Each year at the FEI Awards Gala, the title of FEI Best Groom is handed out to an outstanding caretaker in the FEI disciplines. And this year, three U.S. grooms have made the short list for the awards.
“Grooms are that special group of people who underpin the success of our entire sport, ever present but rarely in the spotlight,” said the FEI press release about the short list. “The Best Groom Award seeks to highlight those grooms who really go above and beyond for their horses and riders.”
Grand prix rider Schuyler Riley has been on a big winning streak this summer, first winning three grand prix classes at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (N.C.) and then the CSI-W at Bromont, Quebec, but she's not the only one bringing checks back to the barn. Her head groom Jesus Pimentel has been on a streak of his own, capturing the new TIEC Groom’s Initiative Award three times.
When he first came to work for rider Louise Serio seven years ago, Andreas Vega was not the most seasoned groom in the barn.
“He was quite young when he started, and he didn’t have a lot of experience, but he always tried very hard,” Serio explained of Vega.
Years of dedication to learning more about his craft paid off for Vega on Feb. 27 at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington Fla.—Vega topped a field of 18 entries in the groom’s class sponsored by Shapley’s Equine Grooming Products.
Now that the holidays are just around the corner, it’s time to think of adding of your horse to the gift list. OR, if that has already happened, adding a few more things to your list for him. Liv Gude of Pro Equine Grooms has some suggestions...
Does your horse resemble a wooly mammoth come December? Wondering if you should take the plunge and give him a buzz cut? Liv Gude of Pro Equine Grooms talks about what you should consider.
To clip or not to clip? This is sometimes a great debate among horse owners and trainers—people wonder is it necessary, are we interfering with what’s natural, how much extra time it may lead to with blanketing and the like.
Panic, pride and partnership—they’re all part of a caretaker’s commitment to a top horse.
They’re the backbone of the equine world, the devoted caretakers of the horse. Grooms work long hours on tired feet, and the rewards often come in the form of a horse putting in a stellar performance or nickering at them walking down the aisle.
“There are people who think that grooming is just brushing them and tacking them up, but it’s so much more than that. The groom gets to be the horse’s ‘person,’ their home base. And that’s special,” said Lauren Keeton.
It's summer, that time when turn-out can seem more like a torture chamber for your horse with all the flies bothering him. How can you keep your horse comfortable? Live Gude of Pro Equine Grooms has some tips about selecting summer outerwear for your equine.
It’s that glorious time of year when horses have finished shedding out, and coats are still dark and shiny. But it only takes a few weeks of strong sunlight to turn your black horses into bays and your bays into buckskins. How do you keep your horse’s coat from becoming a faded out shadow of its former glory? Liv Gude of Pro Equine Grooms has some suggestions.
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