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i dont know wich planet you were born on (THEE&ME)but it cant be earth. that i"m sure of.the boys & girls work dam well hard.and if you cant say anything good about them .you should not be on this forum
Quote from Thee – "I am sure of is that is there is more to it than immediately meets the eye"
How on earth, given the fairly rudimentary questions you’ve posed on here, can you be sure that there is more to it than ‘meets the eye’.
I would politely suggest that you haven’t got a clue what you are talking about and that should therefore refrain making such comments as that highlighted above until you do. I think the comment I’ve isolated illstrates quite clearly what your agenda is.
Perhaps Thee is a Timelord – a previous visitor regenerated in a different form – although perhaps not all that different?
I think you’re being a little unfair, The Cheekster, not least having worked in the industry yourself.
We all know of bad yards to work in at the same time that there are many decent yards to work in; I’ve had an experience of both and I know for sure that if I were ever to work in a yard again (which I won’t unless it’s mine!!) which yards I would like to work in and which I wouldn’t shake a sh*tty stick at.
Allied with that, there are also decent stable staff, put upon stable staff, and downright lazy ones – such as in all walks of life. I must admit that perceptions have certainly changed in recent years; only ten years ago I was in the position of mucking out six first thing then ride four, only to finish around 2pm, then be back in the yard at 4pm for evening stables during which you have six to do, yet you do it, as that is your job and you are paid to do it. Alongside that, those busy periods didn’t last long and in the summer you’d be down to doing your three and possibly only riding out two, which is, in all fairness, an easy life.
However it is very much my view that the job revolves around the horses and you finish when the horses are done up properly; not at 12pm sharp every day, which is an attitude I have seen growing recently.
You do see the staff who moan that they have to work until the horses are done rather than clock off at midday, but there are also plenty (mainly the older staff) who are well aware that the job isn’t finished till the horses are done. I think it is unfair to say that all staff are moaning for this, that and t’other when they aren’t; unfortunately is tends to be the ones who moan who do it loudly.
I don’t see why free tea and coffee should be an issue – as has been pointed out, owners, trainers, jocks, press all get free tea and coffee so the least that can be expected is to give it to the lads as well. I’ve never had a problem with paying for food and drink but when you look at how many other people on the racecourse get free refreshments it is only fair to expect that stable staff should be included. My God, you want to hear the incessant whinges made by hacks about the quality of free food and drink they want in pressrooms – yes, as they’re all short of a few quid to pay for their own sandwiches, aren’t they??
Oh, and as an aside, I happen to know that there there are plans afoot surrounding another "racing scandal" programme, fronted by Kenyon – someone I know has been approached for material they want to use in the programme…..
Get back in yer box, Delargo!!!!!
Cheers, Thee – just thought it was worth putting across both sides of hte argument, I didn’t feel that stable lads were getting a fair press from some people on this thread. That said, there are plenty of skanky ones working in the industry too but it’s not fair to tar them all with the same brush!
I don’t see why free tea and coffee should be an issue – as has been pointed out, owners, trainers, jocks, press all get free tea and coffee so the least that can be expected is to give it to the lads as well.
As I said before, it is the principle.
The stable staff get their expenses on top of overtime to go racing. Plenty enough to half an extra large Mcdonalds if they so wish, yet they expect free tea and coffee.
I have no specific problem with free tea and coffee, it is only hot flavoured water. I can’t understand why the press have all but started a campaign for it – it is neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things.
My problem is that the owners are expected to shell out and pay the staff expenses, yet the staff are taking at both ends.
There is no thought for the owner at all, who is ultimately funding everything.So why should stable lads be the exception, TC? Do you not think that the press receive more than adequate expenses? That is the principle of the matter, that stable staff are expected to fork out for their drinks whilst the press (and owners, trainers, jocks et al) enjoy hot food, sandwiches, free drinks – whilst moaning like hell about the quality of it and submitting enormous expense accounts at the same time!
As I said before, it’s never bothered me to pay for food and drinks and it still doesn’t, even though I have free food available if I want it. But surely the principle should be that the lads at the bottom of the pile, who have to survive on around £15k a year tops, should be afforded free drinks before the champagne swilling hacks and others like them are?
I don’t agree with freebies for the press either, it is a joke.
The owners should have comlimentary refreshments, although not many courses supply the hot meals you are alluding to.
I’m not sure whether i’d fit trainers into their category or not – but definetly not if they are charging expenses on top.
I don’t think i’m explaining myself very well. It is the expectation of free drinks, when they have been given ready cash in their pocket for exactly that, which irks me.TC – Should the owners not fund it? They do after all own the horse that they want to run or do you think they should also get their training fees paid for by the lads, and the trainer stable their horse for nothing?
What a ridiculous comment ~ doesn’t deserve an answer.
From all you’ve said on this thread, TC, it appears that quite a lot more than just the issue of free tea and coffee irks you when it comes to stable lads! You seem to infer they have a great life, are lazy yet want more.
I seem to recall from your early days on here that you are a trainer’s daughter? In which case, with the greatest of respect, I am sure that your lot whilst working in yards hasn’t possibly been as hard as it might have been. No offence intended there, it’s just the way the racing world works.
No offence taken, as you obviously don’t have a clue at all.
As a trainers daughter, I have had to work twice as hard as the norm – in order to gain any kind of respect at all.
As you don’t know me, you have no way of knowing that – so I will let you off!Having been involved in different areas of the industry for the past 13/14 years, I will ignore your catty comment about not having a clue.
The fact is that, like it or not, your status as trainers daughter confers on you a seniority and privileges straightaway that an eighteen year old fresh from the Racing School would not have. Other trainers and lads would be loathe to offend you, or make life difficult for you, knowing you have that pull of rank. No need to get snippy over it – it’s the way the racing world (and others) work, something which is widely known by most people involved in it.
As I said, there was no offence intended at all, just a little dose of reality.
Other trainers and lads would be loathe to offend you, or make life difficult for you, knowing you have that pull of rank. quote]
Well that is not what I have found at all. Why would I have a pull of rank in any yard apart from my fathers?
I really am loathe to carry this on as I can guess where it’s heading but I will answer your question first. I am sure though that you are not naïve enough to truly have to ask? Any trainer you work for or lad you work with will be fully aware that you are another trainer’s daughter and as such you will be afforded a certain status. Trainers don’t want to offend other trainers by treating their children unfairly or harshly and in a similar vein, other lads will be well aware of who you are and that you can easily pull rank on them if you so wish, or that the trainer they work for will step in if they feel you are being treated harshly by his lads. You are very unlikely to have ever been pushed around in the same way that kids newly starting in the industry often are.
Comments like this used to really bother me when I was younger, but rarely do anything but go over my head nowadays.
For your information, when I was starting out, the older lads used to leave the Racing School kids alone and concentrate on tripping me up. The head lads/trainers saw it as their mission to ‘knock me into shape’.
Fortunately, I was more than capable of looking after myself and holding my own.
I think you are overestimating my fathers influence – it is not as though I am ‘Miss Cecil/Dunlop/Pipe/Nicholls! If what you are saying is true, how did I end up being held 2ft of the ground by my throat, by a 30yo bloke (I was 16) – simply because I was down to ride ‘his yearling’ (I can tell you why – he was pi55ed up at 6am in the morning!)?
I also think you should’nt formulate personal opinions unless you catually know someone. Perhaps you should come and spend the day with me tomorrow – you can ride 2 of my 4, then you can drive the box to Hexham and lead up, then get back early the next morning and ride the same. Maybe then you’ll see how easy my life has been.
I also don’t understand how this originated from a disagreement over substinence allowance being forther subsidised with free coffee.Shadow Leader – Whilst you may not have intended to cause offence to TheCheekster with your comments, isn’t it a little naiive to think that the comments you made wouldn’t cause offence.
TheCheekster – ‘No offence taken’ ‘Comments like this used to really bother me when I was younger, but rarely do anything but go over my head nowadays.’ – Who are you trying to kid. It’s pretty clear to me you are rather peeved by Shadow Leaders post.
My take on the wider picture is much the same as Shadows, except I’ll be honest and admit I have very little/bodering on zero knowledge of how a racing yard works day to day. I do know humans though, and there are plenty of people who work hard and there are plenty of lazy folk that get by doing as little as possible. I’d suggest it’s the same in most industries so I don’t expect it to be any different in racing.
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