What would you say the percentage of female to male grooms in tb racing is?
Back when I was a sb groom, I’d say it was approx 45 percent women. But, I when I watch the racing show from Aqueduct/Belmont (and other tb racing venues), by far, almost all the grooms are men.
I’m wondering if that has to do with it being tb racing, not sb. Or it has to do with the location of the track.
I’d so love to go back to being a groom one day but wouldn’t want to work with almost all men.
Tx.
Over the years I’ve found that the larger percent of grooms have been male. I’ve employed a few women, but mostly men, but ideally would have hired women for obvious reasons.
My thoughts are that it’s a gruelling job, with long hours and not much time off. The women usually have families and it just doesnt mesh, or are younger and move on to being excersise riders if they have the skill. Most of the younger women are also trying to go to school and usually find a “real” career.
The TB’s can be quite hard to handle at times, I know of a few female grooms that just couldnt handle some of the tougher horses. But that being said, I’ve also seen horses that really respond to the female touch and settle down for them.
I think quite a bit has to do with cultural differences. While i have seen a couple female grooms, many Hispanic women find employment a domestics, or in a similar capacity, while the men end up a grooms, gardeners etc.
In the steeplechase world, there are lots of girls that are grooms/exercise riders, but far and away in flat racing the grooms are guys. I think some of it may have to do with living conditions, some tracks still won’t let girls live on the back side, or they can only live in certain areas. Also, the traveling involved on some circuits would preclude primary caregivers of young children being able to do the job. And how many women want to ride in the back of a van for hours and have to sleep on a cot in a tack stall?
It is just a matter of evolving. 50 years ago, the grooms were all black, now they are primarily hispanic. maybein another 50, they will all be women
Thanks all.
You know, I was a groom for 10 yrs. or so, after high school, then did the “real career”. However, the real career has not turned out the way it should have.
I got a degree, work in medicine, make a decent wage. However, we have no real retirement (it is only the money we put in their 403B, they contribute nothing) and a tiny, tiny, tiny amount from a union (although we have gotten letters for the past few years saying that was in serious financial danger). I do not have much feelings for what I do now, never did, although it is important and I do it well. I chose it because I needed the “real career” and it was the best do-able answer I could find. So, it’s been pretty empty except for the decent hourly wage. It has, however, destroyed my body. One cannot lift people continually and not break down from it. So - great, the real career has no retirement, has destroyed my body and been kind of unfulfilling. It pays o.k. but not enough to save up for a decent retirement.
Oh, well . . . so did I really win with the real career . . .
Well my career as a horse person hasn’t done my body any favors either, I would be surprised if it were any easier on you than your current work. At least in your field you can ask for help.
As far as the number of women I would say much less than half but have no idea what a concrete figure would be. Not really sure why that should matter however. I literally don’t have one single bad thing to say about working alongside a man in over 20 years at the track. Worked next to some apeshit crazy women however!
Worked next to some apeshit crazy women however! This !!!
With the exception of one deranged psycho, most of the guys I worked with in the horse biz as grooms, barn managers, trainers, owners, etc. were excellent, hard-working co-workers.
There were definitely more apesh*t crazy women in that general population sample, though of course not all.
But I’ve never seen anyone bring the crazy like some women in the horse world - ever. :eek:
Laurie: From what I remember, I found it easier physically to be a groom than what I do now. The hardest thing I remember was carrying the water buckets and the bath buckets.
We can ask for help lifting, but much help is not necessarily around, often. One other person to help lift someone who may be 300 lbs plus and then into different position - no good. Also, lots of sick/long-term people get stiff as a board making lifting even more brutal. Water & bath buckets are lighter than people.
-Much less- women is ok, even. Why I’m asking, is when I watch the Aqueduct/Belmont show, basically all the grooms are men. -All- is different than -much less-. I just wouldn’t want to be the only female groom in a barn of men.
I don’t think you would have to work with all men. I’ve worked in Arkansas, California, and Kentucky over the years. Where I am now, the majority of the grooms are men, but there are a lot of women that work with us, mostly as hot walkers or holding horses for baths. The trainer I work for has 5 riders… 4 of them men, and me. It doesn’t bother me a bit. The guys treat me like their kid sister. I don’t think it would be a problem for you at all.
If you want to get a good retirement, don’t come to the track. Get a day job working as whatever you can in a government job… state, county or city… possibly a school district. There are a lot of jobs like executive assistants, clerical type, whatever that are entry level. This will give you a great retirement and give you the time to work around the horses in the mornings and weekends. I’m not trying to preach, but when is the last time you heard someone on the backside saying they’re all set for their retirement?
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;6023954]
I grew up around horsemen and spent 6 years in among Navy knuckledragging engineers & a few submariners. The only difference I found b/w Sailors & horsemen, is that horsemen use slightly less profanity. Maybe 10% of the workforce in the engineering rates is female. It is wonderful.
I’ve spent most of my working life in male-dominated fields, and have often found myself the only woman in the room. I find that guys for the most part are soooo much easier to get along with then women. Hard to have a cat fight when there’s only one in the room. :lol:
Female grooms, here? There aren’t many. It is more prevalent in Canada with college programs and fewer “immigrants” that want to work at the track.
In our barn we have all men as grooms. Generally their wives work as hot walkers. We have one male hotwalker who is deaf and dumb who is a son of groom and a hot walker. He’s a working machine. And he is the only male hotwalker we have.
Female exercise riders are common. Not many are worth the money they are paid.
A co worker’s wife just went back to work after a 6+ year “vacation”, and no one wants to hire her. A) there are few jobs. B) she doesn’t want to do the heavy lifting. C) the job she wants is held by bi lingual hispanic men who work like crazy!!! GFL to her…
It is still a male dominated industry. You better be able to hold your own if you want a grooms job in many barns. It is labor INTENSIVE!!! Here… anyway
It depends on what part of the country. Also note that the people who you see on TV and at the track paddocking horses aren’t necessarily the grooms.
So many of the top European horses come over with female grooms. It’s really nice to see. 
I’ve often thought about how much I’d love to be a “stable lass” in the European system. Not only do the lads and lasses do all of the caretaking of the horses under their watch, but frequently they also ride them out at exercise.
I believe it’s more due to the amount of Mexican workers on the racetrack. The guys come over to work while their wives and families stay in Mexico. Or the women end up watching the kids or being in charge of the horse laundry. It seems frowned upon by the manly men to let the women be grooms, although I see some as hotwalkers.
Also note that the people who you see on TV and at the track paddocking horses aren’t necessarily the grooms.
Oh. So if the horse’s groom doesn’t do the paddock, then who are those people?
Funny, my background is sbs and the groom does the paddock, so I figured it was the groom.
Grooms take their horses over… In this country any way. I would guess that a poster with the name Slewdledo is from WA state, and that would be this country… last I checked…
When I was freelance galloping, I paddocked many a horse for various stables. Maybe that is what she meant? That people other than that particular horse’s groom might be the one running it. I know some assistant trainers that always wanted to run the “big” horses.
A good friend of mine didn’t run her horses, she paid someone else to do it. But she WAS The Groom. Our trainer has a small enough barn that she does just about everything herself and just hires out to run them.
MOST of the time it’s the groom - but not always.
If one picks up a paddock, just wondering what they pay nowadays?
Also, if it’s at your home track (where you are based, not shipping in) do you cool them out by hand or on the walker?
Tx.
I was curious as to why Blinkers On felt most female exercise riders were not worth the money they are paid.
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