Grooms
A common question of young racing fans is ‘How can I get a horse racing job?’
The qualifications for each horse racing job in the industry vary greatly. Sage advice suggests that you should have prior experience for the job for which you are applying. Often those entering the horse racing field start as a groom where they gain experience for the next step in their careers.
Three Open Groom Positions Are Posted Below In The Opportunities Section.
The aptly named British career guidance sight First Careers, with the mission of inspiring and preparing young people for the world of work, provides answers to about dozen questions regarding the position of a groom. In addition to responding to the query of ‘what do they do?’, (Grooms look after the horses in stables, making sure the animals are fed and watered, healthy and have a clean stable to sleep in.) First Careers describes what sort of work is involved and the needed skills.
Knowledge of a horse’s daily needs.
A willingness to work in cold, dark and muddy conditions. You might have to start very early in the morning (such as 6am), even on freezing winter days. However, the flip side is that you get to work outside on nice spring, summer and autumn days, too!
Horses are big animals with big poos, so you need to be able to handle cleaning it up!
Good communication skills, so that you can deal with trainers, vets and any visitors to the stables.
Horses won’t always do what you want them to do, so you need to show patience and compassion with the animals you look after.
Often being a groom is a stepping stone to other horse racing jobs, but others like Eddie Sweat make being a groom a life-long career. According to Wikipedia, Sweat was the first groom to ever have groomed Kentucky Derby winners two years in a row, Riva Ridge in 1972 and Secretariat in 1973.
While most grooms are unheralded backstretch workers, American Pharoah’s groom, Eduardo Luna receives a brief hat tip in Grooms: the unsung heroes of horse racing. Jennifer Caldwell’s article outlines the daily responsibilities and demands of the groom.
On average, a groom cares for four horses, and a typical work day includes feeding and watering, mucking out stalls, cleaning both the horse and his/her equipment, physical inspection for any problems, and treating any minor ailments according to veterinary advice. Understand, these are just basic descriptions and doesn’t break down what each task involves. It also doesn’t include a multitude of duties grooms perform on race day.
A groom’s day begins long before most people are awake and can extend into the evening hours, depending on if the horse is racing that day or not. They typically work six days a week, including weekends, and often travel from track-to-track as the racing season, and trainer, demands.
The knowledge and skills to become a groom are often passed down from generation to generation of families of horsepeople or learned through on-the-job training. Groom Courses are offered at educational institutions such as the British Racing School in Newmarket, Equine Studies at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, and Professional Racetrack Groom Course at Olds College in Alberta (the next course begins on January 16, 2023).
Online educational resources include the US Equestrian Federation Learning Center videos on Basic Horse Grooming.
Groom Elite
Racehorse owner Susan O’Hara believed that if horse caretakers were provided with knowledge and skills training that would enable them to more effectively take care of their assigned horses, her horses would have a better chance of sound retirement and competing effectively. The Groom Elite Program was the successor of her initial planned monthly seminars in the Sam Houston track kitchen. The bilingual training program was offered at Sam Houston, Lone Star Park, and Retama as well as racecourse in a dozen other states.
The Elite Program, now based in Lexington, offers three educational course for grooms. Introduction to Grooming 099 was designed to prepare new workers for entry level racing jobs, such at hot walkers and grooms. The flagship course, Groom Elite™ 101, is a 40-hour course focusing on important horse care skills essential for racing grooms. An advanced course, Groom Elite™ 201, focuses on care of muscle and leg injuries. Both the GE 101 and GE 201 result in a nationally recognized groom certificate.
In addition to the grooming courses, Groom Elite conducts educational training for owners, trainers, and farm workers. Trainer Donnie Von Hemel said, “Eight of my grooms took the course [101] and within weeks I noticed a difference in the quality of their work." Trainer Robin Graham said, “Even guys who have been rubbing horses forever should go through the program. It is good for everybody - me [the trainer] and them [the grooms] and especially the horses."
The Groom Elite course are now offered across the country including the US Virgin Islangs. In 2022, courses were taught at Charles Town, Churchill Downs, Colonial Downs, and Louisiana Downs. Keep checking their website for new course offereings.
Highlighted Opportunities
The jobs listed under Highlighted Opportunities will be those sent directly to me by the employer (listed chronologically by posted date). For those hiring who want their positions included in the newsletter, please email me, ovals at yahoo dot com, with “StandingStart Jobs” in the subject field.
Employer: Prairie Meadows
Opportunity: Human Resources - Risk-Medical Claims Manager
Source: Prairie Meadows
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Charles Town
3 Opportunities: Equipment Operator/Groundskeeper, Mutuel Teller, or Racing Official
Source: Penn Entertainment
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Mahoning Valley
6 Opportunities: Assistant Stall Superintendent, Assistant Starter, Mutuel Teller, Outriders, Test Barn Tech, or Track Personel
Source: Penn Entertainment
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Penn National
5 Opportunities: Assistant Starter, Clocker, Lead Mutuel, Racing Gap Attendant, or Shift Manager of Racing Services
Source: Penn Entertainment
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Zia Park
8 Opportunities: Assistant Starter/Racing Valet, Mutuel Teller, Paramedic or Registered Nurse, Racing EMT, Racing Facilities Worker, Racing Housekeeping, Racing Security, or Track Maintenance
Source: Penn Entertainment
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Prairie Meadows
Opportunity: Surveillance - Agent
Source: Prairie Meadows
Posted: 2022-11-07
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Maryland Jockey Club
Opportunity: Van Driver
Source: Maryland Jockey Club
Posted: 2022-11-01
Description: Van Driver needed with CDL license. Must be able to drive tractor Trailer for the MJC shuttle between Pimlico and Laurel on race days. Good salary, benefits, vacation, and sick pay. This is year-round employment in Maryland. Contact: hr@marylandjockeyclub.com
Employer: Maryland Jockey Club
Opportunity: Paddock Blacksmith
Source: Maryland Jockey Club
Posted: 2022-11-01
Description: Paddock Blacksmith – Blacksmith in the paddock on race days. Must be able to put a shoe on a horse in a timely fashion. Good Pay. Year-round employment in Maryland. Contact: hr@marylandjockeyclub.com
Employer: Prairie Meadows
Opportunity: Racing Office - Manager
Source: Prairie Meadows
Posted: 2022-10-21
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Manager, Social Media
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-10-07
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Gap Attendant
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-10-07
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Veterinary Department Administrator
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-09-21
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Marketing Coordinator, NYRA Bets
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-09-15
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Associate General Counsel
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-09-15
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Safety Steward
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-08-14
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Track Supervisor
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-07-25
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: Human Resources Business Partner
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-07-21
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: NYRA
Opportunity: CRM Manager
Source: NYRA
Posted: 2022-04-11
Description: Company Job Posting
Opportunities
The Opportunities section is a curated listing of positions harvested from the internet.
Employer: Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority
Opportunity: Racetrack Accreditation Manager
Source: HISA
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: HISA Job Posting
Employer: Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority
Opportunity: Rider Safety & Welfare Manager
Source: HISA
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: HISA Job Posting
Employer: Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU)
Opportunity: HIWU Regional Relations Coordinator
Source: HIWU
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU)
Opportunity: HIWU Investigations Counsel
Source: HIWU
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU)
Opportunity: HIWU Director of Equine Medical Resources
Source: HIWU
Posted: 2022-11-09
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA)
Opportunity: NTRA Finance
Source: NTRA
Posted: 2022-11-08
Description: Company Job Posting
Employer: Lynn Chleborad Racing
Opportunity: Thoroughbred Racehorse Grooms
Source: Job \ Searcher
Posted: 2022-11-06
Description: Job \ Searcher Job Posting
Employer: Delacour Stable, LLC
Opportunity: Thoroughbred Racehorse Groom
Source: Tarta.ai
Posted: 2022-11-06
Description: Tarta Job Posting
Employer: Doug O'Neill Racing Stables, Inc.
Opportunity: Thoroughbred Racehorse Groom
Source: Tarta.ai
Posted: 2022-11-06
Description: Tarta Job Posting
Employer: Harrington Raceway and Casino
Opportunity: Horse Racing and Sports Wagering Clerk
Source: Glassdoor
Posted: 2022-11-04
Description: Glassdoor Job Posting
Employer: Churchill Downs Incorporated
Opportunity: Director of Derby Operations
Source: CDI
Posted: 2022-11-02
Description: Company Job Posting