Freelance Groom - Would you ever use one?

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amycov

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Basically what the title says... I've recently gone freelance and have been lucky enough to find a lady who gives me a fair amount of work. It JUST gets me by but I'd like to do a little bit more, preferably evening, e.g bring in, excersice?, change rugs, feed. Do you think people would need an evening service like this or would they be likely to be home from work and do this themselves. Also could provide a full holiday service including early mornings. Would you hire someone for hols or just pay extras at your yard to do it for you?

I hope this makes sense and you catch my drift. And please note this is not in any way an advert, I'm just interested in what you all think.
 
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if we could afford it my mum would love to pay sam.. our groom who comes 3 times a week to ride.. to come and do the horses in the evening..
also if you offer to people to stay in..if they want to go away for the night.. that was very successful being able to go away for the night and come back to everything like it had only been a day.. just keep offering then people will tell friends etc, and good word will spread.. then more poeple will ask!! :D :D
 
I think this is a great idea - if you are reliable I think there should be plenty of work - saying that a lot of people are finding money tight at the moment. There are definatly times when I could defo use this type of service. Good luck
 
I already do! When I was working full time, someone covered the days that I was away from home (lots of them!), and even now, we have someone do Sunday mornings so that we get a lie in once a week!

It may be going into the wrong time of year - with Spring hopefully getting nearer... You could do with finding someone with competition horses that need fittening etc over the summer. I have a couple of friends who have young horses that they can't quite manage themselves (thats another story!!) and who pay someone to school them for them at their homes... Teaching in summer, if you can, is another option. Get yourself advertised on pc/rc websites and local tack shops ASAP. Good luck.
 
Well it's good to know there is a demand for afternoon/evening work as well as mornings! I'll have to spread the word and write up some adverts. Also I was thinking of charging £6 per hour would you find that acceptable?
 
amycov said:
Well it's good to know there is a demand for afternoon/evening work as well as mornings! I'll have to spread the word and write up some adverts. Also I was thinking of charging £6 per hour would you find that acceptable?
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No! You're really undercutting yourself - and any other free lancers out there. Remember that you have to factor in travelling costs and insurance etc into that. I'd say more £8-10 at least. We pay £10/hr. She is an AI, and very good. Your experience will count for a bit.. There was a thread on freelance grooms recently that spoke about all this - try the careers forum or do a search - can't remember where it was, but it was about last week..
 
Another outlet for you would be if you're an experienced competition groom....when I used to event I would pay a freelancer to accompany me to a mid-week event when OH and family weren't available/couldn't be arsed! :D

Relatively easy money for two horses at a ODE and a day out paid for.
 
amycov said:
Well it's good to know there is a demand for afternoon/evening work as well as mornings! I'll have to spread the word and write up some adverts. Also I was thinking of charging £6 per hour would you find that acceptable?
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I already use a freelance groom for holiday cover and some days when I work away, I pay a lot more than £6 per hour mind ;)
 
Okay so maybe I need to research prices a little more, the lady that I'm doing some work for offered me a set sum as I do a few hours a day there, so I didn't think that much into an hourly rate to do bits and bobs. So are we safe to say £8 would be a safer bet? Don't want to put people off by pricing to high but as you said about travel and insurance that is a very good point!
 
I'm on the hunt for a freelance groom and struggling! Don't suppose you fancy moving to Wales? ;)

Perhaps re-think where you are advertising? I'm hoping to find someone by word of mouth or through my riding club, do people know you are there? Just a thought! :)
 
amycov said:
Okay so maybe I need to research prices a little more, the lady that I'm doing some work for offered me a set sum as I do a few hours a day there, so I didn't think that much into an hourly rate to do bits and bobs. So are we safe to say £8 would be a safer bet? Don't want to put people off by pricing to high but as you said about travel and insurance that is a very good point!
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For regular repeat work £8 per hour might be acceptable but for holiday cover, or adhoc stable duties expect more per hour for the unpredicability. Think double ;)
 
I have just started using one. However it was very tricky, because all I wanted was someone to take them in for me late afternoon, instead of me having to deal with 2 cold grumpy horses in the dark every night. I also thought (and have been proved right) that it would help my mare keep weight on. However, it's half an hour a day max, and I wasn't about to pay someone a tenner a time! Luckily, the groom at my neighbouring livery yard has agreed to do it, so there is basically no travel time for her. She gets £5 a day to take them in, remove any boots, wash off feet and feed them. The bonus though is she now knows my horses and can do them when I go away too, which I really struggled with before.

It can work, but from your perspective you need to make sure it's worth your time.
 
Hi, I used to pay a freelance groom £6 per hour, and she did everything (feed, change rugs, turnout, poo pick ect)
But that was the going rate about 6 years ago!

I think the going rate is about £10 an hour. A little less for regular customers.

I presently pay a woman to ride for me, for one hour (give or take) £15.
It's at the very top end of my budget, but she does seem very good.

Quick question to anyone (if I may) do you think this is over priced? When I am away, I get her to ride 3 times a week, so on top of my livery this takes my total cost up to £95 a week. Full livery round here is £100....
Hmmm
 
HKJ said:
Hi, I used to pay a freelance groom £6 per hour, and she did everything (feed, change rugs, turnout, poo pick ect)
But that was the going rate about 6 years ago!

I think the going rate is about £10 an hour. A little less for regular customers.

I presently pay a woman to ride for me, for one hour (give or take) £15.
It's at the very top end of my budget, but she does seem very good.

Quick question to anyone (if I may) do you think this is over priced? When I am away, I get her to ride 3 times a week, so on top of my livery this takes my total cost up to £95 a week. Full livery round here is £100....
Hmmm[/QUOI

I ride excercise a couple of horses. By the time I leave home, catch, groom, tack up, ride for 1 1/4 hours give or take, untack, rug up, do feet and put in stable and drive home it takes about 2 hours and I get £20.
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I am a freelance groom/rider. I currently have two part time jobs where I charge £7 per hour for all stable duties and exercising/schooling horses. I also ride out for a lady and charge £10 per hour (she tacks up and untacks, I just have to get there and get on!)
 
I'd use a freelance groom when away overnight at shows with one horse and other is therefore at home alone as not on a yard, horses kept at parents place who are getting a bit old to look after horses (prob not pc to say that). At £6 an Hr I'd use someone like you when at work once a day as work 12hr shifts an hours drive from yard so would be nice to only go to yard once a day on work days, however at £10+ would just carry on doing them myself twice a day. Lots of horses kept at private homes and several farms sold land as paddocks so surprised no one in my area not doing this. Also I went away at Christmas and had real prob finding a livery yard with space so a freelance groom would have been ideal.
 
lucyc said:
my friend works for an exservices man who we think is now a policemen and so has unusual hours, why dont you try asking local policemen/women or local nurses who may have to do night shifts??
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Good idea! My dad is in the police unfortunately he's in Dorset now but still has contacts in Warwickshire. I'll have to see if he can think of anyone.
 
If/when I have a place with land I will want to hire a groom to do some of the leg work as I start work at 730 and have to travel.
 
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