The highs and lows of being a groom

The Team GB grooms are making memories at the Olympic Games, but there are many others who are still waiting for their time to come, whilst dealing with the raw disappointment of missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

Disappointment is not often spoken about, and yes, it is part of our sport – but it is still gutting for the grooms (and riders) who don’t make the final selection.

BGA member and Ambassador Zoe Herbert works for showjumper William Funnell.

She shares her recent experiences which led them from being on the Team GB Tokyo 2020 Short List to their Olympic hopes being shattered in a life-changing second.

“The start of the year didn’t go exactly to plan. With the EHV outbreak in Spain we, like many others, had to come home early from the Sunshine Tour and quarantine for a month.

Once back travelling, we went to Italy for a three-week tour and won the 3* Grand Prix in Gorla Minore with Equine America Billy Diamo. This was a great result, and everything felt like it was heading in the right direction towards Olympic selection.

In June Will was selected for the Short List, I began to get excited. We then travelled to the Nations Cup before the final selection for Tokyo 2020.

Diamo jumped a great clear in the first round and unfortunately, in round two he unseated Will, resulting in him landing on his feet. It wasn’t a bad fall but the outcome was devastating.

I knew our chances of making the team for Tokyo were over. We experienced the highs and lows of the sport in just a couple of hours.

All of our hard work had been for nothing and all we had to show for it was Will in a cast with nine breaks in his ankle.

Everyone tried to make me feel better but when you put everything into the Olympic Games, it is so heart-breaking when the reality hits that you are not going.

I’m very lucky to have some great friends that I’ve met throughout the years but especially Kate Dodd and Dan Tarpey. It’s important to talk to people and let them know how you are feeling. Even if it’s just to say you’re not having a great day; a true friend will always be there to listen.

Looking forward, I hope we get a chance for the next Olympics and that Will has the best recovery to come back even stronger.”

Every time a team is selected there are always the grooms that get to go, wear the kit and get the unique experience of being on a team...but there are also the grooms that don’t.

The BGA’s own Lucy Katan experienced the sheer disappointment of not travelling to an Olympic Games, an experience that shaped her future life. She shares her story:

“In 1999 I was working for dressage rider Peter Storr and we were on target to go to Sydney 2000. The last competition in Germany didn’t go to plan and resulted in us being the non-travelling reserve.

I was gutted. I had done vast amounts of research about Sydney, told everyone I was going, and couldn’t believe that we were not.

I had to do two weeks of quarantine but continuously felt like a spare part. They were a lovely bunch, Alan Davies, Jenny Ellis, Jo Barry – all good friends even now, but still; I was devastated. They were all travelling and having the trip of a lifetime and I had to go home.

For me, my experience of not travelling to Sydney 2000 lit my Olympic Flame. I was fortunate to subsequently follow my dreams and worked at three future Games in operational roles.”

Being a groom of a potential Olympic horse is nerve-wracking. There is just so much that can go wrong, and 99.9% of the time, it is nothing to do with the actions of the groom.

It is quite simply ‘out of our control’.

This article is for every groom that has missed out on selection, just to say we understand.

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