Fabian White, president of the Grooms’ Association of Jamaica (GAJ), is sounding the alarm on the critical shortage of grooms in the racing industry and the lack of benefits that is driving them away.

With a sense of urgency, White is calling attention to the crisis, emphasising that the industry’s very survival depends on addressing these pressing issues.

White’s concerns are rooted in the harsh realities faced by grooms who toil behind the scene to care for the horses that are the lifeblood of the industry. Despite their crucial role, grooms are often paid meagre wages and denied basic benefits, leaving them vulnerable and unvalued.

“What is happening with the grooms now is that we are on a very short leash. We badly need people to take up the mantle. I believe what caused the shortage of grooms are the low wages and the seven-day workload,” White told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.

“Everybody comes into racing wanting to become a jockey, and if they fail, what we try to do is to help them stay in the business by becoming grooms. So we are on a drive right now to get grooms. We have a lot of grooms that are sick at the moment, and it is like when you get old, they just forget you, and I want to change that.

“One day everyone is going to get old, and so from now you all should try and take care of the sick and who have spent all their lives serving the racing industry. So that is my drive right now, and just to get some new grooms in the system,” White added.

However, the situation is further exacerbated by trainers’ failure to pay statutory deductions to the National Housing Trust (NHT) and National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

According to White, this leaves grooms without benefits or compensation after years of service.

“The only benefit for the grooms right now is that they have a licence, they get insurance and they get health cards where they can go to the doctor. But there is a problem, most of the grooms, when they go to the NHT and NIS to check if something is there for them, sometimes they are told that there’s nothing for them,” White explained.

“What is happening is that some trainers collect the grooms’ money and they don’t pay it over to the NHT or NIS. We have a groom who is over 70 years, he has spent his whole life in the industry and his daughter went to both the NHT and NIS for compensation for him and they told her that they don’t see any record of him throwing any money. How can this be fair?” White noted.

White is asking for urgent dialogue with the regulatory bodies to address this injustice.

“I am advocating for dialogue with the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission, the Jamaica Racing Commission, and Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited to address this injustice,” White said.

White urged trainers to pay the necessary deductions to secure their employees’ futures.

“If we fail to attract young talent, the industry will suffer. I appeal to trainers and associations to make things right, as the current situation is illegal and punishable. If necessary, I will seek government intervention to correct this issue,” White argued.

Without drastic change, White predicts a catastrophic outcome for the industry.

“These are some of the reasons why nobody wants to become a groom, as at the end of the day there’s nothing for them. This happened because the trainers are the ones that should pay over our statutory deduction that we get to have our benefits when we get older, and that’s not happening.

“I am telling you, in five years time, you are going to see the trainers looking after their own horses. If you don’t have young minds coming in, what is going to happen is that the old minds are going to fade away and you will be left with no one to take up the mantle,” White ended.