Hello Chronicle readers!

Grooms offer a unique look and perspective into the everyday workings as well as the big show pressures of upper level event riders and their training programs. Grooms see the very intimate struggles of each horse with their rider and share in their triumphs and failures that go along with the sport.

It is a great honor to be asked to write for The Chronicle of the Horse and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you all as head groom for Colleen Rutledge Eventing.

For starters, and a question I quite often ask myself, how the heck did I get here?

My childhood years through university were spent in my native state of Montana where I started my riding career with the U.S. Pony Club and became instantly hooked on eventing. Over the course of 15 years, I trained and competed through preliminary level and attained my Traditional “B” and “HA” USPC certifications.

This often meant traveling no less than six hours to any given venue to clinic, camp, train or compete. My closest event was The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Mont. This particular event is one of the most beautiful and well run in the country (yes, I am biased) but it is also one of the more difficult and expensive events to attend as well.

The next closest event was six hours away on either the other side of Montana or in southern Idaho. I was blessed with a truck, a pop-up camper, a two-horse trailer and a willing parent that schlepped me all over the western United States to competitions (that is, until I could schlep myself to these far off places).

Most of the horses I competed on were leased—a Quarter Horse/Morgan cross, a chunky Thoroughbred, a Paint/Thoroughbred cross (my own), and most recently, a seasoned Thoroughbred mare who got me my “B” and showed me the ropes around preliminary.

This is me on Fen Cera, the mare who helped show me the way around preliminary level.

Those years also saw me as a very active instructor and examiner is the USPC Big Sky Region, serving as Regional Instructor Coordinator for the same USPC region and eventually attaining a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural and Medical Anthropology from the University of Montana.

I can see the puzzled look on some of your faces now—“You have a four year degree and you’re a groom?” Let me explain.

I can’t say that I always wanted to be involved in the equine industry. I realized from a fairly young age that all equine professionals were married to their jobs and were always *ahem* broke. My pro-active, responsible little self decided that this meant I would get a “real” job “when I grew up” that would support my (costly) horse habit.

What that “real” job would be? I hadn’t a clue. I entered university and dabbled in major after major, hoping that something would light off a spark. Journalism? Nope. Elementary Education? HA! (Because teachers can afford horses, right?) Business? Let’s just say another three years of school wasn’t by cup of tea after the first three.

So why anthropology? I liked it. I got it. It gave me the will to finish school and the ability to wave my expensive piece of paper in front of everyone and say, “see—I did it, I have a four-year degree!” Do I plan on using it? Eh, maybe.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my studies in anthropology thoroughly, but graduate school was NOT in the cards after a long four years of undergrad. So when did I decide to pursue a career in the equine industry? It came about when I was prepping for my “B” and teaching Pony Club and exercising people’s horses when I realized that I was happy doing this and working with these wonderful creatures and that I wasn’t half bad at it either.

The super responsible voice in my head began to give way and the idea of going (coming) east began to grow. This was in late fall 2013. Fast forward to late June, early July of 2014. I have one semester left of university and the pressure to have a post- graduation plan leaps upon me. At this time, I was teaching at a Pony Club camp in Virginia as part of USPC’s Visiting Instructor Program.

Someone else had been asked to teach the same camp as well. That someone was Colleen Rutledge. This was my first trip back east and my first exposure to “real” upper level event riders. The big time, as some would call it. I was still entertaining the idea that I could fuel this insane idea of moving east and living and breathing horses. I promised myself that if I did go, I would only work for someone who’s riding and teaching I respected and would want to emulate and be a part of.

I spent exactly four hours watching Colleen teach on a Tuesday morning in early July. It seemed good enough for me. I *casually* (read- terribly afraid and shyly) mentioned to Colleen I would be interested in coming to work for her and she said sure, email me.

I dropped the ball for two or three months because of work and other Visiting Instructor camps, but the ball came whizzing back into my court once my last semester started. Colleen and I emailed back and forth occasionally for close to two months, initially about a working student position. It was near Thanksgiving when I re-evaluated my finances and decided that that kind of gig was not in the cards for me. I informed Colleen of the situation and went to move on, but promptly received an email offering me the position of groom while she was in Aiken for the winter season and possibly longer.

This was a turning point for me; I had never imagined I would step right into a groom’s position from the get-go. I imagined I would work my way from working student and on up until I got there but here it was in front of me—right there. I have always considered myself a safe person in the decision-making process. Heck, I went to university an hour away from my home town because it was cost effective and I could take my horse to school. I had left Montana and the States before, but for short periods of time but always returned to my bubble of safety and security.

I was 23, a college graduate, no relationship to be tied to, not even a horse to find a place for. I could do anything. So, I thought, why not jump? And I did.

It’s hard to believe that in a year I went from uncertain of my path to grooming at the world’s top four-star events for Colleen Rutledge.

I fell, hard. There are days I am quite uncertain how I made it through Aiken and the spring season. I had NO clue as to what depth of the industry I was getting into. Colleen warned me—but I was naive and was hoping it would all be unicorns and rainbows and sh*t.

I am here to tell you that it wasn’t. At all.

But I am also here to tell you that it was (and is) worth it. If anyone had told me last year at this time that in a year I would have groomed at Rolex, Aachen and Burghley, I would have laughed and probably slapped them (it’s rude to get one’s hopes up so high). But here we are. Eight, almost nine months later and a whole lot has happened and a whole lot has changed.

Me, with Covert Rights and Colleen on the right, ready for the jog at Burghley. Photo by Angela Cooney

It is impossible to ever put it all into words or writing but I can say I wouldn’t trade the experiences I have had for the world. Many of them have not been pretty or easy, but they almost always ended up damn amazing and leave me with a laugh and a smile on my face—as I hope they will for you!

Until soon…