**
awfully concerned with how expensive and spheshul A circuit horses are. I agree while basic safety is important those are hardly horror stories. A transport truck going by at top speed spraying you with gravel when you are trapped against a guard rail could be a horror story, an inching BMW not so much.
She never once spelled Saugerties correctly in that second article. Between that and allusive, she’s getting more and more credibility…
[QUOTE=cleozowner;8611124]
She never once spelled Saugerties correctly in that second article. Between that and allusive, she’s getting more and more credibility…[/QUOTE]
She lost me at “learnt”.
I did not read all the responses but this article is downright stupid. The author really doesn’t sound like she has a leg to stand on. I was never a princess of anything horse related except being covered in dirt, sweat, and hay. If I talked back to my mom or trainer I would have been smacked off my horse (that wasn’t actually mine because my parents sure as sh!t weren’t going to just buy me a horse!) lightening fast.
I’m SO SICK of people trashing on Millenials. It’s not possible for a whole generation to just magically be born lazy. No, we are a product of our raising. Going with the groom thing, think about what happens when a child starts taking lessons and their parent pays for them to ride at a barn where the staff groom the horse, tack it up, cool it off after the ride, etc. All they have to do is show up. Then their parents buy them a horse, a nice one. And it’s on full board and exercised by barn staff when the child can’t ride or doesn’t want to. That is all that child has ever known. When they get a job as a groom, assuming it looks fun, they don’t understand how much work horses actually are and they get a little (or a lot) of culture shock. At that point, many realize they just aren’t that into it. Do you blame that young person? No. It is the fault of the parent. If they had gone back in time and put that kid in a lesson program where they had to take care of all the basics or even made them do barn chores for lessons, that same kid would either have decided it wasn’t worth it and moved on to another activity OR would have developed a knowledge of horses and strong work ethic, preparing them to be successful as a groom or whatever else they choose to be.
I am a millennial and I was blessed to have parents who paid for my riding lessons from the time I was 6 on until high school. From the very beginning I was responsible for bringing in the lesson horse, grooming, tacking up, etc. Small responsibilities but they lay the groundwork for a lasting work ethic and understanding of horse care. In middle school I worked for my dad’s friend who trained racehorses. In one summer I made a grand total of MAYBE $20. I spent HOURS hot walking, bathing, feeding, grooming, and cleaning stalls because he let me. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I woke up early on Saturday mornings in high school to work at my lesson barn to get one extra ride a week on one of their horses…an ornery green appy too. Not even a nice, fun horse! To have a paid position as a groom would still be my dream job. I work about one weekend a month at my boarding barn to help cut down on board costs and love it, but understand it isn’t for everyone. Some people who love horses just aren’t cut out for all the early mornings, late nights, and physical labor that such a job entails. It doesn’t mean they’re lazy. It’s not a millennial problem.
[QUOTE=Rusty15;8612136]
I did not read all the responses but this article is downright stupid. The author really doesn’t sound like she has a leg to stand on. I was never a princess of anything horse related except being covered in dirt, sweat, and hay. If I talked back to my mom or trainer I would have been smacked off my horse (that wasn’t actually mine because my parents sure as sh!t weren’t going to just buy me a horse!) lightening fast.
I’m SO SICK of people trashing on Millenials. It’s not possible for a whole generation to just magically be born lazy. No, we are a product of our raising. Going with the groom thing, think about what happens when a child starts taking lessons and their parent pays for them to ride at a barn where the staff groom the horse, tack it up, cool it off after the ride, etc. All they have to do is show up. Then their parents buy them a horse, a nice one. And it’s on full board and exercised by barn staff when the child can’t ride or doesn’t want to. That is all that child has ever known. When they get a job as a groom, assuming it looks fun, they don’t understand how much work horses actually are and they get a little (or a lot) of culture shock. At that point, many realize they just aren’t that into it. Do you blame that young person? No. It is the fault of the parent. If they had gone back in time and put that kid in a lesson program where they had to take care of all the basics or even made them do barn chores for lessons, that same kid would either have decided it wasn’t worth it and moved on to another activity OR would have developed a knowledge of horses and strong work ethic, preparing them to be successful as a groom or whatever else they choose to be.
I am a millennial and I was blessed to have parents who paid for my riding lessons from the time I was 6 on until high school. From the very beginning I was responsible for bringing in the lesson horse, grooming, tacking up, etc. Small responsibilities but they lay the groundwork for a lasting work ethic and understanding of horse care. In middle school I worked for my dad’s friend who trained racehorses. In one summer I made a grand total of MAYBE $20. I spent HOURS hot walking, bathing, feeding, grooming, and cleaning stalls because he let me. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I woke up early on Saturday mornings in high school to work at my lesson barn to get one extra ride a week on one of their horses…an ornery green appy too. Not even a nice, fun horse! To have a paid position as a groom would still be my dream job. I work about one weekend a month at my boarding barn to help cut down on board costs and love it, but understand it isn’t for everyone. Some people who love horses just aren’t cut out for all the early mornings, late nights, and physical labor that such a job entails. It doesn’t mean they’re lazy. It’s not a millennial problem.[/QUOTE]
I don’t get the 20 dollar thing, I find it funny that he would even pay you at all because 20 dollars for a summer is almost an insult. My understanding is that jobs like that were always un paid in cash and the pay was being able to ride the horses.
Personally I get 8 dollars an hour (min wage in tn) to groom at the polo matches and keep the horses in shape for the guy I groom for. That add out to around 50 bucks a week maybe a bit more with a few tips. It perfect for me, puts gas in my tank and 20 bucks to go out to lunch or something. Plus I get to ride 8 different horses out in a beautiful farm. Heres the catch, I got this job from doing odd jobs around my regular barn and my trainer realizing that I work hard enough to be recommend to one of his friends. I think the experience is key when you do working student type things but its the connection that will help you along a lot.
