Horse Show Groom Horror Stories

I found a post on another forum with some pretty funny stories about grooms.


Does anyone have stories of their own?

I don't because I've never ever been to a horse show.

Edited
Removed a link- Appy

Not sure if this is what you mean but-

Shad goes brownish in winter and last year mum had the 'great' :roll: idea to dye him black! he has had his tail dyed before so we were sure he wouldn't have a reaction to it. Anyway once we finished and he was dry........................NEVER AGAIN .it was patchy!!! luckily by the time the next show came around I had bathed him enough that it wasn't as noticable..... lol I remember every time I had a lesson, my trainers husband would say 'that horse looks like it's been dyed' with a smirk on his face lol

I know someone who used Glo-white and left it sit on the coat, so turned her pinto purple

I also know someone who was using a falsie and it fell out in the middle of one of her classes.

I didn't mean grooming. I meant a show groom as in the person who helps the rider with their horse for competition. I had a link with the post with some good stories but a mod removed it and I have no idea why.

Hmm... I don't have any huge horror stories. But at the last A show of the year last year I was riding in the very first division on a pretty green 4 y/o. I got there early in case she needed some extra schooling only to find out that the braider hadn't even started on her mane! I nicely asked her when she would be finished and tried not to panic.... until 5 minutes before my class was supposed to start! I started getting more adament about getting ready and the braider said in a very condescending voice "Don't worry, they won't move on to the next division without you..." I'm thinking, I still have to school! FORTUNATELY my horse was wonderful! But I warmed up in like 5 minutes and had to show. I hate doing that to horses.

I have never been to a show and am going to one next month but I am planning on doing the grooming myself.

Ha ha well straight after I finished an open class I had to switch horses and go into a Pony Club Rider class.. I had to change saddles, bridle, blanket and jacket (into jumper) in about 30 seconds.. I got changed and my parents did my horse.. I ended up with the wrong bridle anyway, my saddle cloth was upside down and I had the wrong tie on ha ha.. still came second though but the judge gave me a talking to *hehe* moral of story.. don't over commit and if you do, don't rush lol

My mistake I didnt switch horses, just gear lol

At the show two weekends ago I took my 2 year old gelding, so I just did showmanship, halter, and trail in hand... then I took over for my friend (i played showmom to her 12 year old so she could ride to for a change)...

I called for a tack change because 2 kids were sharing a pair of chaps and I heard the change while we were at the barns so I made her run to the showring and grabbed the other girl, ripped the chaps off her and sent poor sarah in to the 50 and over class! I heard the wrong tack change!!! We had to switch the chaps over again and then do it at the right time. I laughed so hard I cried... teehee....

I have a funny one...not a horror story.

I was grooming for a big Arab barn in the area - we had taken 6 horses to Culpepper VA in order to get them qualified for nationals.

Well, there was one horse - a half paint/half arabian gelding named Luke (Slow Hand TA) - at home, he would roll in his stall and get stuck all the time, but our maintenance guys would always help him get up.

It was about 2:30 in the afternoon, we had just come back from eating lunch - I was doing a stall check to throw hay/make sure everyone had water - I looked in Luke's stall and at first didn't see him -

But then, there he was - he had rolled himself right up against the far wall of the stall - all 4 feet straight up in the air. He wasn't panicked or anything...just kind of looking around

I think he had probably been like that for a while...but we had to get pictures of him before we got him up