1976 Grooms Prize Winner

We spoke to Jill Tasker, winner of the 1976 groom prize at the Horse of the Year Show about her time as a groom.

How did you become involved with horses?

Ever since I was little, it was all I wanted to do. I couldn’t afford my own horse so I decided to go and work with them! I went to the local hunt in Essex, where Jim Hallet taught me everything I needed to know. Everything was done to perfection, and this taught me to keep my standards very high.

Tell us about your career working with horses.

I started off working on the hunt yard. I saw an advert in Horse and Hound to work on an amateur showjumping yard in Surrey. I went there and started going to shows. My boss went away and asked me to go hunting on a four-year-old. I ended up getting kicked and broke my leg!

I had about 6 months off work to recover and in those days, you weren’t kept on so I got the sack. I seemed to be quite good at getting sacked! I saw another advert in Horse and Hound to go and work for John Bailey in Scotland. This is when I went to my first international shows in Madrid and Barcelona.

A lot of the work back then was seasonal. There weren’t any indoor shows so over the winter there wasn’t as much work around. I worked as a groom in Switzerland and Belgium and stayed in showjumping throughout. I went to the Horse of the Year Show as a spectator one year and heard that Ted and Liz Edgar didn’t have a groom with them, so I ended up helping for the weekend. I sorted the lorry out to how I liked it, and Liz offered me a job!

I ended up working for them for five years. Ted gave everyone a nickname. He called me Rosie as I was a bit cockney and everyone else drank coffee, but I drank tea – Rosie Lee – tea! Even to this day, some of the older names in showjumping still call me Rosie!

I have been lucky enough to visit many shows across Europe. I went to Palermo in Italy which took 3 days to get to by train. I have been to an event in Davos, Switzerland, where they actually jumped on snow! We were staying in a hostel there which was a real luxury!

Do you think attitudes towards grooms have changed much?

I think it has changed tremendously. Back in my day, we weren’t even thought about at shows. We used to sleep on camp beds next to the horses. At one show, I was sleeping on a camp bed in a stable with some other grooms. I woke up and had 49 mosquito bites on one arm. I felt so poorly! I also stayed in an accommodation full of rats!

Do you have any funny stories you can share?

I remember being in Geneva and it was the last day of the show. The grooms were all sleeping in a big sports hall, just down the road from the event. Ted liked to be the first to leave an event. The night before, however, the grooms had drank rather a lot of champagne. I woke up to my friend Dawn, who is still my friend to this day, shouting at me that it was 7am. We were supposed to be leaving at 7am. Luckily, I was still dressed from the day before so I hot-footed it to the show to find Ted loading the lorry! It was a very quiet journey back home!

What do you think of the BGA?

There wasn’t anything like this when I was a groom so I think it is such a good idea. I know Jenny (Ellis) and think the work you all do is fantastic.

Was there insurance when you were a groom?

Insurance? What is that?! No, definitely not. Hence why it was hard when I broke my leg and got sacked. In those days I had to claim benefits to help me.

Do you have any tips you can share with other grooms?

• I think it is really important to learn the basics.
• Recognise changes in your horses – you need to know them inside and out.
• Be observant.
• Always carry a cloth or a towel.
• When travelling horses, they will often refuse to have a drink. I found that if I could find a safe, quiet rest area or layby, I would always take them off the lorry for a few minutes and they were always more willing to drink off the lorry.

Finally, what did you do with your £50 grooms prize from HOYS?

In those days, £50 was a lot of money. I think I was paid around £9 a week back then so this was a big deal. Everyone was so happy for me, I think most of it ended up being spent in the Foxhunters bar buying everyone a drink!

We really appreciate Jill talking to us.

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