How difficult to find a reliable groom?

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Patchworkpony

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How difficult is it to find a really reliable and knowledgeable groom these days? I hear horror stories from friends who say that the girls they’ve employed have got attitude and turn out to be unreliable. Some of these friends compete at the top so you would think a groom would be glad to be totally involved at that level. Sadly not the case as they sometimes turn out to be a complete let down on competition days. I would just like to know how many people on this site have employed grooms and can say hand on heart that they are totally reliable and trustworthy. As we get older to keep horses properly we would need help but the more I hear the less I confident I am in finding the right person.
 
I’m a groom.
I pride myself on being reliable and doing the job as best I can.
However... being a freelance is really tough - chasing clients to pay invoices is a massive big bear of mine, and on more than once occasion when I have said I won’t come back to ride out for them as they haven’t paid me before I know it they are telling people I’m the unreliable one.
Good grooms are out there! If you fine one, make sure you look after them and they will look after you.
 
I have a groom that is mostly reliable but will take holidays at short notice - but that’s the only negative if she says she’ll do something she does it ... no complaints from me
 
As an ex groom I to got fed up waiting forever to be paid and then being told I was unreliable for saying I wouldn’t return til I’d been paid, promising money would be left and getting there and nothing, it was a type of emotional blackmail as they were expecting the horses to be dealt with, so if you find a good groom look after them!
 
Some and some. I've had some fabulous grooms over the years, and when you get a good one you bend over backwards to keep them. I was always a bit generous with pay, perks, and flexible about time off when I could be (especially since I needed them to work unsocial hours/days). The best ones really want to do the job.

Equally I've had some shockers! People who think they are more capable than they are, ones who only like doing certain jobs and don't bother with the things they don't want to do, ones (the freelance ones) who double book themselves and can't possibly be in three places at once, so they aren't, and the horses don't get done when they should be ...

When I freelanced I don't remember ever having trouble getting paid, although there was one woman who used to leave me impossibly long lists of things which she expected me to do in the time allotted, but refused to pay a penny overtime, and in the end I said I wasn't coming back. Interestingly, she tried to badmouth me but forgot that it was her friends (and my other clients) who had recommended me in the first place, so they figured out quite quickly that she was the problem, not me :p:)
 
ihatework said:
Not difficult at all if you pay them enough & treat them nicely.
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Not true unfortunately. Came home last week, having left five pounds more than I was asked for, to find muck in the wheelbarrow instead of on the muck heap, muck still in a barn that was supposed to be skipped out, and completely unwashed buckets with food stuck all over them in the feed store. Very disappointed 😒
 
ycbm said:
Not true unfortunately. Came home last week, having left five pounds more than I was asked for, to find muck in the wheelbarrow instead of on the muck heap, muck still in a barn that was supposed to be skipped out, and completely unwashed buckets with food stuck all over them in the feed store. Very disappointed 😒
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I wouldn't be having that one back!!
 
As long as the horses are in and out when I want, with plenty of forage, which I check on camera, it's better than nothing when you live in an isolated place, unfortunately :( Beggars can't be choosers.
 
ycbm said:
As long as the horses are in and out when I want, with plenty of forage, which I check on camera, it's better than nothing when you live in an isolated place, unfortunately :( Beggars can't be choosers.
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That’s the trouble - it would seem that everybody has to bend over backwards or accept what they can get.
 
The person that does mine when I am away is great never had any problems, but mine are easy it's just hang nets up in field top water skip the hard standing and check them over and rug changes if necessary, previous person was not great the place used to look a mess barrow full up, nothing looked clean I think in a week there was no sweeping or feed and water buckets scrubbed out, and although I paid her she was a friend which made it hard to say anything hence why I got rid.
 
Horse owners are notoriously tight when paying for services, they either pay nothing or never have enough money on them & leave some of the bill unpaid. This leaves grooms, suppliers etc chasing for payment. I know some yards where suppliers, handymen etc refuse to go because they never get paid, never get paid the correct amount or have to chase payment. If you find a good reliable groom then pay them the correct amount or a little more than the normal amount thus securing their services. They are not there to subsidise your hobby.
 
Always a difficult one, I’ve had some good grooms and some terrible ones, but had friends who have worked as grooms for shocking bosses.
My worst experience was the groom who I phoned up to see how she was getting on, to be told she was just tacking up my horse to ride him out, when I was on my mobile standing in the stable next to him.
 
So difficult these days, l’ve had reliable ones, unreliable ones and inconsistent ones who appear reliable but in hind sight aren’t eg will let you know they can’t come but looking back it’s all a bit too often. The last one l had appeared to spend 80% of the time on her phone, and mucking out was very basic. One before was excellent, fanatical about turnout and mucking out, would happily go through a months supply of shavings in a few days, sadly we were nearly always late because she always found something not quite clean enough.
 
Patchworkpony said:
How difficult is it to find a really reliable and knowledgeable groom these days? I hear horror stories from friends who say that the girls they’ve employed have got attitude and turn out to be unreliable. Some of these friends compete at the top so you would think a groom would be glad to be totally involved at that level. Sadly not the case as they sometimes turn out to be a complete let down on competition days. I would just like to know how many people on this site have employed grooms and can say hand on heart that they are totally reliable and trustworthy. As we get older to keep horses properly we would need help but the more I hear the less I confident I am in finding the right person.
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I'm an ex groom- did it for a good while, and like to think I was good at it. I left due to stupid hours, low pay and life restrictions such as not allowed partner/horse/dog etc. I might be considering returning but guess what? Very little has changed, and on more than one occassion, after making journey plans ' oh , we hired someone today', and failed to tell me. Want lifelong commitment? Then allow for some life to your employees.

I would say the older ones who know the job and the dedication it needs are asking for a little more than is being offered. The newer ones might have an unrealistic idea of their skills and worth when starting out. And please don't blame horsey colleges, thats how I started, you either have the dedication or not, your training is only the start.

How you bridge that gap, is not something I think anyone knows
 
Hanno Verian said:
Always a difficult one, I’ve had some good grooms and some terrible ones, but had friends who have worked as grooms for shocking bosses.
My worst experience was the groom who I phoned up to see how she was getting on, to be told she was just tacking up my horse to ride him out, when I was on my mobile standing in the stable next to him.
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Oh my gosh - we’ve employed a few like that in the past. The worst was someone looking after the horses while we were away. We came home early to find no sign of groom, even though it was mid morning AND my husband’s hunter tied up tight to the wall where apparently she had been all night. Said groom said the job wasn’t for them and they weren’t coming back! Poor mare she must have wondered what she had done. The worse of it was that this person appeared very nice and indeed plausable.
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
Horse owners are notoriously tight when paying for services, they either pay nothing or never have enough money on them & leave some of the bill unpaid. This leaves grooms, suppliers etc chasing for payment. I know some yards where suppliers, handymen etc refuse to go because they never get paid, never get paid the correct amount or have to chase payment. If you find a good reliable groom then pay them the correct amount or a little more than the normal amount thus securing their services. They are not there to subsidise your hobby.
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I have never not paid a freelance groom, farrier or anyone else at the time they do the visit and I always pay in cash and often a little bit more to show my appreciation.

I agree that there are some great ones out there, it is just a case of finding the right one. One thing I find quite common is that they start off very well, then after a few months start to lose motivation, which is quite natural especially doing what can be a tough, mundane list of chores. I find I have to shake things up by adding a bit of variety, offer a bit more money and generally stop that stagnation which often leads to corners being cut.

I have also had some great ones and some really bad ones over the years. One person who was paid to muck out and lunge a couple of my horses was caught on more than one occasion leaving with the money without lunging the horses. I called it a day with her when I arrived home from work early to find her filling a trug in the boot of her car with my feed lol. I used to be so trusting when I first bought my yard, I got taken advantage of on more than one occasion. Having horses has certainly been a huge learning experience!
 
HashRouge said:
I know I was an excellent groom, and by and large I loved the job. But it doesn't pay enough, it is hard to take holidays and you do get taken advantage of. I did it for just shy of two years, then did something else. I'd go back to it in a shot if I thought I could make a good living from it.
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I agree that SO many people who would like a proper career in horses are denied a decent standard of living. Could you please tell me what would be your ideal wage if you were not living in. I really want to be fair and I agree people shouldn’t run their hobby at the expense of others.
 
I too would be interested to know what people think is a good wage for a groom. One local person has now increased her charges by almost 120%. Some good short term hands on experience, no formal qualifications, very basic local jumping/showing/dressage experience non affiliated.
 
I will start off then. It would depend skill level, whether they were capable of sole charge, and experience but I think the hourly rate should start at £10 an hour.
 
Patchworkpony said:
So £12 per hour would be fair?
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Once you factor in fuel, insurance, lack of holiday or sick pay etc, £12 isn't going to be terribly much more than minimum wage. Arguably, if you want someone who has any skills at all, who you are - often - expecting to work unsupervised and with considerable responsibility, minimum wage is very far short of the mark.

It's what a lot of people ask - and pay - but it's also why the people on those rates are either less skilled or less dedicated.

It's exactly the same problem as livery yards charging less than they can really afford, and causes exactly the same problems!
 
It would depend on the number of hours per week and whether its regular or occasional work? I was thinking the starting rate of £10 would be someone with limited experience doing upwards of 2 hours a day on a regular basis. For occasional help and a couple of hours or less a day I would expect to pay from £15. Also if they are riding then they usually charge more because of the additional insurance.

I needed some help a few months ago and my usual person wasn't able to come so I contacted a lady recommended to me by a friend. She charged me £25 for mucking out and bringing my two in, which I thought was a bit steep as its about 50 minutes work but I guess she decided to charge me more because it was a one-off.
 
I employ 3 full time grooms. They have good working conditions - heated tea room for lunch breaks etc with fridge/kettle/microwave etc, as regular hours as a competition yard allows ie other than show days 8 to 8.30 to 4.30 to 5 ish. If they wish to live on site there is self contained accommodation purpose built and regularly maintained. They can bring their own horse and they only pay for the food it eats and bedding at cost. Thier own horse can travel to shows/clinics on my lorry with no charge. They are paid monthly on time, all the tax and NI is covered, I have a pension fund and they get the statutory 28 days holiday/year. Mostly I get excellent staff but now and then there is the odd bad egg. Those are pressured to change and if that is too much then they are shown the gate! I am receiving a visit next month from a Danish girl who worked here nearly 40 years ago - how lovely that will be. I am in touch with most of my previous staff.
 
Can I come and work for you sport horse? Sounds like your groom's have a lovely set up.
I have used freelancers over the last few years. I struggled for a long while to find someone I trusted - had people not turn up when they said as a major one (and then argue with me and not apologise when I sent a copy of the message asking for that day to be covered and them confirming) to minor things like not rinsing feed bowls, emptying barrows. (Though those still annoy me!)
Struck gold with my latest lady who was wonderful and nothing was ever too much. So much so I've ended up moving to her yard! She came by a word of mouth recommendation, doesn't charge half as much as she shoul. I try to show appreciation with a good supply of biscuits/cakes, mucking out some of hers, odd bits of over payment - it's small things but I know she appreciates them and frankly I'd be lost without her!
 
I have to say that apprentices and freelancers are the trickiest! I have had good apprentices but not too many and I will not take any more. Sadly the youngsters today seem to think that it is an easy option out of school and have no idea of how to work or have any respect for anyone at all. With notable exceptions, freelancers often are just that because they cannot work for any length of time reliably, turn up regularly/on time and seem to need more time off than others! I stress that there are notable exceptions including my current star who picks up the slack, often at a moments notice, for anyone off sick and covering days off during this busy winter period. She is worth her weight and once the summer is here and she is off with her own horses we are off to the shows as her support team!
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
Horse owners are notoriously tight when paying for services, they either pay nothing or never have enough money on them & leave some of the bill unpaid. This leaves grooms, suppliers etc chasing for payment. I know some yards where suppliers, handymen etc refuse to go because they never get paid, never get paid the correct amount or have to chase payment. If you find a good reliable groom then pay them the correct amount or a little more than the normal amount thus securing their services. They are not there to subsidise your hobby.
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Rather a sweeping statement! The same person has worked for me for 18 years, we used to have 5 horses and I worked so I really depended on her and she never ever let me down. Now I have two horses and I am retired so I don't really need her except for when I am away but I still employ her on reduced hours. We are both getting older so it suits us both perfectly. I pay over the odds and always have, I think I am kind and considerate to work for and I am very grateful that she is so flexible. However, all my horses have been well mannered and easy to handle, I make sure everything she needs is provided and in good working order and she gets paid by bacs on the dot. I am so lucky that she will do the horses over Christmas as we normally go away to relatives, but she is very well paid and gets a nice present and a Christmas bonus. We are not all tight fisted scrooges!
 
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