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Friday, June 24 2022 / Published in Weekly Feature

Blessed Are the Grooms

By George Williams

“Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman.” Granted, it still might be true in my case, but the old adage is surely outdated and no longer always correct. However, in equestrian sports, it’s fair to say that behind every successful rider there is a fabulous groom. Many years ago, when I was competing internationally, I found this to be very true although for me, it truly was a village full of terrific individuals: owners, farriers, vets, coaches, spouse, daughter and grooms—all of whom collectively made what I did possible.

 

Most top riders and owners know the value of a good groom. They are the ones entrusted with the care of the horse. In reality, probably nobody spends more time with the horse than the groom. In many cases, nobody knows the horse’s legs better than the groom nor other details such as quirky eating habits. A good groom will pick up on changes in a horse’s stress level, or increased sensitivity to currying, or a slight swelling in a leg, a slightly warmer hoof or any number of slight changes that may be significant. But that’s only part of it. A good groom knows the rider as well, and helps them be mentally in the right place to perform at their best.

 

I was incredibly fortunate to have some excellent grooms. Not only were they good at braiding, bandaging, brushing and bridling, but they also had another quality that is not a skill set easily taught. They had an empathy for the horse: an awareness of the horse, both physically and mentally, and they brought the smallest changes to my attention. I, in turn, could bring it to the vet’s, farrier’s or owner’s attention so that whatever it was could be evaluated in a proactive manner. Proactive is the key.

 

At times, we need to be more proactive with our grooms. There were times when competing in Europe that I would help my groom change hotels in the middle of the night because the cheap “official” grooms’ hotel in those days was not quite acceptable. There were other occasions when I should have been more proactive and done more for the comfort and safety of my horse’s groom—the groom who was so dedicated in their care of the horse that I was so unbelievably lucky to be able to compete.

 

At the recent FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, I witnessed an historic moment when Ingmar De Vos and Lucy Katan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Grooms Association recognizing it as a stakeholder in the FEI family. Over the past several years, grooms have been recognized more and more with groom awards. The Global Dressage Festival frequently recognizes the groom of the winning horse in the highlighted class of the competition. The FEI also has a prestigious Best Groom Award. However, in my mind the new MOU is a major step forward.

 

FEI Sports recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Grooms Association recognizing it as a stakeholder in the FEI family.

Photo by Melissa Fuller

 

 

It will make our sport better at recognizing the grooms as the true professionals that they are and give them a platform to be able to improve the conditions in which they live and work while at FEI events. Things that would make it more manageable and safer to do their jobs—such as cleaning up narrow, cluttered stable aisles—and make it safer for our horses. I see this well-deserved formal recognition as a win-win for everyone, especially for our horses. It goes without saying that a good rider must respect their horse in order to get the most out of the horse. It’s about time that we formally acknowledge that we, and the world of horse sports, must respect the grooms as equally as we respect the other professionals involved in making that ride down the centerline the best it possibly can be.

 

 

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Tagged under: dressage, fei, george williams, grooms

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Dedication, perseverance and a support team like n Dedication, perseverance and a support team like no other—that’s Liz Lund’s recipe for eventing success. An accomplished eventer, breeder and trainer, Liz splits her time between Copeland Farms North in her home state of Minnesota, and Copeland Farms South in sunny Ocala, Florida. As Liz continues growing her business, she has only one mantra: Love what you do, and the rest will fall in place. 

Get to know Liz and her journey as an eventer and businesswoman at the link in our bio!

📸 Melissa Fuller #eventing #equestrian #dressage #showjumping #horse #horsesofinstagram #horses #equine #equestrianlife #horseriding #crosscountry #pony #eventer #jumping #equestrianstyle #eventinghorse #hunterjumper #equestriansofinstagram #dressagehorse #instahorse #showjumper #horselife #horsebackriding #horselove #pferd #horserider #horselover #ocala #eventinglife #sidelinesmagazine
It’s been a while since I’ve shown. After Indo It’s been a while since I’ve shown. After Indoors we turned the horses out and let them be horses. But now it’s time and I’m getting ready to head to Florida for the winter circuit. I’m feeling a bit anxious about getting back into the competitive state of mind, doubting myself and feeling more stress than I did when I was showing. Is this normal? What’s happening to me? What do I do to get back into the right place in my head? Why do I keep going back to this if it does what it does to me at the start of each season? - a Sidelines fan

"Throughout human history, people have enjoyed organizing competitions—the Ancient Greek Olympic Games go back to 776 BC. If you look around, you’ll notice that competition is everywhere in the modern world. Many historians believe that 'competitiveness' is a biological trait that co-evolved with the basic need for human survival. However, returning to a competitive state after time off from being a competitive athlete can be quite daunting," says sports psychologist Margie Sugarman.

"The proper mindset keeps you grounded in the present instead of solely focusing on the results. This automatically helps lower the performance brain state and allows for better focus, performance and results- Focus on what you can control."

Read the full column at the link in our bio!

📸 Ruby Tevis #paard #eventing #pferdeliebe #horsemanship #equinelife #jumping #horsepower #equestrianlifestyle #caballos #horsestagram #pferdefotografie #horsegirl #horseshow #equestrians #ponies #quarterhorse #horselovers #mare #thoroughbred #showjumper #equinephotographer #instagram #horsephotographer #equitation #horseaddict #horsetraining #horseoftheday #gelding #equestrianphotography #sidelinesmagazine
Emily Dulin has always been an animal lover, and h Emily Dulin has always been an animal lover, and helping others is in her blood. She’s the daughter of a Venezuelan ambassador and has spent much of her professional career working in social services and animal welfare. In 2015, Emily took on the role of chief executive officer of Brooke USA Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules, and helping the people that depend on them for survival worldwide. 

“We are making a difference,” Emily said. “We will evaluate an animal at the start of a new program, and then just one, two and then five years later, we see marked improvements in terms of how they are handled, husbandry practices, what they eat and even how crops are being grown just to feed their animals—how feed is stored—and more. To see that end result firsthand is what I find most satisfying.”

Get to know Emily and how she helps working equines as the leader of @brooke_usa at the link in our bio!

Thank you to Brooke and Cody Holcomb of Wyco Ranch in Ft. Pierce, Florida, for the use of your farm, donkeys and horses for the Sidelines photo shoot.

📸 Melissa Fuller #equine #horse #equestrian #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrianlife #horseriding #dressage #instahorse #pony #horselove #pferd #equinephotography #showjumping #horselover #horselife #cheval #horsebackriding #horsephotography #equestrianstyle #donkey #pferde #horseofinstagram #equestriansofinstagram #riding #photography #equinesofinstagram #caballo #dressagehorse #sidelinesmagazine
The February issue of Sidelines Magazine is here a The February issue of Sidelines Magazine is here and it's filled with love - including the love story of dressage riders Sarah Lockman Tubman and Lee Tubman! Thanks to photographer Kristen Scott-Crocker for the beautiful photos and Kimberly Gatto for sharing Sarah and Lee's story. 

We have so many amazing stories in this issue—get to know Sharn Wordley and Craig Martin of Wordley Martin Equestrian, LLC, the two Kiwis have had a fascinating journey in the equestrian world! And meet three day eventer Liz Lund who not only has a great story but wins the award for holding the most horses in one photo taken by Sidelines photographer Melissa Fuller. Hint, it's more than five but less than seven - and everyone had their ears up!! Amazing! 

Also meet hunter-jumper rider and photographer Kirsten Hannah Lafforthun, artist Vanessa Whittell Equine-art, dressage rider Brett Ingram and Emily Marquez-Dulin of Brooke USA, which is a great organization to support - make sure to visit them! 

Meet Madison Ibach and Reagan Ibach, sisters who work at the Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort and have a huge social media presence - make sure to follow them on Instagram! We are excited to continue our Women Entrepreneur stories and introduce you to Gigi Stetler, President/CEO of Broward RV. 

We also feature three great breeding and stallion stories and introduce you to John Almond and Margaret Hoffecker Almond of Loafers Lodge Welsh, and Craig Heckert and Patty Larson of Rivervale Farm, and Kelly Sigler Patterson of Looking Glass Farm. Mary Choate has great answers to share in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists Rob R.L. Jacobs, George Williams, Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing and Margie Sugarman. 

Make sure to sign up for a year's subscription to Sidelines by visiting our website, www.sidelinesmagazine.com so you can get a copy of the magazine sent to your house or barn every month! Enjoy reading this issue now - link in bio!
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