Elite eventing groom
RUTH ASQUITH
RUTH’S favourite moment of the day is checking on the horses before bedtime.
She lives opposite Nicola Wilson’s European team gold medallist Bulana’s stable door.
“Nic really likes us to finish at 5pm, and have a life outside the yard,” says Ruth, “but I love it when it’s quiet and they’re tucked up in bed and I can sneak in and have a little cuddle.”
It’s a private perk of looking after one of the best string of event horses in the world. Ruth, 28, has now been working with Nicola, the newly crowned European champion, for six years, but she started the job with no elite grooming experience.
“I was a vet nurse and saw the job advertised and thought it looked perfect, but I never thought I’d get it as I hadn’t worked on a competition yard, just did my own novice eventer at home. At the interview, I said, ‘I might not know very much but I’ll try really hard.’ I had a really great day, rode [advanced eventer] Ngong Hills and thought, ‘I’ll never ride such a nice horse again.’”
Nicola rang Ruth the next day to offer her the role, and she has learnt the skills on the job.
“Having a passion is key, because I’m not naturally good at it and have had to work really hard,” says Ruth, whose days are filled with a mix of general yard work, riding, grooming and clipping. “I hate making mistakes, but I want to be good so badly that I’m willing to work at anything.”
The highlight is watching her charges
compete, whether it’s a BE100 or a top event.
“It’s so special, having seen the journey of them working at home, all the effort Nic puts in,” says Ruth. “I remember Dublin [Nicola’s European gold medal-winning ride, pictured] as a five-year-old, I feel like we have grown up together. To see how he keeps stepping up – that’s magical. You know what they’ve gone through and that makes you so proud and emotional.”
And despite JL Dublin’s heroics in Avenches, Ruth holds a special spot for Bulana.
“Dublin loves Nic best, but if Bulana hears my voice in my flat, she’ll kick the door.
And she winks at me, puts her head on my shoulder – she’s quirky but we have a bond.”
ZOE SMALLEY
“I NEVER imagined I’d be doing any of this, or thought I’d be brave enough,” says Zoe, travelling head girl to the all-conquering National Hunt trainer Henry de Bromhead in Co Waterford.
Zoe grew up in England, riding in the Pony Club, and admits as an 18-year-old she was a “home girl who would never leave Yorkshire”.
But she did accept an email invitation to groom for event rider Megan Jones in Australia and has never looked back. A two-day holiday to Galway turned into a five-year job as hunt groom for the Galway Blazers, going on to work for Willie Mullins and now Henry.
“I fell into it, and I know how lucky I am to work here,” says Zoe of one of the most coveted jobs in racing. “I might be at the yard at 4.30am on Christmas morning when it’s pouring with rain, but I walk past Honeysuckle, Minella Indo, Envoi Allen, A Plus Tard, such special horses – you feel so fortunate. So many people would love to see these horses over the stable door.”
Zoe is also studying for a degree in agriculture, and mucks out 12 boxes each morning, usually starting at 6am, before heading to lectures and returning to do yard jobs in the afternoon. On weekends and racedays, she’ll drive to the racecourse, plait and saddle up. She doesn’t ride out, saving riding “as a hobby” with friends. She also tends to leave the leading up to the lads who look after the horses day to day – although there is one exception.
“Put The Kettle On is a bit of a witch, so no one likes leading her up,” says Zoe of the Champion Chase winner [pictured], the first