IGA | Building a life as a groom

Building a life as a groom

For many people the difficulties of building a 'normal' life are a key reason for leaving working as a groom. In our latest blog an IGA member discusses how being a groom can be a viable career; by building a life alongside work.

"I assume that for most people, as in my case, we found ourselves in equestrianism starting with a passion for horse riding. Most of us could not afford to ride horses so we had to work for it.

Personally, I think that this is a good direction because we start our career from the lowest level and learn respect. From these casual activities we find our first job which for many of us is a dream come true because we get paid to do what we love, being in the saddle or next to these wonderful animals.

An equally important element of the beginning of a career is hard work for experienced people. These people give direction to our views and develop character traits in us that will influence our personality.

In my case, it was 7 years in one of the biggest private sports and breeding stables in Poland at that time.

I learned and improved my skills as a rider, driver, instructor, manager, and international show groom.

Over time, I matured to the decision that the next step in my career would be to leave and look for my place abroad. It was an important moment in my life because going abroad also involved leaving my family and friends, so it was a professional and personal decision.

Certainly many of us have faced such a decision when you have to leave your comfort zone and give up something for the prospect of a better tomorrow..

Building a life

The beginning of a professional groom’s career is exciting especially when you are at shows. You are young, you meet a lot of friends, life is like a good story, but what next...

I would like to say that it is important to set yourself some goals but it is easy to write - it is harder to be consistent with yourself and the years pass very quickly.

Often our employers offer us housing, which is both a plus and a minus. It is easier to find a new person from a distant place because the housing is already waiting; it is harder to leave a job when you will also be leaving your home.

I think that if there was no such possibility and every time hiring a new person meant that the employee had to find housing, the whole recruiting process would be much more difficult.

This would mean that the employer would respect their current employee more and in the case of the employee, they would also approach changing jobs differently. Employee turnover in the equestrian industry is very high, and having accommodation with your job is a part of this.

In my opinion, the first important decision in a groom's career (if we want to do it long-term) should be to find our place and rent an apartment on our own. Focus on the region where we want to spend some part of our lives.

I have been living in one town for about 9 years. I found myself here because together with my wife we decided to take up work for a client of the local trainers, one of the many equestrian legends of the 90s.

After a few years our paths with this rider diverged, but we decided to continue renting the apartment because the location provided us with a wide selection of equestrian centers.

Not everyone wants to rent their own apartment because at the peak of their form and career it is easier to change jobs and stay in the level of 5* riders if you don’t have rent or a mortgage.

But I know many cases where after years spent on a carefree life changing jobs, people wake up with nothing.

I believe that in order to work long-term as a groom we have to try to have a minimum of a normal life and the first steps are finding a partner and our own apartment where we have privacy and mental rest from work.

The importance of balance

Even though we are all here for the sake of passion and love for these wonderful animals, it is very important to remember that this is a job and we should also focus on other parts of life such as family, hobbies or something else.

Because our life should be the most important and then work.

Doing something over and over again, even when we love it, we lose the will to live. I often say that when we are constantly at shows, we miss working at home and when we are at home for a long time, we miss going to shows.

A good mix allows us to achieve balance, namely happiness.

Each of us is different and may have different observations on these views. Everyone can have different goals and that's ok.

For me, I can safely say that I have achieved success as an employee in equestrianism. I have a wonderful wife. Two wonderful children and my own home.

I am an active international showgroom full of passion and motivation. The road to this was not always easy but full of conscious decisions, not always successful.

I have met many people on my path of life. Many of them were very kind and helpful, appreciating the hard work and value that I put into their equestrian life, but often also their personal life.

Because even though I keep repeating that it is a job, it is much more than just a job... it is a way of life with dark sides but also with a lot of light and opportunity."

Thank you to this IGA member for sharing their story and advice. If you have a story to share get in touch with helen@internationalgrooms.org