I keep them at home and have no staff so it’s all on me. I suppose if I could have someone to do it when I was pressed for time I would take advantage of it. But I prefer to be as in touch as possible with my horse and grooming/tacking up are a big part of that process.
Our yard is full-service, horses get groomed early every morning before turnout. We don’t have mud or snow or ice, and mine wears a UV fly sheet when he’s out, so nothing to brush off except sometimes sandy legs. So I will say “no” to the grooming part.
I prefer to tack up myself, unless I’m running late for a lesson. I check his legs thoroughly before each ride, and I like to check up on any delicate-skinned areas so I’m familiar with what they look like, as he is prone to sarcoids and treatment is easier if you can catch them early.
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Lesson at night the horses are already tacked up and may have been in the prior lesson/s.
Thursday morning we groom and tack and untack and hose ourselves.
At home hubby will groom and ride and I will ride after, or if I ride by myself I groom and tack myself.
I do it myself. I also try to be around to tack up and untack when my trainer rides (and then watch). I did work at a barn while in college where I tacked and untacked the horse for people. They were busy professionals who came to the barn after work and paid a lot for the privilege.
Lucky! I would love a chauffeur I hate to have to drive myself everywhere!
Yep. My first horse was a Saddlebred from a showbarn. I was a teenager in the 70s, and my dad would drive me the hour to the barn to take my lessons on him. They would have him all tacked up and ready to go, then take him when the lesson was over.
I hated it,and wanted to groom and tack up my own horse, so I stopped telling them when I was coming, so he wouldn’t be ready. After a few months, we moved him to the local public barn where I could ride my bicycle over and spend all my free time with my horse.
Have groomed and tacked my horses ever since, and for the last 27 years, have had them at my own place.
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I’ve always done it myself, except on one or two occasions when I was running late at the office and didn’t want to be late for the lesson.
For me that level of service generally doesn’t work because it’s typically offered 8 to 4 and I ride after that most of the time.
I have never had my own horse tacked for me. But I have never had one in full training either. When taking lessons, sometimes the horses were tacked but often tacking up was first part of the lesson and was later expected.
I can understand that a busy adult, who is perfectly capable of grooming and tacking, would appreciate having a groom do it when rushing out to the stable on a weeknight. (And I was also taught that you check the tack before mounting no matter who tacked. I cant not do it now!) But I think it is a serious disservice if lesson kids and others who don’t have the skills are not allowed to learn. And it also reduces the personal contact and understanding of the horse.
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I’ve never boarded anywhere fancy enough to have grooms, and I’ve had my own farm for over 20 years, and I’m the groom.
I have lived in the US and overseas. When in the US, I groomed and tacked lesson horses myself. When overseas I would typically assist with the grooming but there was a groom leading the process and would select the horse’s tack and put it on. While I was more the competent to do this, I respected that it was their job and they could get in trouble if I was taking the job away entirely.
The only place in the US I have seen horses get tacked up before lessons is at the polo barn where I work. ETA: the only place that I’ve ridden where this has been practiced- I’ve certainly heard of other places doing so.
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The times in my life when I was in lesson programs (learning to ride as a child and then later on in college) we had to do all grooming and tacking/untacking ourselves. I don’t know how I would’ve learned a lot of the things I know to this day if I hadn’t had to do the work myself. Even as a busy adult I don’t think I’d ever feel ok letting someone else do that stuff for me. I don’t even like watching other people clean my stalls on nights when I’m at the barn but not scheduled to work. lol
On an aside, at WEC this weekend, a kid got off and handed her yellow ribbon and pony to her groom and disappeared. My kid (10) got off, took her pony back, untacked, picked stalls, watered, unbraided then went back for her ribbon (blue)…
I don’t have a problem with people who use grooms (I used to be a paid groom, now I’m mommy-groom) but I’m really glad my kid is hand’s on. One time she diiiiiiddd say “hey groom” (to me) when her bridle was twisted… I was torn by wanting to rip her off the pony and peeing myself laughing. But we had been up since 4 AM braiding the pony so 
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When I had a ASB show horses and roadster pony, my horse was always tacked and ready for me, but it was a time thing. I would literally run in from work and change quick then hop on before having to go back to work. I always rode on my lunch break. Same when I was a kid. I had to ride multiple horses from 3:30 PM-6:00 and still get all my school work and be ready to be picked up at 7. But on Saturdays I did everything myself and worked/tacked up another 10 horses. Our groom had Saturdays and Sundays off.
But I also had horses at home for fun on top of having show horses. So if I wanted to ride my parents horses I had to tack up and do everything myself.
Currently, and for the past god knows how long I’ve done everything myself, including self care board for a while. If my kids want to ride they have to do it themselves. They don’t love it enough for me to buy them a nice show horse.
If I buy another show horse it would have to be in part training as time is an issue for me currently. 60 hr work weeks don’t leave much time to ride when I have 2 other kids that ride and lesson.
No. I enjoy spending time with my horse. Even when I was riding multiple horses for a trainer I still tacked up all the horses on my own. The only time it makes sense (in my mind) to not always tack up your own is if you are constantly riding multiple horses a day or at lots of shows where it really helps to have a groom around to help out. If you are doing it out of sheer laziness or because you think you are too good to do so yourself then that is very sad and such poor horsemanship. It really does not take that long to do a quick groom and tack before a lesson. Being late to a lesson and asking for help is one thing, but never ever lifting a finger ever (just because you can afford to pay that type of a fee) I just don’t understand that – why bother riding if you can’t enjoy the time with your horse?
:lol::lol::lol::lol: In what alternate universe is someone grooming and tacking up my horse??! lol
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I only had horses groomed and waiting for me when I first started learning to ride in a lesson barn. Very soon I insisted that I want to learn and do that myself, and have not had a horse groomed for me since then. I see it as a valuable bonding experience and a chance to spend more time with my horse, all while making sure that he feels okay that particular day and that the tack fits and is safe.
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No … but I wouldn’t mind the option (for a charge). I actually really enjoy grooming horses and tacking horses up. I also think it is a good opportunity to check over equipment for wear and tear. However, my trainer doesn’t love to give lessons late in the evening - which I can understand. There are times when it might be practical to take a lesson during the day or early in the evening and not have to worry about being on time if I could just hop on. I prefer to spend a liesurely time grooming my horse before a lesson. The reality is that I get caught at work, leaving me rushing to my car, anxiously tapping the wheel at stop lights, and pulling into the parking lot already stressed, at which time I still have to cram myself and my clothes into the bathroom, frantically pull the FITS up while trying not to yell curse words. After that I pile all of the tack I can fit on my arms and rush to the cross ties, where I put my horse and curry the saddle area only. I am then frantically putting on the saddle and bridle and rushing into the arena dissheveled and late. This is why during the week tacking up would be helpful!
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30 years ago, I was an adult horse newbie. A teenage daughter of wife’s friend wanted me to like horses. She would groom and tack her suitably lazy lesson pony for me to ride. I didn’t appreciate her time and effort till I had a horse of my own. From her work and enthusiastic joy of horses, I got the horse bug in a semi way. So I share our horses as repayment of my karmic debt to Renee’
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Somedays I wish someone would just hand my horses to me all cleaned (they’re both grey) and tacked up, especially after a long day at work. But nope, no car to saddle service at our barn lol.
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I remember being in a position like thst. if I’m doing my own tacking I like to enjoy it.
