groom
Snapshot
Do you love horses and enjoy being active outdoors? As a groom, you'll play a vital role in ensuring the health, welfare, and safety of these magnificent animals, combining practical care with hands-on work.
Grooms are essential to the well-being of horses, providing daily care and contributing to their overall fitness and comfort. This role requires a blend of physical stamina, attention to detail, and a genuine passion for equine welfare. You'll work closely with trainers and owners, often in a stable or equestrian setting, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for the horses.
- • Exercising horses according to training schedules.
- • Cleaning and maintaining stables, tack rooms, and surrounding areas.
- • Monitoring horses' health and reporting any concerns to trainers or veterinarians.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Agricultural, forestry and fishery labourers — 14 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark and 5 more.
Longest-running shortage: Lithuania, 3 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
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Could groom fit you?
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Future Outlook for groom
The outlook for groom reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could groom change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could groom change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- supervise hygiene procedures in agricultural settings
- maintain farm equipment
- maintain the farm
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- train horses
- control animal movement
- control livestock disease
Tasks most exposed to automation
- keep task records
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Agriculture
A typical day as a groom
09 09:00 · Morning breed stock
10 10:30 · Mid-morning control animal movement
12 12:00 · Midday control livestock disease
14 14:00 · Afternoon maintain farm equipment
15 15:30 · Late afternoon assist animal birth
17 17:00 · Wrap-up clean stalls
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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breed-specific behaviour of horses
The behaviour and specificities of different horse species.
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equine dental diseases
Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dental diseases for horses.
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livestock reproduction
The natural and artificial reproduction techniques, gestation periods and birthing for livestock.
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livestock species
Livestock species and relevant genetics.
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transportation vehicles for horses
Types of transportation vehicles for horses and their safe methods of using.
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young horses training
Principles and techiques of educating young horses important simple body control exercises.
- animal nutrition
- animal welfare legislation
- biology
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control livestock disease
Control the spread of disease and parasites in herds, by using vaccination and medication, and by separating sick animals.
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breed stock
Breed and raise livestock such as cattle, poultry, and honeybees. Use recognised breeding practices to strive for continuous improvement in the livestock.
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assist animal birth
Assist in animal births, and care for newborn livestock. Make sure the animal has a clean and quiet place where it can give birth. Have clean drying towels handy at hand and a bottle filled with iodine.
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train horses
Harness, dress and train horses as per the instructions provided. Take into account the age and breed of the horse and the preparation purposes.
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teach young horses
Socialise young horses (cleaning, collaring, bridling, raising feet, etc.), taking into account the safety and welfare of the horse and teacher.
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control animal movement
Direct, control or restrain some or part of an animal's, or a group of animals', movement.
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transport horses
Transport horses using safely special vehicles for horse transportation; lead horses to vehicles taking into account the safety of people and horses.
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maintain farm equipment
Use oil, grease guns, and hand tools to lubricate, adjust, and make minor repairs to farm equipment.
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maintain the farm
Maintain farm facilities such as fences, water supplies, and outdoor buildings.
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provide nutrition to animals
Provide food and water to animals. This includes preparing food and water for animals and reporting any changes in the animal feeding or drinking habits.'
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maintain pastures
Ensure that animals on pastures or grazing lands have enough feed. Employ pasture-conservation measures such as grazing in rotation.
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clean stalls
Clean stalls to remove all soiled bedding to prevent moisture and fumes from building up and to cut down on potential parasite problems.
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perform farm equipment hygiene
Clean and sanitise equipment used in milking: milk storage tanks, collection cups, and udders of the animals. Ensure that procedures for the sanitary handling of milk are followed.
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operate agricultural machinery
Operate motorised agricultural equipment including tractors, balers, sprayers, ploughs, mowers, combines, earthmoving equipment, trucks, and irrigation equipment.
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keep task records
Organise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does groom fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What skills are particularly important for a groom?
- Strong physical fitness is crucial, as the work is often demanding. You'll also need excellent observation skills to identify any changes in a horse's health or behavior, and the ability to follow instructions carefully. Patience and a calm demeanor around horses are also essential.
- Is this role typically full-time or part-time?
- Grooming is most commonly a full-time, employment-based position. You'll likely work under the direction of a stable owner or trainer, with regular hours that may include weekends and holidays depending on the equestrian facility's needs.
- What kind of work environment can I expect as a groom?
- You'll primarily work outdoors in a stable or equestrian environment, which can be exposed to varying weather conditions. The work can be physically demanding, requiring you to be on your feet for extended periods and lift heavy objects like feed bags. Safety around horses is paramount, so following established protocols is vital.
- Groom — is there a shortage in Europe?
- Yes. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a shortage was reported in 9 of the 13 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark and 5 more. Lithuania has reported one for 3 consecutive years. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Groom — what does it pay in the United States?
- $33,470 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $26,970 to $44,210. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.