Team Bronze, dope testing and missing Blueberry

The FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA are well underway and we catch up with #supergroom and BGA member and Ambassador Alan Davies, (Team GBR groom to Charlotte and Carl), direct from WEG, in his series of blogs.

What a day and by now everyone will know the results with Team GBR picking up Bronze in the dressage!

There was a lot of talk yesterday morning about possible medals and what was needed to achieve that result, but I tried not to listen and instead concentrated on the horses.

I was just hoping Del and Freestyle would go well and to the best of their abilities, and for everyone to be pleased with them - well they did that in bucket loads!

The conditions were not easy. Not only did we have the eyes of the world on our two new horses but the weather was really hot and humid.

Throughout Team GBR we have the most amazing support team from Andre Buthe the vet, Rachael Greatham the Physio and Andrew Bowyer farrier who are there on standby to help out at all times.

We had the A team on standby with copious amounts of iced water so that we could instigate "aggressive cooling" as soon as we could after the horses had finished their tests.

We have to have a tack inspection done by an FEI steward as soon as they come out of the arena, then Lucy (Scudamore who works alongside me at Charlotte and Carl’s) and I got their tack off, tried to get them to have a drink and then went straight to the wash bays where the support crew were waiting and we immediately got the iced water onto them.

Andre checks their temperatures and Rachel and Andrew get the water on and start scraping. We've had lots of tips from the eventers and this is the quickest way to cool the body down. Freestyle got called for dope testing so we had to go to the vet clinic in Barn 4 after she had cooled down.

Dope testing is a regular occurrence at major championships, which is one of the reasons the grooms have to be so vigilant these days on what things our horses eat and the products we use. The GBR grooms at WEG have all had to complete the BGA’s Groom Clean (an online e-learning) before travelling to WEG. 

We then had prize giving which they found very exciting. So then we had to do the whole cooling down process again!

Once the horses were settled, we all celebrated with pizza in the stables which Andrew the farrier very kindly went to get us as he could see we were going to miss dinner in the canteen.

Someone asked me yesterday how I was feeling and I have to say it's difficult to put into words....

There is a completely different feeling coming to a championship without Blueberry and I miss him immensely. Everyone asks me how he is, which is so lovely and now I have these two new superstars who I am so so proud of.

They have travelled across the world, coped with adverse conditions in quarantine and then performed at the top of their game. What more can you ask? And now it's time to get ready for the next battle!

Speak soon,
Alan

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Read Alan's previous blog here.