Working With Horses: Groom

The Work of a Horse Groom

A groom is responsible for the day-to-day care of horses. Duties usually include grooming, feeding, mucking out, turning out and bringing in, tack cleaning, preparing horses for exercise, competitions, etc, checking the general health of the horses, treating minor injuries, as well as general yard duties such as sweeping the yard, checking fences, etc.

Some grooms, but not all, may also be required to exercise the horses either using a horse walker or by riding.

Full time grooms usually work 40 hours a week and start early in the morning and are often required to work weekends or into the evening.

A groom needs to:

be physically fit
be willing and able to work outside in all weather conditions
have a good general knowledge and experience of horse care and stable duties
have an awareness of horse illnesses and equine first aid

Grooms are employed within many types of equestrian businesses such as stud farms, riding schools, livery yards, trekking centres, racing yards and the duties involved may vary depending on the type of business.

Pay and Prospects of a Horse Groom

Grooms are paid according to their age, experience and duties but are usually paid less than £10,000 per annum.

Within larger yards there may be several grooms with one more experienced groom, known as a Head Groom, who is responsible for managing the other grooms. A Head Groom may earn in the region of £15,000 per annum.

Employers may offer accommodation, livery for own horse, riding lessons, etc as part payment.

Depending on the type of yard a groom works for, there may be prospects to train and progress into other jobs eg such as a Riding Instructor within a Riding School, an Assistant Trainer in a Racing Yard, Stud Manager with a Stud Farm, etc.

Training and Qualifications to become a Horse Groom

Often no formal qualifications are required to become a horse groom. However, a qualification in horse care is a definite advantage to anyone wanting to become a groom. Therefore the courses below are relevant to anyone thinking of becoming a horse groom.

British Horse Society BHS NVQ/SVQ in Horse Care Levels 1 to 3
British Horse Society (BHS) Stage 1-4 exams
Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS) Preliminary Horse Care and Riding Certificate
Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS) Groom's Certificate
Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS) Groom's Diploma
BTEC/Edexcel Diploma in Horsecare or Equine Studies (England) or SQA National Certificate in Equine Studies (Scotland)

Candidates must be 16 years old to take the above courses and qualifications, and for BTEC/Edexcel National Diploma in Horsecare or Equine Studies (England) or SQA National Certificate in Equine Studies (Scotland) candidates must have four GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3).

Information about working as a horse groom

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