A Baby Boomer Dreams of Arabian Horses - Rhythm's Story - Tommy Garland - Part 2

Part One of the Baby Boomer Series

Rhythm's Story starts here

Those who read this blog on a regular basis will know that I've spent a considerable amount of time over the years working as a groom in big Arabian barns. While it can be a great way to learn, it can also be h*ll. The pay, if any, really sucks. The education can be useless sometimes and the appreciation for a job well done is usually non existent.

I've described it from the start as "slave labor." Now, I say that jokingly, but over the years I can assure you that I've seen farms where it really is true. Some trainers and owners are good to their grooms but those are few and far between. Most pretty much ignore them taking what they have to offer but only speaking when they have orders or complaints. Still others treat grooms like they really are slaves and something less than human. All of the education in the world wouldn't be worth that later position to me.

Going to horse shows means taking all of that up a notch. The bigger the horse show, the higher the volume of pressure and the longer the hours. Grooms get all the grunt work and barely get time to eat let alone sleep. Some even are required to sleep in the stalls near the horses so trainers don't have to pay for rooms.

For shows like Scottsdale, US and Canadian Nationals, you can figure grooms arrive days (sometimes a couple weeks) ahead of time. They not only care for horses but can end up building elaborate displays with client rooms, viewing rooms and fancy landscaping. The shows have awards for these displays and the big barns have unspoken rivalries that mean each year must be bigger and better. It all falls under groom duties.

A groom can figure on the days starting off with at the very least 14 - 16 hours, steadily climbing up to even 20 sometimes once the show starts. Being a groom at any show is tough. When it comes to the big ones, this job is not for the faint of heart even in the very best of barns.

When I heard that Brittany was going to go to the US Nationals with Tommy Garland to groom, I laughed with her about the slave labor. You have to be a pretty big horse nut to work as a groom at nationals just so you can experience the show.

Since Brittany had never been to the US National Arabian Horse Show the allure was huge. I don't think she even gave the work at the show any thought. It was going to work for Tommy Garland full time that she was not sure of. The plan was she would just do the show and see how it went. A decision about working for Tommy full time would come later.

It wasn't long after she got home, that Tommy was calling her on the phone saying he really needed her to come early. She didn't want to disappoint the horse trainer so she gave 2 week notice at her job. Brittany was flying to Virginia by the first of October.

It was looking pretty good to Rich and me. I think we both had visions of Brittany becoming a horse training super star. Of course that meant riding our boy, Rhythm up the road to stardom.

The bad part was she was leaving her horse behind. The Arabian horse was staying home with Rich. Since Brittany was going to be gone with horses to the national horse show there was no point in taking the horse to Garland's. Rich would longe the horse to keep him in shape while his daughter was gone.

Brittany arrived at Garlands to those 14 hour days she'd figured would be there. It was the time after that day was finished bucking hay in the fields with the other groom that bothered me. I guess because she'd not been told ahead of time this was part of her job description. It sure wasn't any place that I ever worked.

My friend, Jean, told me she was required to buck hay at the day's end when she'd worked for Vantage Point Farms. But then that's one of the reasons my friend, Jean, has quit the horse industry. She's long since burned out, used and abused by an industry she put her heart and soul into.

Despite this twist that Brittany hadn't expected, she hung in there. Because she given Tommy her word she'd work through Nationals, that was what she was going to do. She wasn't a quitter.

But even on the day that was supposed to be her day off to do laundry and personal stuff, Brittany and her now friend and fellow groom, Natasha, were bucking hay in the field all day. Both girls had cracked and bleeding hands and chiggers. That's right, chiggers...... not something I am familiar with but I know enough to realize that they are painful and difficult to clear up. I have to say at this point in this venture, I'm not so sure I would have still been there but Brittany and Natasha forged ahead. Both were committed to going to nationals.

To be continued.........

Tommy Garland Part 3

Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY

baby boomer Arabian horse Arabian horses horses horse dream horse western horse