Horse groom
Horse grooms are responsible for the care, exercise and welfare of horses and ponies, and maintain the animals' stables and riding equipment.
Typical Salary
£16,000 – £28,000
per year
Working Hours
37–40
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
As a horse groom, you could:
- feed and water horses
- clean equipment like saddles, bridles and rugs
- prepare horses for riding (tacking up)
- clean, brush and clip horses' coats and manes
- muck out stables, replace bedding and keep the yard tidy
- monitor horses' health and report signs of illness or injury
- take horses out for daily exercise
Skills needed
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to work well with your hands
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- physical fitness and endurance
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Entry requirements
You may need your own transport if you're not living on site.
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- specialist courses run by professional bodies
Career progression
With experience and further training, you could take charge of a stable yard or become head groom.
In a racing yard, you could progress to head lad or girl, then on to assistant trainer or trainer.
If you work in a riding stable you could train to become a riding instructor.
If you're interested in working in the horse breeding industry, for example as a stud groom, you could do training with the The National Stud in Newmarket.