A job with horses - Groom Mental Health Tips

Putting our horses first is a given for any groom or horse owner, although we always put their needs above our own, it’s important that we look after ourselves too. After all, if we are injured or unable to work, we can’t look after the horses and the physical, mental & potentially financial strain can soon take its toll. Being a groom is undeniably hard work, the hours are long, we are constantly exposed to the elements and we often push ourselves to the limits to ensure that the horses we love get the best care we can give. Investing time in self care is often at the bottom of our list of priorities, but we must realise that taking care of ourselves, is just as important as taking care of our horses too.

Making sure that we are fit enough for the job is vital. It not only makes the day to day of being a groom easier, but also ensures that we are reducing the risk of getting injured on the job.

You may think that the work itself is enough to increase our fitness- although this may be true, we quite often aren’t using our bodies correctly whilst on the job. In turn, this can lead to strain or injury. It may seem like there is no time in the day to commit to exercise, but even just doing 10-15 minutes of strength training or cardio per day can have a positive impact on how we perform at work. For example, by simply training your core strength, it will improve your posture, support your back, improve your balance, and also have a positive effect on your riding too.

Strengtheing your body will in turn help body will in turn help to reduce daily aches and pains, which can prevent us from doing our job comfortably and efficiently! You should also think about the way you are fuelling your body. Let’s look at it from a different persective- would you expect an event horse to perform well at a show after being fed only low energy feed? The answer is no! Ensuring that you have a good balanced diet to fuel your workload, not only gives you the energy to ‘get the job done’, but also has a great impact on how you feel too. Afterall, nobody likes feeling exhausted all the time! Having an unbalanced diet can cause fatigue and also add to muscle aches and pains. When constantly on the go, multivitamins, shakes or smoothies can be a super convenient way of making sure your body is getting what it needs between meals. You can easily take these with you on the go for an extra boost.

Mental health can also have an impact on not only your work life, but your personal life too. Make sure you are looking after your mental health by creating a little bit of ‘you’ time during your day. Whether its 5 minutes alone time, listening to your favourite playlist whilst riding or on the way home, an evening bath and some self care or just taking a day’s holiday. Looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health too. Meditation Is becoming more and more popular, and for good reasons too.

Taking the time to unwind after a stressful day just by sitting quietly and clearing your mind has vast health benefits, including drastically lowering your stress levels.

Make sure your work and personal life are balanced. Living to work doesn’t do anybody any good, make sure you make time for ‘play’ too. Winter is well and truly upon us, and the colder weather can make working outdoors even more challenging. Cold muscles can increase the chance of injury and muscle strain, therefore, making sure you are layering up well and keeping yourself warm is crucial. A thermal base layer and Gilet or body warmer under your coat is a great way to keep yourself warm. With the majority of body heat being lost through our heads, the use of an ear warmer or warmer or warm hat can be really beneficial too. Cold fingers and toes aren’t nice. Make sure you are wrapping them up too with gloves and warm socks.

Footwear with a neoprene lining is a great choice to help keep your feet and toes toasty warm in the colder weather. Lastly, the cold wind can soon take a toll on our skin. Chilblains and chapped skin are common problems amongst grooms and people that work outdoors. Avoid chilblains by keeping your limbs warm. Treat chapped and dry skin with creams to help them heal. We highly recommend the O’Keeffe’s range of moisturisers, as it not only soothes & protects but also helps the healing process too.

The moral is, a healthy groom is a happy groom. Although it’s our job to look after the horses and their environment, it’s just as important to look after ourselves too!

1- O’keeffe’s Working Hands Cream 96g £6.95

2- Pro Work Neck Warmer £4.94

3- Hy Melrose Bobble Hat £17.99

4- Aubrion Winter Yard Gloves XS-L £5.24

5- Grubs Socks Sizes 4-7 £5.99

6- Hoggs Field Sport Neoprene Lined Wellies Sizes 4-12 £79.50