I completely agree with you. My whole thing is I don’t know where to start with asking for a raise. How much would someone be paid in my position? There’s not a whole lot to go on. I researched it as best I could and the only thing I found was $500 for a 40 hr week as a basic groom. But that wouldn’t cover everything I do here even if I upped it to $750 /60 hrs.
60k a year then for 6 days a week. I get staying to finish the job so I would keep doing the same even though it will burn you out. Mileage is easy, just look at your odometer before leaving to get the kids and when you pull back into the barn. Keep a running total for the week or the month. If you take her car disregard.
Your other option is to keep the same pay but tell her you are only going to do the tasks that were presented to you at time of hire. I would suggest that if adequate compensation can not be reached.
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in 1974 I was making $400 a week as a groom doing much less taking care of American Saddle horses… the cost of the horse has little to do with the level of care, but even back then the horses had low six figure values
so how do you find time to cruise the internet while taking full care of forty horses?
does the chain around you leg hurt much?
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I guess I misunderstood you the first time, I don’t know how to look back and see the mileage I’ve already used.
Just so I have the most information I can going into this, how did you come up with 60k? Because I’m sure it will come up. What factors did you include to get there? I’d take less for at least 2 days off but still work 10 hours the other days (which let’s be honest, it will probably be more than that. lol)
I’d like to find a middle ground because I know I can’t keep going at the pace I currently am, especially not through the summer in Texas. Do you think 50k a year is reasonable for 10 hrs 5 days a week? What about benefits? If so, what sort of benefits should I ask for?
make it easy for them… $10 per head per day… you are working six days so $60 per head per week… 40 head $2,400 per Week… really simple to calculate
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Based on the situation in which you find yourself, I would respectfully disagree.
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I pulled it out of thin air. That is what I am willing to do all those things for. I like what @clanter suggested too if they want numbers like that. And if they agree to it awesome! For 5 days I would take 55k.
I’m sorry I misunderstood. I meant going forward ask for the mileage rate. I don’t know what it is now. The last time I got it, it was at 0.51 a mile.
For benefits I would want full health benefits. And some vacation time. Wouldn’t have to be paid but I would like about 2 weeks a year.
That’s some great information!
Lol. And yes the chain does hurt. However, not so much as browsing as replying to messages. Master multitasker here. Lol
I wonder, are you an employee, or in some kind of working student/assistant trainer position?
Top trainers have their pick of people they can hire and will pay according to what they also bring to the education of those upcoming trainers wannabees out there.
If that is your position, you are not competing with the stall cleaners or professional, very experienced barn managers out there, but in more of a learning situation, where you will have the benefit of being part of the management of a top trainer.
We really need more information, started with full care of a whole large barn, now there is one stall cleaner, now some other employee, this is becoming too murky to determine without more to go by?
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current rate is 54.5 cents per mile for Business… 18 cents for personal medical and related moving (up a great big old penny)
I don’t think any of that matters. At the end of the day the OP is not being adequately compensated for her work.
I highly doubt the OP has any chance to learn with the amount of work she is expected to do.
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If the OP is a working student, compensation generally is according to what a good trade-off is with learning without having to pay for lessons as a client of that trainer and the hands on work the working student does.
A set amount as a regular full salary with benefits is not comparable.
Now, if the OP is a full time employee, not there to learn the trade, then all other applies.
Just was bringing that question up as needing clarification.
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I agree I just can’t see when she has time to learn with that many horses, a 2nd sometimes groom, office work and carting the kiddos around. If she was hired as a working student, then the trainer needs to cut back on the work part to fulfill the student part or pay her fairly for the work. Either way something needs to give which is why if all else fails I told the OP that I would work for the agreed upon wage and do ONLY the work originally outlined.
I guess I am worse off than the OP… I am also in Texas, we have seven head and I get paid zero and have all the other tasks OP stated plus getting the hay/grain/feed/bedding from the feed store
No training involved as all these guys are kicked back retired lazy former once upon a time show horses (well one is never was as she was a “rescued TB with a deformed left front knee” who has the ability to tear up steel plate and consume great amounts of feed)
Sorry it’s getting muddied. So, all of the items listed on my original post I do with the occasion of a 2nd groom. Sometimes she’s here, sometimes not, sometimes she goes to the shows with them. It’s not a solid thing even though she lives on site. It’s weird.
I’m not a working student though. Just a normal employee, not a contractor either. What is some other info that you need?
