Celebrating Driving Grooms

The BGA represents ALL grooms, from every discipline, competition, and non-competitive; all grooms within all the different segments of the equestrian world.

To shine the light wider, the BGA is making it their 2024 mission to feature even more grooms, from as many different backgrounds as possible, with the aim to make all grooms feel valued and appreciated.

If you would like to share your story, reach out to the BGA today!

The first groom to step forward to take centre stage is Chelsea Sinclair, an amazing driving groom who shines the light on carriage driving and shares her experience of the FEW World Pair Driving Championships.

How did you get into driving?

“I had previous experience in driving with Clydesdale horses therefore I knew the basics, however the driving trials is a whole different ball game – which I began to love very quickly, it’s like an addiction!” 

Did you groom within another discipline first?

“My job includes driving and hunting, so I get a very varied work life. Once one season ends, the other begins! We have had a few retired driving horses find a second career through hunting; they have been some of our best hunters!”

Describe the duties of a driving groom.

“Lots and lots of cleaning! Whether you’re competing with a single, pair, tandem or team, you will be cleaning multiple sets of harness. And usually, you have exercise harness and competition harness. Along with all of that, there are carriages to be cleaned, and once you think it’s all clean, you’ll find always find another bit of mud or dust somewhere!

Organisation and good time keeping are essential skills, as having to prepare one, two or four horses ready for a trot up or dressage test is not for the faint hearted!”  

Best advice for someone starting out as a driving groom?

“Embrace everything that you can and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I have never met a nicer bunch of people than the driving community. Everybody is there to help each other out.”

What do you love about being a driving groom?

“I think the special thing about being a groom in the driving world, is that you are very much involved in all 3 phases of the competition. My favourite part of the competition is preparing the horses for the vet inspection, most of us enjoy turning out the horses to a high standard and I believe it’s important to make a strong first impression at the start of a competition for the judges.

A backstepper is there to help as a navigator (after hours and hours of walking routes!!), to ‘hang out’ to keep the carriage on the ground on turns and to keep track on timings at each kilometre of the course. At some events, backsteppers will receive a backstepper rosette after completing the course.”

Why are you a BGA member?

“Being a BGA member gives me a lot of peace of mind at work knowing that they are there to help and support you in many ways, advice and support. I also love the social media side of BGA, it’s a great way to get all grooms talking and mingling.”

Tell us what your week was like at the FEI World Pair Driving Championships. 

“We arrived at the venue on the Tuesday from where we stayed at a local yard only a 10-minute drive away, this made sure the horses could arrive on top form.

Competing with a pair means that you can bring three horses to compete. A ‘Pair and a spare’ we like to call it; however, all three horses can compete throughout the week, presenting your strongest combination for each phase. Our two older boys aged 16 & 21 came bouncing off the lorry which was a great sight.

The vet inspection took place on the Wednesday, which meant our arrival day was full on with exercising the horses and preparing for the trot up. All three horses flew through the inspection after a very early start.

Fellow BGA groom Caitlin Wood was my ‘right hand man’ for the week. We both have very similar attitudes to work, which makes the week feel like one big holiday! I was on plaiting duties whilst Caitlin cleaned the bridles and perfected the white legs, keeping 12 white legs clean is a full-time job on its own!!

Thursday was dressage day, a day I enjoy just as much as the vet inspection day as the turnout of the combination is marked at the end of the dressage test, so it is always exciting to find out what mark you have got, and at world level, every point helps!! Dressage was over two days and we finished 8th out of 45 competitors, with only 6 points between us and the leader on the first day.

Another day of dressage took place on Friday, which meant a ‘day off’ for us. Caitlin took sole charge of the horses for the day whilst I walked routes on the marathon course which took most of the day.

Caitlin’s help back at the stables invaluable as I put most of my time into learning routes. Although it was essentially a day off, the pair we use for the marathon needed a leg stretch in the full marathon gear, which was to make sure all the marathon harness and carriage is in working order.

As a fellow British competitor was competing their dressage test at the same time as our planned exercise and Diana wanted to watch and provide support to another driver so Caitlin and I drove the horses ourselves.

Diana finished 26th after the second day of dressage.

Marathon was on Saturday, which is an amazing adrenaline rush! We finished very respectfully in the middle pool out of 90 odd competitors.
The biggest part of the cross country phase is the aftercare for the horses, we use a lot of electrolytes to put back what they sweat out and cool clay on the legs to keep everything tight.

Cones was the final phase of the competition where we finished in the middle again, finishing 61st overall, and being the highest place brit.

On the journey home we travelled via the ferry, where the horses were given water, soaked haynets and sloppy bran mashes to get them through the night. The ferry is always a worry for us, I don’t know why we worry as the horses always come out better than us!

A long trip up to Scotland and the boys enjoyed a night in the stables, then turned out in the morning to a luscious green paddock waiting for them, where they galloped and squealed for a while before stuffing their faces, happy horses = happy groom!

A big thanks to fellow BGA grooms Kelsey Atkinson & Mandy Elder for holding the fort and taking care of the horses we have back home. It really is a team effort!!”

Thanks, Chelsea, for shining the light on carriage driving grooms.

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