Freelance groom charges?

Girlracer

Girlracer

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Hi all,

Just wondering what sort of prices you would expect/be willing to pay for a freelance groom?

Sort of holiday cover, yard cover, work cover etc etc.

So yard visits, mucking out turning out etc and exercising.

Just trying to get an idea of what people are willing to pay.

Thanks for any ideas :)
 
We used to pay £12/hr for someone who was a good BHSAI, confident on my forward horse, fast, honest, trustworthy, and was insured.

I think £10-12 is fair for someone working freelance.

We pay £10 for a teen to feed, muck out and turn out our horses on a Sunday (two horses) morning. She is there an hour and a half. We usually put it up to £15 when they turn 18. (they walk about half a mile to get here too)
 
I'm in south Lincs (not far from you) - I suspect area makes a difference. When I was pregnant last time over winter I paid £8 an hour for turn out, muck out, water and hay redone, then a second visit to bring in again.
Lovely trustworthy lady who was experienced and calm with the boys - well worth it.

I equally have paid £10 an hour for someone to come in and walk the dogs round the field when OH and I have both been working at the same time ! I'd probably pay up to that for horses if I needed to but £8 seems to be the going rate - no idea why horses are cheaper than dogs!
 
£ 10 per hour if they are doing a good few hours I would expect to pay more per hour if it was just a couple .
I also pay travel if they come back a second time in the day.
 
I freelance but I am a bit rubbish at getting charging right! I have pretty much settled on £10 per visit.
I work at the moment only on private yards so I have sole care while owners away/unable to do.
For example, one of my clients has 3 ponies, 2 stabled over night. I charge £20 per day for 2 visits. Feed and much out in the mornings and then feed at stable at end of day. I normally do all the yard work in the AM so bedtime visit takes all of 10 mins.
I don't exercise for people just now as getting back from badly broken leg last year and I am not back to a stage I could charge.
For vet/farrier/dentist etc visits again that magic £10 as long as it is an hour or under I am on yard, more then that and it goes up by £5 per half hour. I clip but only with people's own clippers just now so charge £20 for a clip as I am not paying to maintain clippers.
All my clients seem happy with this and have me back all the time so doing something right! I massively undercharged at the start, did two ponies for a week for £60! I was earning under minimum wage on that!
 
Just to add my OH has just looked after a friends small holding while they were on hols - 25 sheep, 50 chickens, 3 working dogs in kennels and their cat ! He charged £10 a visit and went twice a day for (ish) and hour each visit.
 
Thank you everyone.

Basically i am moving back home (cotswolds) and whilst building on one income (business) i need an extra income but it needs to be flexible. I've worked with horses a fair bit, including sole charge of an event yard but don't want to get tied into set hours that will probably be long. I think the main thing is taking into consideration insurance and travel?

Does anyone know what's best for insurance? I'm a member of the BGA and wonder if i can get something through them?
 
BGA do a great range of insurance, good reasonable prices to. I thank also if you use a car to get from yard to yard you need to insure for business use, something to check, I am not able to drive right now but have several will be refusal clients waiting for me to be passed fit to drive so this reminds me to check that out again myself.
I am not a million miles away from you, I work out of villages 10 miles west of Oxford, no nicking my clients lol!
 
Polos mum, I realise your OH was doing a favour for a friend, but dogs should never be left overnight alone, whether kenneled or not. Indeed, I think it invalidates your insurance if this happens, and their are some pet sitting/dog walking agencies who absolutely forbid their members to look after dogs left alone overnight...
Cliverton Insurance (Kings Lynn) offer good insurance for specific purposes, so you don't get charged for unnecessary possible requirements.
 
I'm in Berkshire, i charge £15 first hour then £10 per hour onwards.

It varies a bit though, for example, I bring in 2 horses on weekdays and charge £8 for that. It only takes about 10 minutes but needs to be worth the fuel an the fact it affects how I schedule the rest of my day. Their owner did offer £10 a visit but I felt that was too much.

I charge more for teaching and clipping
 
you have to consider tax, NI plus fuel and sick pay. I fail to see how anyone can be self employed under £10/hour and I was charging that for freelance grooming 6 years ago. There were some locally charging £5/hour but those were the ones that had little experience, no insurance and would fail to turn up.

I was insured by SEIB, wasn't a member of BGA though so they might have better alternatives. Good luck, just don't price yourself too cheap.
 
peteralfred said:
you have to consider tax, NI plus fuel and sick pay. I fail to see how anyone can be self employed under £10/hour and I was charging that for freelance grooming 6 years ago. There were some locally charging £5/hour but those were the ones that had little experience, no insurance and would fail to turn up.

I was insured by SEIB, wasn't a member of BGA though so they might have better alternatives. Good luck, just don't price yourself too cheap.
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But you have to price yourself at the price the market will hold at ten pounds my grooms are getting more per hour than shift mangers at the local shops and the same as managers of local restaurants .
 
Goldenstar said:
But you have to price yourself at the price the market will hold at ten pounds my grooms are getting more per hour than shift mangers at the local shops and the same as managers of local restaurants .
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yes, but they presumably have those benefits that I mentioned. £10/hour without benefits is minimum wage. If you have qualifications, experience and offer a reliable service £10/hour isn't alot to ask. I got lots of hours at local yards no problem-because I proved myself better than 18yos coming out of the local ag college. I currently pay a guy £10 and hour to poo pick and pay his travel time.
 
peteralfred said:
yes, but they presumably have those benefits that I mentioned. £10/hour without benefits is minimum wage. If you have qualifications, experience and offer a reliable service £10/hour isn't alot to ask. I got lots of hours at local yards no problem-because I proved myself better than 18yos coming out of the local ag college. I currently pay a guy £10 and hour to poo pick and pay his travel time.
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Quite agree. If it were £10/hr for constant 8hrs/day then yes its a lot, but its not at all, they're nipping from job to job..

I once asked our freelance groom what she earned in a year, when things weren't going well in my job and I thought about doing it. It was about £12k. She worked really hard, racing around doing various bits at various yards and teaching. Luckily her OH had a free house with his job, so they didn't have rent, but it was still nothing.
 
I pay £15 an hour but I only have her an hour each day as and when I need her.She has qualifcations and insurance. I can have someone on my own insurance upto 16 hours aweekwhich I would expect to pay less.
To make a living you have to iclude travel time so I would always charge a higher rate for the first hour and a maxium per day.
Also I would charge for a minum for an hour not per task. Make sure you always answer e-mails, phone calls, texts from customers. If you are covering for holidays take at least20% non refundable deposit.
Act proffesional from the start, give them forms to complete about the animals you are looking after, vets phone numbers and have them ready to hand out or e-mail.

Good luck, there is a market for this but you have to be organised and treat it as a proper job.
 
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