Cynthia Visser giggled a bit when she remembered winning the Groom’s Class at the 1997 Ox Ridge Horse Show (Conn.).

The Groom’s Class was a highlight of the Ox Ridge show in June each year for the grooms—a chance to show off their hard work and win some extra cash. That year, Visser earned $1,200 as the overall winner. She remembers that she gambled a bit to get that win.

“I worked half the night to get ready for it. I thought, ‘I might as well get a little silly with my grooming box,’” she said. Grooms usually packed a “ring box” filled with supplies for any at-the-in-gate needs, such as a towel and hoof dressing.

“I went to the farrier and got a set of shoes and some nails and a hammer—the box was so heavy, I don’t know how I got it to the ring. I put M&Ms in there, tampons, a cigarette, a condom for giggles. I figured they’re either laugh and love it, or my joke would fall flat, but I wanted to make it a little light-hearted. Oliver Kennedy was one of the judges, and his face was priceless when he saw the stuff in my box.”

Visser’s unusual ringside supplies worked in her favor for the blue, but the horse she held for the class also shone with loving care. She held Maestro, an off-the-track Thoroughbred owned by Megan McGraw who was showing in the green hunter divisions with Scott Stewart, for the class.

Cynthia Visser and Maestro after winning the Groom’s Class at the 1997 Ox Ridge Horse Show. 

The groom’s classes were divided into hunter and jumper sections, with the winner of each section facing off for the overall title. Maestro’s gleaming chestnut coat helped her clinch the top prize. “He was stunning. His coat was like a new penny. He was very tolerant and patient and he jumped so great—holy cow he could jump!”

Maestro was an anomaly in the top show rings—a Thoroughbred purchased for just a few hundred dollars. “He was really special. I’ve always been a Thoroughbred lover, and he had Stage Door Johnny in his pedigree. He was a typical Thoroughbred, sensitive but genuine,” Visser recalled.

Visser was working for Old Salem Farm at the time, and Stewart was the resident trainer there. “The best part of it all was that Scott made the time to come watch. Scott was always so busy, running from ring to ring to ride. But he stood there and watched the whole time and cheered. That was very cool. He was such a great boss, very respectful and always said thank you. He was just classy, so he was a blast to work for,” Visser said.

Maestro showing with Scott Stewart. Photo by Cathrin Cammett

Visser had found her way to Old Salem, where she served as a road manager alongside Cheryle Francis, via a winding road. She had started out as the typical horse-crazy girl, showing ponies and then a junior hunter. But when she was 19, she left home for the racetrack, working at a Quarter Horse track in Florida.

Her time there was brief, and for a few years after that she dabbled a bit, working in Holland, teaching riding lessons, freelance grooming and exercising of racehorses and grooming in the driving world.

“And then the pivotal point was in my mid 20s, when I started with Thom and Wissie Brede,” she said. “I was with them close to nine years off and on. I did everything with them—I broke horses and galloped racehorses, still teaching in my free time. I think the whole foundation and best experience I ever had was Thom and Wissie. I learned from the best of the best. We had so much fun.”

Through the Bredes, she met Francis, who helped her find the Old Salem job, where she stayed for another few years. In 1998, she left to work privately for an amateur rider, and ended up staying there for 17 years. “For her, I did a variety of things. I was on the road grooming for a few years, then I moved to managing the barn at home,” Visser recalled.

Then, in 2013, she quit and started living a dream—teaching challenged children to ride. It all started with a grief-stricken child who had lost her father to cancer but wanted to learn how to ride. “I was just so touched by her. The first time she trotted was the first time she’d smiled since her dad died. So, it put a bug in me that this is what I really want to do,” said Visser. “She was champion two months after she started to ride. It was so fulfilling.”

Now Visser uses rehabilitated horses from a horse rescue near her to teach children with special challenges such as ADHD. She has a young off-the-track Thoroughbred that she hopes to show in the hunters as well as an older horse she trail rides; she also owns a few racehorses.

“I’m also working on an adult coloring book—a lot of psychotherapists recommend them, so I’m starting on an equine-related one,” she said. “I also buy and sell high-end tack.”

Visser is thrilled she’s been able to translate her knowledge of horses into other avenues, but she still remembers her grooming days on the road fondly. “I miss those days. It was the best time of my life,” she said.

“What I loved was the excitement of being on the road and seeing how great the horses looked and performed. The grooms are such an integral part of that. People forget how much we do, but we know everything about those horses.”

And Visser was thrilled to have her fond memories of that time in her brought to light again. “It’s so validating to get the recognition for being the eyes, ears and best friend to the horses we groomed,” she said.