Grooms are an invaluable part of the racing industry. They are the key factors in the keep and care of a racehorse, including a horse’s appearance and emotional well-being.

The time spent by grooms with the horses exceeds that spent by any of the professionals involved with horse racing. This is to ensure that the horses remain clean, healthy and well-groomed.

Nigel Webley, who has been a licensed groom for the past 11 years, says that he takes great pride in caring for horses.

“Grooming horses is a profession…it is a job. It is very hard work, the hours are incredibly long, and the pay isn’t all that good. But it is a very rewarding job, and can be a lot of fun,” Webley told the Complete Racing Guide.

Webley, who currently works at the stables of Anthony Nunes, has groomed horses in the past such as Good Citizen, The Gummer, Prior Park, Storm Tracker, Music Master, Cobra, to name a few.

His charges have won close to 30 races since 2004.

“Apart from the fact that I like the work I do, I am in the game to win races. So far I won nearly 30 races and I want to win more. Right now, I only have two young horses which I believe is good enough,” he affirmed.

The 29-year-old Webley explained his daily routine.

“If I have a horse going to the track in the morning, I have to reach work by at least 5:00 am. I make certain that the horse has eaten his feed from the night before. If the horse wears bandage(s), I take them off and check the legs for swelling. I then clean the stall, groom the horse, pick his feet and get him tacked up to go to the track,” he said.

“When he returns from the track, I bathe him, walk him till he cools off, put on back the bandage (s) and then let him dive into breakfast as normal,” he continued.

On a raceday, Webley said that he is the one who gets the horse ready to go up to the paddock, and takes him there.

“Sometimes I have to walk the horse for about an hour before the trainer saddles him. I then have to take him on to the track with the jockey and sometimes lead him to the starting gates. If the horse wins, I have to take him to the testing barn to get tested. If he loses, I bathe him and take him back to the stable,” he explained.

Webley, who is a past student of Jonathan Grant High School in Spanish Town, St Catherine, said that since he is with the same horses on a regular basis, he is often the first person to notice any small changes in the horse, whether it is a change in attitude or an injury the horse sustained.

“Many small injuries don’t show up as lameness right away, but they will show up as a change in a horse’s attitude. He may not clean up his feed, when normally he’s a hearty eater, or maybe he just will act a little sour, when normally he is very friendly all day. I spot these small changes and notify the trainer, so that he can figure out what is wrong before it becomes serious,” he noted.

“When the horse is ill, I’m the one who makes certain that he gets his medications on time every day, and in the right amounts,” said Webley,

who lives in the Gregory Park community.

“Growing up as a little boy I wanted to be a part of racing, and since I am here I can’t really complain as I am enjoying every minute of my work,” he ended.