Is there a market for freelance travelling grooms?

faerie666

faerie666

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It's been a while since I logged into this forum, good to see it's still going strong.😁
I left my full-time job at a racing yard a few months ago, and set myself up as a freelancer. I also have my HGV license and all the relevant certificates for travelling in the UK and EU, and I was wondering if there is a market for a freelance travelling groom?
I already do some ad hoc work for a couple of transport companies, including continental work and Ireland, so I have experience driving big trucks abroad, and dealing with customs, and I'm capable of handling most horses and turn out to a very high standard.
I'm based in Cheshire, but would happily travel further for multi-day competitions.
Where would be a good place to advertise, and what would people be willing to pay as a day rate?
 
I think there is plenty of opportunity around here - especially once the event season kicks off. Lots of riders/yards need an additional pair of hands when taking several horses to an event but don't want to commit to full time staff. I know a few people who often step-in to attend shows with pro yards but aren't regularly employed by them, or go along to the 3-day or international events. I would definitely advertise/start posting on the local FB pages and reach out to local yards so they have your details on record.
 
Certainly is a market for it that’s underserved for FEI driving. They’re long shows once you factor in travel (+/- packing) so how that slots in with freelancing can be tricky but pay and workload is good.
 
KikiDee said:
I think there is plenty of opportunity around here - especially once the event season kicks off. Lots of riders/yards need an additional pair of hands when taking several horses to an event but don't want to commit to full time staff. I know a few people who often step-in to attend shows with pro yards but aren't regularly employed by them, or go along to the 3-day or international events. I would definitely advertise/start posting on the local FB pages and reach out to local yards so they have your details on record.
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Thank you, I already have my Facebook business page and advertise on my local groups regularly, but I hadn't thought of contacting yards directly. It feels kind of cheeky to do that, but I guess at worst they can say 'no, thanks'.🤷😊
 
rara007 said:
Certainly is a market for it that’s underserved for FEI driving. They’re long shows once you factor in travel (+/- packing) so how that slots in with freelancing can be tricky but pay and workload is good.
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I hadn't thought of driving yards, mainly because that's one area that I don't have any experience with, but I'm a fast learner!
How long would you normally be away for?
I don't have any yards that I go to everyday as such, it's more holiday cover and riding work, so I can be pretty flexible.
When I do the continental driving jobs, I'm often away for 4-5 days, so I book my other work around that.
 
faerie666 said:
Thank you, I already have my Facebook business page and advertise on my local groups regularly, but I hadn't thought of contacting yards directly. It feels kind of cheeky to do that, but I guess at worst they can say 'no, thanks'.🤷😊
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I'm sure they wouldn't mind! I'd just drop in a business card or flyer at some of the big yards like Somerford and say I hope you don't mind but I've been working for X and Y but moved into freelancing so if you ever need an extra pair of hands over the show season I wanted to leave my details :) Even if they don't use you, they might get asked by someone else and remember you and spread by word of mouth. It might also be good to see if you can team up with or follow/befriend any other established local freelancers, I see people advertise quite a bit looking for cover for their clients if they're already booked up and you could start to build some contacts and reputation by stepping in for them. I also think there's possibly a market for amateurs needing help on show-days, so I would consider offering this service if you can make it pay. I know I never have any support at events and dread having to go to places on my own, I would happily pay someone a day-rate just to help me out and offer some support for the day, but I've always been too intimidated to approach the professional freelance grooms incase they weren't interested.
 
KikiDee said:
I'm sure they wouldn't mind! I'd just drop in a business card or flyer at some of the big yards like Somerford and say I hope you don't mind but I've been working for X and Y but moved into freelancing so if you ever need an extra pair of hands over the show season I wanted to leave my details :) Even if they don't use you, they might get asked by someone else and remember you and spread by word of mouth. It might also be good to see if you can team up with or follow/befriend any other established local freelancers, I see people advertise quite a bit looking for cover for their clients if they're already booked up and you could start to build some contacts and reputation by stepping in for them. I also think there's possibly a market for amateurs needing help on show-days, so I would consider offering this service if you can make it pay. I know I never have any support at events and dread having to go to places on my own, I would happily pay someone a day-rate just to help me out and offer some support for the day, but I've always been too intimidated to approach the professional freelance grooms incase they weren't interested.
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Thank you 😊
I do already have some contacts with other freelancers, and we regularly refer work to each other if one of us is not available, or the job is too far out of the way. I also have a couple of contacts who are stabled or train with some big names in the area, so I will start by speaking to them. I'll also do the flyers and send some Facebook messages and emails to people I can find.
I would be very happy to help out amateurs at shows, and I have something to that effect on my Facebook page. I think most other freelancers would be as well.😊
I do wonder if that market is maybe slightly limited though, due to a lot of amateurs being on a bit of a tight budget.🤔
Out of interest, what would you expect/be happy to pay as a day rate?
 
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I wouldn't rule out the amateur's market though precisely because these are people who don't have tons of support full time, it's a high cost for sure, to commit to a 3 day event (or even a ODE that they need up travel and stay away at), and actually an extra pair of hands is often crucial and worth the investment to ensure the entry fee isn't wasted on a stressful experience. My daughter is stepping into the BE world this year and we would usually have a friend come along to help, as well as me and my husband (he's easily distracted when we're at shows though!). If a friend couldn't come along or if husband was not travelling with us, I'd think nothing of the cost of a groom to come along simply because what's important for us is to have a positive experience and give it or best shot. And we're not loaded by any stretch, more that if we're investing in going to an event, I'd rather throw a little more money at helping out to go well for us, and being short-handed would not be my ideal at all. I realise of course there are those who literally event alone and rock up and manage everything, but many don't.
 
There is definitely a market, if you are experienced enough to offer warm up support to amateurs and good hand holding, through to very efficient for a pro wagon of horses. Each end of the scale requires a slightly different skill set.

Probably talking somewhere between £100-200 per day depending on the specifics.
 
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