So much of a groom’s work is about maximising recovery for our horses- icing legs, massage rugs, hand walking.
Every day you know to check over your horses' legs and muscles for any signs his body is finding the work hard.
If your horse has had an intense week, it’s important that they have a day in the field, maybe a few easy days to rest and recover.
Grooms aren’t so different from horses, and yet rest is a concept that many grooms really struggle with.
When your job is to care for an animal to the best of your ability it can be so hard to draw boundaries, and the industry has benefitted from this tendency for years.
Many employers are quietly delighted to have a groom who won’t take time off, who wants to be on the yard even on their day off, who works through illness and injury.
It’s very easy for a great groom to fall into the trap of putting everyone and everything before their own needs.
But everyone has a breaking point. A groom who pushes themselves too hard will not only be more vulnerable to burnout, but their quality of work will suffer.
In the long term, studies have shown that working at maximum capacity for a long time puts you at greater risk of severe health complications, such as heart attacks, heart disease and strokes.
No one can work through those conditions, no matter how dedicated you are to your job.
If you know that you struggle to take time away from work there are a few things you can do to help yourself, and by extension, your horses.
• Start really small; take a minute to check you are breathing properly. Don't underestimate the difference this can make to you.
• Learn to take breaks during the day – yes, you could spend that spare 10 minutes mending that turnout boot or you could get yourself a cup of tea and sit down for a few minutes.
• Try to finish work on time when possible. The horses don’t actually need you in the barn 24/7. Take advantage of the shorter days to help prepare for the long ones!
• Schedule seeing friends and family on your day off, or make plans to go and do something totally non-horse related.
• Consider taking up some sort of exercise. This could be low impact like yoga or walking, or a gym regime; whatever works for you, but the important thing is taking time for yourself and your health.
• Prioritise sleep. Losing sleep is terrible for your health in both the short and long term; it is linked to weight gain, mood changes, increased risk of accidents, diabetes and heart disease.
Being overweight, grumpy and unwell will not help you do your job.
• Take holidays. All countries have an annual leave entitlement for employees. Plan your holidays early around important competitions and book the time away.
Most importantly- if your boss will not let you take time off, or does not make sure you get missed days off, do not write this off as just part of the job.
If your employer does not understand that you are not a machine it is probably time to think very hard about whether this is the right working environment for you.
There are many amazing horse shows; there are many opportunities for grooms to travel to incredible places and be around inspiring horsemen. It does not have to come at the cost of your physical or mental health.
The importance of rest cannot be overstated.
Try to treat yourself like you would a friend, or even one of your horses. Think about how you can recover from busy periods at work, or even just how you can schedule downtime – it will benefit you and everyone around you.
IGA members can find advice about managing difficult conversations (such as asking for time off) in the International Grooms Minds section of the website. There is also advice about holidays in the Employment hub.
