Do Horse Grooming for Money
By Eric Hammer
 Flickr Photo by Linda
Tanner
Horse grooming may well be the perfect job for you if you
happen to love horses and being around nature. The work is not
particularly difficult and it does allow you to spend a great
deal of time around the horses and in the barn. You will in essence
be responsible for caring the horses and doing everything that
needs to be done around the barn.
Horse grooming also involves brushing the horse's hair, making
sure to feed them and keep them watered and even riding them
on a daily basis in order to ensure that they get the exercise
that they need. Most horse groomers are also responsible for
saddling the horses when someone is about to ride them and will
work closely with those who put the shoes on the horses (though
that is a separate profession entirely).
You also must keep track of the horse's health and well being,
reporting to the veterinarian when there is any evidence of a
problem with the horse, including cuts and bruises.
How Much Can You Make?
Horse grooming is considered to be an unskilled job, therefore
the salary is rather low - around $15,000-$24,000 per year, though
there are horse groomers who earn significantly more depending
on where they happen to live and work.
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Remember that horse grooming is often considered a stepping
stone to larger things. This means that as a horse groomer, you
will want to keep your eyes open for additional opportunities,
including becoming a lead horse groomer.
Horse groomers also happen to love spending time with horses
and need to be comfortable with all aspects of caring for horses.
This means that you need to be comfortable with everything from
cleaning the stables to making sure that the horses are well
cared for. You also need to be prepared to help get the horses
ready for whatever they happen to need to do. This means that
if you are engaged in horse grooming for race horses, then you
need to be comfortable preparing them for that, which is a very
different experience than preparing the horses for casual riding
with children getting horseback riding lessons.
Qualifications / Requirements
Most horse groomers start fairly young and work their way
up in the ranks. You can be as young as 16 years old to become
a horse groomer and the only thing that you need to know is how
to handle horses. Those who enjoy riding the animals will likely
do well at horse grooming jobs also.
First Steps
Consider working as a volunteer to learn the ropes at a horse
farm before you eventually look into finding a paying job in
the horse grooming world. However, you will still need to know
some basics about how to ride horses and take care of them before
you apply. If you don't know these things, you should learn that
first.
Resources
Check out these helpful resources to learn more about horse
grooming for money:
eHow: How to Become a Horse Groom - A good,
basic introduction to doing horse grooming as a profession.
Inside
Jobs: What is a Horse Groom? - Another basic introduction
to horse grooming for payment.
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