The stable boys: roles and responsibilities

A stable boy is one who takes care of the care and well-being of the equines. Your job is to monitor the health of the animal and keep it in good condition.

Horse care involves both the animals and the enclosures where they sleep, eat and exercise. Summarizing is a job that covers all the needs of equines.

Do we dig a little deeper?

Dedicating yourself to being a stable boy means work hard and long hours, although for horse lovers It can be a rewarding profession due to daily contact with these magnificent animals. 

There are many stable boys who begin this professional career being young and almost casually, weekends or summer seasons, combining it with studies for example.

In some countries, like for example England, to be a stable boy an official certification is required. This this is not the case in Spain, so if you are thinking of being a waiter or stable girl you will be able to find in this article the competences that one should have and you will be able to see what kind of jobs they perform in this profession. And if, on the contrary, what interests you is to know a little more about this profession without the end of getting to play it, you will also find many interesting data. Let's go there!

What is a stable boy in charge of?

The grooms or stable girls are people hired to take care of the horses of individuals, horse farms, etc. Therefore they can work in various places and caring for horses that, according to its characteristics or functionalities, in addition to the basic needs of any equine, have particular needs.

People who are dedicated to take care of the show horsesThey usually accompany the animals, groom them for competition, braiding them or cutting their manes for example. In these cases it is usually a full time job, and even sometimes coexists with the owners of the equine (s). And a very important factor in these cases is that they exercise the horse as long as its rider does not.

It therefore implies having a greater specialization and dedication to the care of competition horses, since the stable boys have a fundamental role for the success of horse and rider.

Grooms can also work in horse farms, taking care of the well-being of stallions, mares and foals. Those who work in these places do not usually mount the animals to exercise them. Another function they can have is help the vet take care of the foals or move them. 

As can be seen, in the latter case, the stable boys also deal with specialists related to the world of horses, such as veterinarians. Plus also deal with riding instructors and farriers that make the horseshoes of the animals to measure.

From what little we have seen so far, the work of a stable boy could well be summarized in that they take care of the daily care of the horses. Now, what care are those? An equine needs to be in a clean recital, to have its bed prepared, brushed and cleaned, provided with food and water, needs medical care from time to time and also exercise.

Let's look at all of these needs in a little more detail:

Cleaning

After the equine has gone out to exercise, the groom should clean it of mud and dust, plus brushed. When necessary, they should also trim the hooves.

The work of keep the stables clean and in good condition and other premises of the place, is another very important point of the work of the stable boys. The facilities may consist of warehouses, courts, showers, or outdoor exercise spaces. In addition to cleaning the feeders, drinkers and preparing the animals' beds, of course.

Food

They must provide adequate food for the horses, as well as ensure that they have water. If you want to know more about the feeding of equines, we recommend you take a look at the article: Vitamins and nutrients for horses.

Health

Although not all grooms are in charge of this sector of horse care, there are many who deal with horses. minor injuries of animals, as well as change bandages and administer medications. All this under the indications of veterinarians.

They should also be aware of the animals to see if there is any change in their health and exercise them when those in charge of it cannot. Another important point in health is the use of blankets.

Equipment maintenance

In addition to taking care of the equines, their resting place, the patios and the race tracks, they are also responsible for cleaning and checking the condition of the equipment to keep them in optimal condition.

What skills should a stable boy have?

Grooms must be able to ride the horses, to be able to exercise them when necessary. It is true that those who work in hatcheries do not usually mount the animals, as we have commented previously, however it may be the isolated case that they have to do so at some point. For this reason it is always required that stable boys have at least one basic riding level.

Must be observant people for be able to locate and notice changes in health status of the animals in your care.

Has to be willing to work outdoors any weather condition. It's a physically demanding job where routine cleaning tasks must be performed for example, which often leads to working in dirty and dusty environments.

And of course they must have basic notions of horse care.

How to become a stable boy?

We already mentioned at the beginning of the article that in Spain an official degree is not needed. However, it is intended that the person hired has the series of qualities that we have been collecting in the previous paragraphs. If that There are courses to acquire notions about the feeding and care of equines as well as some basic keys on veterinary medicine.

It is true that it is a profession that is quite undervalued in the equine world, something that is reflected both in salary and from the labor point of view. Sometimes there are too many animals per groom and the work can be somewhat overwhelming, due to the large number of tasks that these professionals take care of.

However, if you like horses it will be a Very rewarding profession to see that it depends on you for the animal to grow strong and healthy. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I did writing it.