We quite like to act tough...

We caught up with BGA member Eileen Beach on #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek to find out her thoughts on mental health and Grooms Minds.

In 2019 you ran a half marathon and one of the reasons being you wanted to raise awareness for Grooms Minds, why is this important to you?

I chose to run the Windsor Lakeside half marathon for Grooms Minds because there is just nothing anywhere in the whole country like Grooms Minds for us equestrians working in the horsey industry.
I feel like people who are not horsey struggle to understand the demands, they often picture us working with pretty ponies in the sunshine with the butterflies and flowers all day and don't really understand how much hard work it is, how lonely it can be and how physically and mentally demanding it can be.

Do you think that mental health and well-being is becoming more talked about and what changes within the equestrian industry have you noticed?

I think people are definitely starting to open up a bit more about mental health in the equine industry. I find we quite like to act really tough, not talk about our problems, how were feeling and just get on with it and carry on working. But the more you try to keep it at the back of your head the bigger the problem becomes and it ends up just taking over.

I think Olivia Towers Dressage has done an amazing job for raising awareness in the equine industry and she really is a true inspiration to me. She shows that not only do grooms suffer with mental health, but so do professional riders.

How debilitating can it be when you are struggling but feel unable to ask for help?

I'm the sort of person that likes to keep everything in and not talk about how I'm feeling. I like to put a smile on my face and act like everything is fine. I became addicted to work because I felt like the more I worked the less time I had to think how I was actually feeling.

Then when it came to going to bed I was so tired I just would collapse on my bed and sleep instead of being up worrying all night. I didn't want to talk to my parents because I didn't want them to worry about me. My non horsey friends found it hard to understand because they didn't really realise how hard it is working with horses as most of them have office jobs, which is completely different.

How useful is it to have a resource like Grooms Minds and the Grooms Minds Support Line?

I think the Grooms Minds Support Line is an amazing idea! When I was at my lowest I didn't even know about the grooms help line but I do know that it would have helped me so much. Just having someone to talk to who understands and wouldn't judge me would have been so beneficial.

I could see that some of the other grooms I worked with were struggling too, I knew they weren't happy and I expect they felt as lonely as I did, but like me they were too afraid to talk about anything in case they didn't feel the same way!

I remember hearing people crying whilst mucking out and I couldn't believe I didn't say anything – but I was too afraid to.
But by talking to someone on the phone, or online as I know some people with bad anxiety find it difficult to talk on the phone, would have helped me and them so much. Just telling someone how you are feeling is good to let all your emotions out as it’s just so damaging keeping them in.

What advice would you give to anyone feeling a little out of sorts?

My advice to anyone who is feeling incredibly alone, scared, knackered or physically or mentally ill would be to remember that you are the most important person and you deserve to be happy and to look after yourself.

You need to believe that you are not the only one feeling the way you do. There are so many other people going through what you are, but it’s important to open up and talk about it, and you will hopefully give someone else the confidence to open up if they are struggling too.

Find out more about Grooms Minds. 

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