It's been a whirlwind six weeks, from the first call from Ronnie Beard asking if I could make this grooming at the Olympics adventure happen, to sweating getting my passport in time to get credentialed, to arriving in New Jersey to meet the rest of the team, Matt and Valinski, to the long journey to Rio. But, here I am!

What happens when you’ve given up on a lifelong dream—shelved it and allowed it to gather dust—and then 36 years later that dream comes true? Laurie Pitts, who has just landed in Rio de Janeiro to work as a groom for Australian show jumper Matt Williams at the Olympic Games, is finding out.