Dressage at Devon

46 Dressage at Devon 2017 • Breed Division B e h i n d t h e S c e n e s : T h e l i f e o f a p r o f e S S i o n a l g r o o m Grooms are the unsung heroes of barns around the world. Their job starts early, ends late and goes far beyond brushing, cleaning and polishing. It's a time-consuming, tough job but the top grooms take it all in stride. "I enjoy going to Dressage at Devon not only for the amazing performances but also to see how dressage grooms take care of their horses. I believe, we as grooms can learn new ways to improve our own skill set from all disciplines, " said Emma Ford, Head Groom and Barn Manager for Phillip Dutton Eventing. Dutton is, of course, a world-renowned eventer but Ford is a winner in her own right, having earned the USEA Professional Groom of the Year in 2007 and the Professional Riders Organization Liz Cochran Grooms Award in 2012. Emma did ride but back issues made it difficult. "With the barn as busy as it is, staying on the ground makes managing the day to day work load a lot more efficient," Emma said. No wonder! A typical day for Emma starts at 7 am with haying, feeding, bringing in and turning out horses. During this time, she is careful to "look at all the horses, particularly their legs, to make sure no abnormalities have popped up over night. Whilst I make lunch and dinners the rest of the staff muck out." Horses are tacked up for Phillip, cooled down, groomed and more. "With any luck all horses are ridden by 2pm. Mucking, haying I finish grooming those that need to be done, while the rest of the crew does afternoon chores, mucking, hay, water, sweeping. We feed at 4pm, they get blanketed as needed and turned out." Cleaning tack and folding laundry means the day is almost over but night check, water, late feed and extra blankets, if needed, finishes the day. At shows, Emma tries to keep as close to their daily routine as possible. Of course, that's after all the packing and travelling – both ways. "Hand walking/grazing has to replace turn out at shows. The number of horses and the discipline they are doing determines how busy the day is. Dressage days tend to be less hectic because once Phillip is on he doesn't require anyone in the warm up. But with show jumpers and cross- county, times may be tight and there has to be someone in the warm up ring as well as having the next horse ready ringside. On cross county days, we have to ice and wrap all upper level horses as well as evening hand walks to ensure the horses remain relaxed and supple overnight." Brittany Callahan from Hilltop Farm, Inc. (Colera, MD) manages the Hilltop Farm grooming team while they are at Dressage at Devon. Here's how she describes her day: "The impressive venue and busy atmosphere of Devon is always quietest in the early morning hours at Devon. With 15-20 horses in the barn to care for prior to the start of the show, the Hilltop Team typically gets an early start around 5am. An early start allows us to get all of the horses settled in and prepped for the show in a calm manner. The horses each start their morning with their AM feeding followed by a walk around the show grounds to stretch their leg and get acclimated to the different warm-up and show rings." "While the horses are out of their stalls, it gives staff time to clean their stalls so horses return clean and freshly bedded stalls, helping to keep horses clean throughout the day. Grooming and braiding horses is next, with each horse receiving any needed touch-ups such as washing white markings before the start of the show. With the horses prepped and ready to show, we're typically able to take a few minutes to regroup as a team, have breakfast, and make time for the very necessary cup of coffee." "As each horse's show time approaches, they're pulled out of their stall to receive a final brushing and last minute preparations to look show ring ready. Each horse's hooves are polished and will have baby oil applied to their muzzle and eyes for a sleek finish. Providing the "Devon Rain" hasn't arrived yet, each horse has a fresh set of eyes look at them in the sunlight to catch any other needed touch-ups prior to heading to the warm-up ring. Like most shows, Devon is full of hectic moments followed by temporary lulls in action. Breaks in the class schedule make for good times to get horses that aren't showing that day to out of their stalls one more time for a walk. They're also an ideal time to pick stalls and schedule afternoon feedings."

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