The HorseGrooms Foundation is now officially underway, and we want to use The HorseGrooms Podcast from time to time to take you behind the scenes of what we are building. Over the coming months, we will introduce our board members, share updates on Foundation programs, and talk about some of the bigger goals we are working toward.
First up is Grace Speckman, HorseGrooms Foundation Secretary, financial advisor, lifelong equestrian, and one of the people helping us develop the Financial Corner.
If you are new to the HorseGrooms Foundation, you can read our full introduction to the HorseGrooms Foundation here, including why we created it, our mission, programs, board, and plans for the future.
Meet Grace Speckman
Grace has been riding for nearly 30 years. She started at age seven, grew up as a self-described barn rat, and still rides today.
Professionally, she is a financial advisor who helps clients with investments, taxes, estate planning, and other aspects of managing their money. She has also developed a particular interest in financial education for equestrians.
When Dinette Neuteboom asked Grace to join the HorseGrooms Foundation board, the mission made sense to her.
Grace sees the Foundation as a way to put more structure and resources behind the work HorseGrooms is already doing and to help build something that can continue supporting grooms for the long term.
She serves on the board alongside Dinette Neuteboom, Danielle Aamodt, Jenny Schwartz, and Jillian Blades-Rice, who together bring experience in grooming, finance, nonprofit work, marketing, leadership, and the wider equestrian industry.
Making Money Less Intimidating
A large part of the conversation focused on one of the Foundation’s first programs: the Financial Corner.
When Grace was asked what she wishes every groom knew about money, her answer was simple: it doesn’t have to be so scary. “It doesn’t need to be this big beast that you have to tackle.”
That is also the idea behind the Financial Corner. Instead of overwhelming people with financial terminology, the goal is to provide practical financial education created with the realities of working in the horse industry in mind.
The program currently includes a three-part webinar series with former groom and trainer RoseAnne Spallone-Nagle, as well as a personal finance course created by HorseGrooms Foundation Treasurer Jenny Schwartz. Grace, Jenny, and RoseAnne will also serve as mentors so community members can ask questions and receive more individual guidance. Soon, there will also be available a downloadable HorseGrooms Guide to Finance with educational articles from Emmy Sobieski, CFA.
But financial education doesn’t have to stop with grooms. Grace and Dinette also discussed providing information for employers about benefits they may be able to offer their teams. Retirement plans and other benefits can sometimes be more accessible to small equestrian businesses than employers realize. As Grace put it, “It goes both ways.”
Growing the Pie Together
One of Grace’s comments during the episode captured an important part of what the HorseGrooms Foundation hopes to accomplish. “I think we can grow the pie together.”
Grace doesn’t see improving financial security or working conditions for grooms as something that needs to come at somebody else’s expense.
Better-supported grooms, stronger employers, healthier businesses, and better horse care can support one another.
That same thinking applies to another long-term goal discussed during the episode: exploring more structured education and eventually a recognized credential pathway for grooms.
There is still a great deal of work to be done before such a system could become reality. But the goal is to create clearer opportunities for people to learn, develop their skills, demonstrate what they know, and build a career, while also helping employers better understand the skills of the people they hire.
What Does Grace Hope Will Be Different in Three Years?
Toward the end of the conversation, Dinette asked Grace what she hopes will have changed for grooms three years from now. Her answer perhaps sums up the Foundation’s work best: “I want grooms to be seen and heard and understood and supported.”
Education, financial resources, the Legal Corner, mentorship, professional development, and future credentialing initiatives are different pieces of that bigger goal. And this is only the beginning.
We will continue bringing HorseGrooms Foundation board members onto The HorseGrooms Podcast to share what we are working on, introduce new programs, and discuss what we are learning along the way.
Listen to Grace Speckman on The HorseGrooms Podcast
Listen to the full conversation with Grace Speckman on The HorseGrooms Podcast, available on all major podcast players and through the Equus Radio Network.
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You can also follow Grace on Instagram at Dollars and Horse Sense or find her on LinkedIn under Grace Speckman. She also offers The Thoughtful Equestrian’s Guide to Protect, Grow, and Pass on Wealth, which can be downloaded here and through her social media channels.
Learn More and Support the HorseGrooms Foundation
Want to know more about why we created the HorseGrooms Foundation, our board, current programs, and what we hope to build Read the full HorseGrooms Foundation introduction here.
You can also support the Foundation by donating, participating in our programs, or simply sharing our work with other people in the horse industry.
And, as Grace reminded us at the end of the podcast, spreading the word doesn’t cost anything.
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HorseGrooms is a platform of resources, education, and support for grooms by grooms. This is an online community, hub of resources, and spotlight of industry highlights born out of love for the horse and love for the sport. But our mission goes beyond simply providing resources and creating content.
Our goal is to create a space to keep horsemanship alive; for grooms to support and educate each other; and to help advance the craft of grooming. HorseGrooms is dedicated to ambitious grooms everywhere.
