Stepping into the role of Dressage Groom for the Europeans!
- Sarah Elebert
- Sep 2, 2019
- 7 min read
When one of my best friends Kate Dwyer & her noble steed Fabio (Snowdon Faberge) were selected to be part of the Irish Team heading off to the Dressage Europeans in Rotterdam, the excitement was on another level! I was going... as a "BFF",a fan, chief flag-waver, whatever! And so, when she asked me to 'groom' for her, I was more than happy to accept! While I have groomed for Kate before, it is worth mentioning that I am NOT a professional groom. I do however, like my horses to be well turned out, I like attention to detail & by nature, I am an organised person so I suppose these are attributes that are commonly found in a professional groom and being honest, I actually really enjoy it! Although, I definitely find it more nerve wracking being a spectator than rider!
The Irish team headed to Germany a week in advance of the Europeans to fit in some training with Johann Hinnemann. Kate, co-piloted by her friend Becky departed on the Monday and the original plan was for me to fly out to join them on the Thursday. Unfortunately however, Kate's Mum Maureen, slipped & fell at Hickstead a couple of weeks previous, resulting in several fractured ribs & fluid on one of her lungs. Flying was NOT an option! So, the keys to a lovely Land Rover Discovery (Thanks Alan!) were handed to me and on the Thursday evening, myself & Maureen began our drive to Rotterdam.
We got the 9pm ferry from Dublin - Holyhead and drove through the night, across the UK to get the 9am ferry from Harwich - Hook of Holland on Friday morning. All went very smoothly & we arrived in Rotterdam at approx 6pm Friday evening. Kate, Becky & Fabio had made their way from Germany to Rotterdam arriving at approximately the same time. Once there however, there were long delays to get into the stable area as everybody arriving had to offload the equipment to their stables, get everything set up & finally get the horses settled. So while all this was going on, Maureen grabbed an early night, & once Kate & Becky got Fabio settled, we headed for an 11pm Burger King #youarewhatyoueat.
On Saturday, Kate hacked Fabio around to loosen him up after his travels and we spent most of the day settling in and getting familiar with our surroundings. Fabio, was stabled next to JP (Vancouver K) who is a real character & loved to make a mess of my organised & tidy tack locker. However he was quick to charm with lots of kisses &
cuddles & you couldn't but forgive him! The pair provided some entertainment for us all with their love/hate relationship and I'd like to think that somewhere along the way JP dropped Fabio a few pearls of wisdom about what its like to wear "Big Boy Pants"!
The showground itself is set in the middle of a forest with a massive lake to the front. Very picturesque. The 2 warm-up / exercise arenas were good sizes and had excellent surfaces. A couple of downsides to the set up though... the lorry park (where I was sleeping) to the stables was 3.5kms away & Fabio was stabled at the very back so add another 1km door to door. They did have a shuttle service available but with no strict schedule, your wait could be 2 or 30 minutes. As a result, I mostly used the bike to get around as it just meant that I could plan & be more organised.
The other downfall was the lack of food / coffee available onsite. Especially for the first couple of days when things had yet to open. If you wanted anything to eat it was a long trek & an even longer queue! They did eventually set up a catering tent for the grooms and riders, which, after a few technical glitches, provided some lovely food for breakfast, lunch & dinner. However, the owners & trainers etc were not catered for (even to pay as you go) which was very disappointing.
Sunday morning was the team trot up & they all passed with flying colours. First hurdle complete, always a tense moment! That afternoon, the team had their final training sessions with Johann along with their main arena familiarization time-slot.
The Irish horses were in top form during their sessions & seeing them in the main arena, they were definitely up for the challenge!
During dinner that evening, (while Carl Hester was at the next table #fangirling!), the times for the tests began to come through and Kate was on at 10.20am Monday... delighted! The other "girls in green" also had pleasing times. Now we knew the times, we worked out when Kate wanted to mount & I worked back from there what I needed to do to get Fabio ready... Sh*t was getting real!
Monday morning, I fed Fabio at 6.30am & left him alone to eat his breakfast. He is a sensitive, clever horse & I didn't want him to pick up that this day was different to any other. I got a quick bite to eat & upon my return, with Fabio happily munching his haylage, I began plaiting. Once spruced, we went for a walk in hand to stretch his legs and Team Physio, Davide, gave him a final once-over to ensure he was loose & supple.
Having cleaned all the tack & bathed Fabio the evening before, all that was left to do was give him the final buff & polish. The lovely Libby, groom to JP, kindly popped in from next door & put the shamrock quarter markings (made famous at the Rio Olympics 2016) on Fabio's hindquarters. They looked super smart! At 09.27, three minutes ahead of schedule, Kate mounted and away they went to the warm-up.
My heart - I was so bloody nervous... however, seeing the form they were in, the work they were doing & just how AMAZING they looked, I was super confident that they had everything under control. The 10 minute call came over the speaker & the whole team and support crew made their way down to the 10 minute ring. A very surreal moment was then waiting for the gates to the main arena to open, all of their hard work had paid off, they were here. I was so so proud!
Kate & Fabio came out of the ring with 66.1 % & both wearing huge smiles, he knew he did good! Even with a couple of costly mistakes, they both gained a massive amount of experience and proved that the higher marks are only around the corner!
After the test, like a celebrity, Kate was whisked away for interviews (you can see them here and here), while I walked a ‘strutting’ Fabio back to the stables. Emma, groom to Spud aka Esporim, helped me to get him cooled and washed off. Once he was sorted he received a shocking amount of carrots & "good boys", What a champ!
Monday afternoon we all gathered to support & cheer for Heike's test and the same again for Anna & Judy's tests on the Tuesday. The team atmosphere throughout was phenomenal! After Judy's test we began to get word that Irish had surpassed the French & as it turned out. of the 3 places up for grabs for Tokyo we were the 2nd team in!!!! Bring on the celebrations!!!!
That evening, Horse Sport Ireland hosted an evening dinner with all the teams, Dressage, Para- Dressage & Showjumping. The hospitality, the speeches, which emphasized the appreciation for the Horse Owners, and the atmosphere were all amazing and we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
On the Wednesday, we spent the day supporting the Para- dressage riders and the showjumpers. Earning a whole new appreciation for their disciplines...truly amazing!
During these quiet days post Fabio's test, I walked him in hand several times a day through the forest. It was such a fabulous way to get away from the busyness of the showgrounds and just chill. Of course, I used these walks as photo-shoot opportunities & as you can see, Fabio was only too happy to oblige, he'll be getting notions of himself soon enough!
On Wednesday evening, as the rest of the Irish Team stayed on, myself and Maureen once again took to the Discovery and began the journey home. This time we were driving through the UK during daytime hours. Time was tight between ferries and so I had the boot down as much as I could (Sorry Alan!). Then it happened, I took the wrong exit off the motorway, NOOOOO!!! We tried to gain back the time but it was futile... WE MISSED THE BOAT!!! We now had a 5 hour wait in Holyhead but we went for food, caught up with social media and debated if we would have time to go visit the yard where Fabio came from (he's part Welsh Cob remember?!). We got home eventually at 1am Friday morning.
Over a week on and it all feels like a dream. My week as a 'professional groom impostor' was surreal. A couple of things to note... grooms work bloody hard! They are ALWAYS on duty & they do so much more than people see or realise. The other Irish grooms Libby, Emma & Eric were always there to give a lending hand or part with some of their extensive knowledge & I was so grateful.
The Girls in Green made history by gaining Olympic qualification & being a small part of it was an experience I will never forget. The team spirit was amazing & I am so thankful to Kate & Maureen for giving me the opportunity to join them on this journey that they have worked so so hard for! All that is left to say is....
BRING ON TOKYO 2020!!!
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