Friday May 7, 2004

Craig Bernstein, A Groom To Die For

Grooming is an undervalued profession. Early in the morning, when even roosters are still asleep, the groom is getting up for a morning of manure, ammoniac, dust and stench. With only a 30 minute lunch break, he then has to start rubbing the mud of horses until his arms get sours, lift heavy duty leather saddles on their backs, clean tack until his fingers get wrinkled and cloven, walk the horses in hand for hours, feed them again and again and again, and then after an 11 PM check up to see if the babies are all safe and sound, the groom can put his own disheveled and weary body to bed.

Let me tell you it is not an easy job and many a horsaholic crack under grooming stress, even though all is done with a smile, because ... after all ... it is for the love of horses. Often, horse owners have to rely on volunteers or underpaid workers to get the job done, but they also quickly have to deal with the burnt-out syndrome among their grooms.

Fortunately, there are a few diamond-in-the-rough grooms who can weather any condition, any sort of equestrian stress and, moreover, are appreciated for what they do.

One of those once-in-a-lifetime, summa cum laude grooms is Craig Bernstein, also known as "Tuny's groom." Bernstein has been grooming for dressage rider Arlene "Tuny" Page for almost three years now and his trade mark is "perfection." Tack tidy, horses immaculately groomed, always on time, always available. Craig provides 24hour room service for Tuny's horses