A stable master or head groom is the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

in charge of a

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

. At large

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

establishments there may be several

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and Groomsman, ...

s under the management of the stable master. In a professional establishment the head groom usually has complete responsibility for the horses including devising training schedules, choosing feeds for optimum

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...

and ensuring the horses are shod, wormed, inoculated and provided with timely

veterinary Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both ...

care. Historically, one kind of stable master was an avener (), or avenor, the chief officer of the

s of a king, and the officer in charge of obtaining positions for

s belonging to the king. The Latin version of the word was ''avenarius'', from the Latin ''avena'', meaning "

oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural). Oats appear to have been domesticated as a secondary crop, as their seed ...

" or "

straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry wikt:stalk, stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the crop yield, yield by weight of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, ry ...

". The avenar was under the watch of the Master of the Horse, and in his duties administered the

oaths of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...

to all other stable officials. He was also in charge of stable

expense account An expense account is the right to reimbursement of money spent by employees for work-related purposes. Some common expense accounts are Cost of sales, utilities expense, discount allowed, cleaning expense, depreciation expense, delivery expense, ...

s and

payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

. An avenary, related to an avener, was the largest department in the household of the king. There was generally a staff of 100 to 200 valets and grooms which, under the watch of the avenar, tended to the horses of the king, his household, officials and attendants, as well as the horses of royal visitors. In a

private residence A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...

the stable master has these responsibilities and must also accommodate the riding schedules of the employer's family and, if necessary, arrange for lessons and training. The stable master must ensure that a groom is on call during specified hours in case any members of the employer's family wish to ride. The stable master is also responsible for the special needs of aged and retired horses, and usually for the maintenance and overall appearance of the stables. The stable master may or may not report to a steward or

estate manager A property manager or estate manager is a person or firm charged with operating a real estate property for a fee. The property may be individual title owned or owned under the sectional title, share block company owned, and may be registered for ...

References

Horse history and evolution Horse-related professions and professionals {{Horse-stub