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thetaillesseventer:

diaryofashowgroom:

DISCLAIMER: this is gonna be a long post, I apologise in advance.

So yesterday this post came up on my fb timeline, written by someone who’s business is connecting grooms to riders in need. I thought I could move past it without saying something but I can’t.

I am a groom. I love my job. I also love my horses. I would give anything for them, they are my life. In my current job, when I was full time, I started work at 8am. We stopped for tea at 11am, lunch at 1pm and then we did evening yard chores at 3pm till finishing time which ranges from 5-6pm. I got a day and a half off work each week, getting paid more than minimum wage per hour and 6 weeks paid holidays. I was “on the books” aka I paid taxes on my wages, I was a “legal” worker. I’ve been in this job for 2 years and 2 months and I’m very happy.

In my very first job as a groom I was 18 - I had no idea really what to expect. My days started at 7:30am. I was allowed 10 minutes for breakfast once the 16 horses were all hayed, fed and mucked out by me. Then it was straight back to work till 6? 7? 8? 9? In the evening - I never knew when I’d finish up, it depended entirely on the whim of my rider. If he decided that he wanted to ride a horse at half 7 I had to be there to groom them, tack up, leg my rider up, put up jumps and then when he was finished and gone home I’d untack, wash off and feed everyone their dinner and then clean all the tack for the next morning before I could go inside for my own dinner. I was supposed to get 1 day off a week but that very rarely happened. If I wanted to take 2/3 days off to go home I’d have to work ¾ weeks in a row to “earn” those days off. Even then I would be bombarded with texts of “where is this” and “what does this one get fed” while I was away from work.

On show days I would get up at 3am and if I was very lucky I would be in bed by 11pm. But only if I worked my ass off and went without food for the entire day.

I was paid €200 a week regardless of how many hours I had worked.

I lasted 6 months in that job. I came away with depression and anxiety that I still suffer from. “But why didn’t you just leave?! How could anyone work in those conditions?! It’s not fair!” Because people like the person who wrote that fb post were telling me it was “normal”. You aren’t a “proper” groom if you complain, if you take days off, if you’re “watching the clock”. What fucking bullshit.

Are you telling me young grooms getting into the profession should be “happy” and “feel privileged” to work with these amazing animals when they’re getting no sleep, no free time to themselves, no holidays, terrible pay? “But they’re getting accommodation included!” Yeah I had accommodation included too - it had no heating, was overrun with mice and I had one plug in radiator to keep myself warm. But oh yes that definitely made up for my lack of wages.

So for anyone deciding whether or not they want to be a groom I have this advice for you.

Being a groom is like having any other job. You have the right to know your working hours, you have the right to days off and you have the goddamn right to AT LEAST minimum wage per hour. You are a human being, you are not a robot. It is not normal to be treated like dirt, it is not ok for you to feel abused or unappreciated, you are not something that can just be thrown away. Stand up for yourself. If your job isn’t up to scratch then leave, get the hell outta there because there are jobs out there like my current one where you will be a valued member of a team and you will still be able to live your life.

Horses are my everything - without them I don’t know who’d I’d be. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my days off when I get to relax and switch off. That doesn’t make me any less of a groom, it means I’m looking after both my physical and mental health. You can still be a great groom and be paid proper wages, you can still be a great groom and take days off, and you most definitely can be a great groom and know your working hours.

This is so well put, it really worries me just how much grooms can be taken advantage of.

(via thetaillesseventer)

racinglegends:

Man O’ War and his beloved groom Will Harbut.

Am I the only who cry when I see that cover?:( It’s just to cute..

racinglegends:

Man O’ War and Will Harbut.

Photo: X

ruffianzenyatta16:

Man O’ War through the years

(via lestarzle)

uglypnis:

UNDER THE INFLUENCE SS15

(via lilversailles)