Thankless task of being a groom

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eatonbraynat

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This is kinda a mini rant. Lol

What a raw deal grooms get. As I go round doing various jobs on various yards, it amazes me what I have to put up with.

This week I have been reared on leading horse out of a stable, lunged at while trying to change rugs or at feed/haying time, had to repeatedly muck out while huge horses remain in tiny stables with me, so we are both getting in each other's way and subsequently pissing each other off, been left to muck out x amount of boxes with crappy tools not fit for the job, brooms are either way too heavy, bristles missing or just not effective, endless blisters on my hands from filling haynets either full of holes or with replacement tie strings full of knots which make hanging them and undoing them a NIGHTMARE, the list goes on.

Horses are miserable, stabled a lot of the time or clearly in pain - I can't be the only one to notice yet it seems so.

I think about my own horse who is happy, well cared for and as far as I know - pain free. He is always happy and smiley and a dream for anyone to handle. I have appropriate easy to use tools and if I needed someone to care for him I'd like to think I've made it as easy as possible.

It amazes me life has to be this hard!
 
life doesn't have to be that hard, you can do it, you`ve just said, so could the people who are causing a hard time, you should come out and tell them, just like on here, might just shock them into action!
 
tristar said:
life doesn't have to be that hard, you can do it, you`ve just said, so could the people who are causing a hard time, you should come out and tell them, just like on here, might just shock them into action!
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Perhaps ur right! Maybe I'll give it a go - when I'm feeling brave lol!
 
being a groom I loved until the boss took the piss so I left on bad terms, do wish it wasn't on bad terms but after sobbing my heart out to a friend every day for a week I decided I couldn't work the last week of my notice (I was leaving anyway for a job as a rider)

I now work in the nhs full time and break & produce a few myself. Probably harder work, "work" longer hours but I now see the horses as a hobby & I love it. I also enjoy having money & using my brain which I did miss. I do however miss my six pack from being a groom & rider :D
 
kassieg said:
being a groom I loved until the boss took the piss so I left on bad terms, do wish it wasn't on bad terms but after sobbing my heart out to a friend every day for a week I decided I couldn't work the last week of my notice (I was leaving anyway for a job as a rider)

I now work in the nhs full time and break & produce a few myself. Probably harder work, "work" longer hours but I now see the horses as a hobby & I love it. I also enjoy having money & using my brain which I did miss. I do however miss my six pack from being a groom & rider :D
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Lol the six pack bit :)
 
Yeah sometimes working at stables drives me mad, but the good days do outweigh the bad ones. I feel it has also taught me to be confident around horses, after my accident I just let them walk all over me, but now if they start acting up I am quite capable of standing up in front of them and making them back off which they do now, they know they cant pull one on me anymore (although the shetlands still manage, but I maintain that breed is evil to anyone bigger than them.) :P My own horse today was actually trying to test me and try to get away with things, but quickly realised he couldnt get away with that.
 
buy your own broom they are only a fiver, and get some haynet clips and some of the plastic palm coated workmens gloves they are brill for the stable work and last ages, sometimes the only way is to show them up, anyway I think you can`t beat having the right equipment to make life easier, then just tell them to contribute!
 
You need to be tougher, drop the bad ones and get more good ones, if the tools are useless tell them , if you are paid per hour as you should be if employed, just take more time and put it on your bill.
 
I left my old job on bad terms due to a range of things including bad equipment, and lack of pay on time! I'm not a brave sort, so failed to confront them, but did write a letter on my computer and even writing it down made me feel so much better. I was never going to send it, as I refused to engage in a 'bitch' match which they wanted me to. ~I'm sure it pissed them off that I stuck out my notice, and never did complain up front. I never got thanked at the end, which was sad, but I did do some above and beyond jobs for them, which I know they appreciated at the time, just not the sort to say it. Certainly was a learning curve and for that alone I am still very grateful that I worked for them.
My current job is great, if something breaks then I just order another and it gets delivered for me!
 
You need to find better employers! There are zillions of horse jobs out there, you shouldn't have to put up with a rubbish one! I have just finished an 18 month stint as an SJ groom, working for 2 different employers (6 months with one, 12 months with the other). I was treated well in both jobs, worked with nice horses and always felt looked after. I always mucked out with the horses in the stable, but that was never a problem as the stables were huge; both bosses liked the horses to be turned out as much as possible, they were competition horses yes but didn't have a bad life; tools were great in the first job, rubbish in the second but once mentioned to the boss he got us better stuff (even upgraded to Future Forks). Oh and neither employer used haynets, all horses were fed from a hay barrow :D. Yes I had to put up with bad behaviour and numerous injuries, but that is because I was dealing with highly strung horses at all working hours - if you do that for 18 months, you're bound to come across some bad behaviour! But none of it was malicious.

There are good groom jobs out there, I think people shouldn't be content to settle for rubbish!
 
There is a new law coming in that means that people employed as nannies, carers, etc. have to receive a pension contribution (not sure if this comes out of their wages, or the employer has to pay on top.) While I was listening to the programme on the radio I was wondering if this also applies to people employed as grooms - somehow I doubt it, since we hear that there are still people working as a groom for less than the minimum wage.
 
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