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Some very important points particularly well made, FOF.
However, even if accepting that ensuring stable staff are paid a minimum wage may not be the responsbility of the trainer to whom they are attached, I found Charlie Mann’s comments on the matter the other week (basically, "No trainer pays staff the minimum wage, and why should they", and "we can’t get the staff because kids just want to hang on street corners doing crack") a bit too indicative of the sort of attitude you mentioned.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Unfortunately, our "Anglo-American capitalist" society has become increasingly run for their own exclusive benefit by snakes-in-suits, i.e. psycopaths, essential and adaptive.
Over time, it was bound to happen, since they are the most prepared to cut corners; and moreover, it is assumed that the extreme positions they take are a matter of degree, when the reality is otherwise.
Here are a couple of links related in a general way to the problems facing most of mankind, but epitomised by the plight of these most neglected and vulnerable young stable staff. Owners, particularly the more wealthy, imo, bear the greatest responsibility, although the likes of Charlie Mann obviously run a close second.
The first is a particularly absorbing article:
If Charlie Mann did say that it’s an absolute disgrace.
Racing Post interview around January 11th, if memory serves.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
I haven’t posted on here for a while but I visit every day. This is a subject particularly close to my heart as my 17 year old daughter moved to Newmarket three months ago to work for Mark Tomkins.after a rather unhappy period at another non Newmarket trainer.
My daughter is so happy there
. Mr Tompkins and his staff have been so supportive and encouraging. She gets plenty of feedback on her progress. She enjoys the company of her work mates who do look after her when they go out. She says it is a lovely place to work.While her flat is no palace, it has good facilities and she is very close to work. The yard have offered assistance if she needs to change her accomodation.
All these factors have put my mind at rest plus the fact she does ring everyday with the days’s events.
My daughter is fortunate to have found the right place second time round because her first placement was everything the Tomkins yard isn’t. She was isolated, unhappy and questioning her chosen career. I worried about her every day she was there. I just thank God she had the strength of mind to leave.
She keeps in touch with some people she was at the Northern Racing College with and it seems that experiences vary considerably. It seems to me that some trainers have absolutely no idea where staff welfare is concerned and that is not good if racing wishes to attract young people in to the industry.
Isn’t Charlie Mann a scion of the eponymous brewing dynasty (Mann’s Brown of blessed memory) and closely related to Simon Mann, the infamous mercenary?
Old money, a privileged upbringing, ‘gentleman’ trainer – ’nuff said
Echo the words of others Fister: a very good post, born of experience
Whilst generally loathe to support Charlie Mann, he’s been badly quoted out of context here.
Read the full article and it’s clear that what he actually means is that no trainer pays the minimum wage, they actually pay more, and that if they didn’t, they wouldn’t have any staff.
AP
Ah yes, it does read more like that second time around. I’d better edit a few chunks of the next article I was going to put on my blog, then.
I do still see the bit about kids on crack as a little bit of a lazy dig, though.It was also interesting to read Mann hitting the high-notes over the £1500 first prize his horse won in a Southwell 2m maiden hurdle last month, announcing that he wouldn’t be going there again with that sort of money on offer. This was a race that was always going to have a winner’s pot of £1500 whether it divided or not (it did), and that would have been indicated as such in the racing programme book (or at the very latest, the five day declarations printed in the trade papers). Are 2m hurdles around sharp left-handers really in such short supply at this time of year that his hand was forced to run his charge in this one?
I digress hugely. It’s great to learn from Reetpetite that very good practice can be found.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
I don’t believe it’s mainly the old toffs’ fault. It has been the advent of the militant atheists of the left and right.
Post WWII, there used to be a consensus between the old one-nation Tories, who, ironically, for all their badness pre-WWII, via their public schools, latterly have served the country as the last bastion of our historic Christian ethos and values. Not perfectly.of course – they always had a hang-up about money – but that mustard seed of faith preserved the teaching of Christianity in our schools, and now we can see where its abolition has led the young of our country and indeed even the very young. However, ever since Thatcher’s advent in 1980, it’s been a Gadarene plunge into what sees like a never-ending abyss.
Re the deleterious effects of TV, the widespread availability of hardcore and virtually hardcore pornography, money-driven of course, is another wrong turn that has been causing immense harm to the young (not to speak of us older folk) in many different ways. I don’t know how the young today can concentrate on anything else! I’m glad my libido when I was young, was largely spared, in comparison.
Many of you have said that there should be a charity or group set up to help people working in yards who may be struggling. As it turns out there is such a charity and it’s called Racing Welfare.
Their team of representatives around the country, and especially their Chaplain, work hard to support ‘racing’s people’ both during their work in racing and in their retirement.Unfortunately, not everyone can be helped all the time and I’m sure tragedies such as these suicides will be a real blow to a team, who work so hard to help those in need.
Life in a racing yard is tough (I know – I’ve lived it) often with little scope for improvement and development. Many stable staff will never have the opportunity to progress to a higher paid job. Accomodation can be appalling and there are many trainers out there who are willing to let their staff live in conditions that a pig would be embarrassed by. The influx of foreigners takign jobs in racing, and being willing to work for very little financial reward, will draw many trainers to be less inclined to employ GB workers because they will have to pay them more.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though and lets hope that with continued support Racing Welfare and racing’s other organisations should be able to work together to make sure that these situations become a thing of the past.
The influx of foreigners takign jobs in racing, and being willing to work for very little financial reward, will draw many trainers to be less inclined to employ GB workers because they will have to pay them more.
To a point, almost certainly… although there is a basic supply and demand issue in some training centres, I believe. We ran a piece in the Sportsman once where two or three trainers (and I’m beggared if I can remember who just now) were all too happy to report just what sort of a hole employing stable staff originally from India, Poland and the Baltic states had filled for them.
It wasn’t that the British equivalents were too expensive, transient or workshy – they simply weren’t around to employ.
I’m sure it won’t be long before some such workers are allowed to take their chances riding under Rules. At the moment I can only think of the Latvian Marta Graholska who is getting regular mounts in point-to-points.
I’m glad to read of Racing Welfare’s existence – it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the pastoral / charitable requirements of the human participants in our sport extend beyond JETS and the IJF for jockeys.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Quote from reetpetite – “My daughter is so happy there . Mr Tompkins and his staff have been so supportive and encouraging. She gets plenty of feedback on her progress. She enjoys the company of her work mates who do look after her when they go out. She says it is a lovely place to work.”
Great story Reetpetite and so good to hear your daughter, who obviously wants very much to work with horses, has found a yard deserving of her. Your comments are a real credit to Mark Tompkins.
. Mr Tompkins and his staff have been so supportive and encouraging. She gets plenty of feedback on her progress. She enjoys the company of her work mates who do look after her when they go out. She says it is a lovely place to work.
I do still see the bit about kids on crack as a little bit of a lazy dig, though.
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