How many horses per groom?

[jayvee]

To keep a horse fit for hunting eg, how many horses should a groom be allocated and expected to manage on a daily basis? Assuming horses are stabled or part stabled.

 

[S_N]

3, maybe 4.

 

[dingle12]

4 at a push

 

[loopeepee]

Ive just had to look after a yard of 4 in full time, no 5. Plus, others who are living in but not in work.

 

[Agent XXX999]

Depends...would expect to ride up to 4 (2 before lunch and 2 after) But my best friend broke her leg last winter (good timing, she couldnt have managd to break it in the summer!) so I did her yard for her (livery yard) and managed to get 6 exercised a day by schooling 2, hacking 2 and leading 2 (in rotation, and with consideration)
If you have got good hacking with no narrow bits it works quite well...

 

[allijudd]

ooohh...really...i used to work for a livery yard who hunted with the vwh and i looked after 14 horses during the week and hacked out ride and lead everyday to keep the fit......

i did have help on hunt days(as i couldnt be in 2 places at the same time!) and sometimes my boss would help..but generally i muckled out 14 stables, rode and lead, cleaned tack, rotated turnout, jumped those who needed to and clipped etc etc.....

what bliss it would have been to look after 3 or 4.....

 

[Agent XXX999]

allij - I had 14 to do too - only for a few weeks! Never, ever again!

 

[jayvee]

Guess I must be lucky. I look after bosses two and one full livery, plus my own (on site). 4 in total.
Once sole managed a yard for a nutty drunken woman. She had about 24 and 7 were kept in! I could never keen up to keep her happy. Her drunken rants at me were mental, so I left!!

 

[GTs]

It really depends on how much you expect them to do - if it is just tack up and ride - I would say 8, if it is to muck out too I would say 6 and clean tack as well, rug, feed, go to the field to catch them, etc I would say 4.

No point in trying to push it or the job will not get done properly.