Richard Davison - a rider`s perspective

There is no doubt about it, the recognition of grooms is the highest it has ever been, these amazing people are the backbone of the industry!

To shine the light on a rider’s perspective of this great career choice we spoke with dressage rider Richard Davison; a four-time Olympian, having represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in London in 2012, Athens in 2004, Sydney in 2000 and Atlanta in 1996. He was also the British Team captain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Do you have any messages for the grooms at the Olympic Games?

"I certainly don’t need to tell them how to do their job! If they didn’t know what they were doing, those horses wouldn’t be going to the Olympics! I wholeheartedly believe this."

"My advice would be to really enjoy the experience, and treasure it. In terms of equestrianism, it is the ultimate privilege. You never know when you will have the opportunity again so whatever happens, enjoy it. Obviously, we all want success but there is always another day!"

You recently spoke about the importance of grooms at the Team Training event at Aston Le Walls, do you think opinions regarding the role of grooms have changed over the years? 

"I think that really depends on who you talk to, whether you speak to someone in the past or now.

My opinion hasn’t changed, because I started out as a groom.

We still do quite a bit of our grooming in house – I don’t want that to sound more than it is, but certainly, my wife Jill does a lot.

We know how tough it is, but also how rewarding it is. We know the challenges and we know the work involved.

Perhaps other people who haven’t done the job themselves, maybe they are now catching on to how difficult it is – I hope they are catching on – the British Grooms Association is certainly bringing that level of awareness.

I think with the shortage of good, competent and trained grooms as it is, that is one factor that perhaps makes people who don’t realise how difficult it is, become aware of it."

Why do you think there is such a shortage of good grooms?

"I think there are several factors that are contributing. There is a general shortage of labourers and staff across all sectors. I don’t think it is just specific to the equestrian industry. You need to look at the wider trends in society, it isn’t just due to Brexit as they are facing similar problems in Europe. Whereas pre-Brexit there was easier free movement of people and grooms to move around, that is less easy now within the UK."

What more do you think can be done to support grooms and help them be recognised for their important career?

"I am not sure support is quite the right word."

"Thankfully now, providing employers are law-abiding, I think the role is generally adequately paid, not generally well paid, I think employment laws have focussed on working hours and conditions and rightly so. That raises employer standards.

I am not saying it is a one-way street, in any employer – employee relationship, we look for commitment. It isn’t just a paid job. For the grooms who want to go beyond and take a real interest in their role then obviously we will acknowledge that accordingly. There is a balance to work out what we can offer them, it is about getting to know that person."

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to become a groom?

"Yes, I do – I think like in any job that involves caring for humans or animals, I think it requires a very special person, someone dedicated to their subject, in this case, horses. I think this is the starting point.

If you don’t have that interest in caring for horses, how they function and what interests them, then it is just a job.

You have to like the outdoors, have a love for horses and want to always keep learning, these are the fundamentals.

You also must have an interest in people and keep developing your people skills. People are always connected to horses. Whether that is a farrier you are trying to persuade to come and do a yard visit at 6am or 11pm to put a shoe on. Or a stable manager at a show who you would like to move you to a brighter, airier stable, or whatever it is, the better you are with people, the better you will be able to do your job.I know some grooms who are extremely good on the horse side but are not particularly good on the people side. I would advise them to keep working on that side of it.

I would also say that being a groom isn’t a normal job, it is a vocation, it’s important you enjoy the work and way of life."

"It is also important to keep developing managerial and organisational skills, because more and more we rely on grooms to meet FEI app requirements, for example. Paperwork for taking horses in and out of Europe is so important and meeting the compliance levels too. I also think grooms need to be aware of the costs involved in running a yard and looking after horses."

Thank you Richard for taking the time to speak with us and for being a vocal advocate for how important the role of a groom is.

If you would like to become a groom, visit our training and careers section to learn more about training options and all that this great career has to offer!

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