Ariel Grald and Isla de Coco at the Carolina International 2024. Photo by Andrea Hill.

Being a groom for a Team USA rider may not always be glamorous, but it is a role I wouldn’t trade for the world. Join me as I take you through what a typical day looks like as head groom for Ariel Grald at home versus away at a competition.

-AT HOME-

7:00 AM – The day begins bright and early
All grooms and working students arrive at the barn. Since most of our horses are turned out during the night, the first task of the day is to prepare their day stalls. If horses are on a day turnout schedule or if we had to keep horses inside at night due to bad weather, we will go through each stall, dumping and refilling water buckets and packing hay into their hay nets. Otherwise, we will simply fill their buckets with fresh water and head out to the fields to bring the horses into the barn. Depending on the time of year, we will take off/replace the blankets the horses are wearing as they come in, or do so throughout the day as the temperatures increase.

Some of our horses receive morning medication, which we give them before placing them in their stalls. As the horses finish their hay and grain, we start on the daily tasks. In the grain room, we make about four buckets worth of Emerald Valley Fibre-Beet, measure out the Hygain grain into small buckets clearly labeled with each horse’s name for their AM and PM feedings, and refill any syringes needed for the horses’ medications, each also clearly labeled with the horse’s name and type of medicine. Once the horses have finished eating, they will rotate going onto the walker for 20-minute sessions. Our final morning preparations conclude with starting on the laundry for the day, rinsing everyone’s feed tubs, and blowing out the barn aisle to clear any dirt that tracked in during chores.

8:00 AM – Ariel arrives and starts her rides
Ariel writes a list of horses she is going to ride each day and what they are going to be doing as she tailors each horse’s schedule to their individual needs. For the most part, their rides each week will include a gallop or trot day depending on their competition level, a flat day, and a jump day. The other days change depending on the horse and their competition level. In addition to grooming and tacking the horses before each ride, we do therapies such as Bemer, Nebulizer, and Iron Foot treatments.

After each ride, we will untack the horses and brush, sponge, or bathe them, depending on how sweaty or dirty they are. If needed, we will also put the MagnaWave PEMF on them after they have fully dried from their bath. Once about a quarter of the horses are done with their rides, we will start the other horses on the Aquatred walker. The water height and incline angle are adjusted based on each horse’s fitness goals, with these sessions typically starting two months before a competition to reach peak endurance.

10:30 AM – Stall cleaning
It’s time to pick the horse’s stalls while Ariel is busy riding. We prioritize the horses who are out of their stalls first, since it’s much easier to clean.

11:00 AM – Lunch time
At lunch, all of the horses’ hay nets get refilled, with some also getting alfalfa and grain. After lunch, the barn aisle is blown again to clean any hay that might’ve fallen onto the ground while feeding. Keeping a clean and tidy barn is crucial to efficiency, organization, and daily management. Throughout this time, someone is always tacking and untacking horses so Ariel can continue her rides.

2:30 PM – Finishing up
Towards the end of the day, Ariel will finish up her last few rides. Around this time, the vet may also come out during their weekly visit – or monthly during our winter season in Florida – if there is anyone we need them to examine. The horses receive their evening medications, and we do any final resets for medicine and Fibre-Beet. For the horses that have finished their rides, we will put their turnout gear back on and either bring them out to their fields or place them back into their stalls if they stay in at night.

Once all the horses are taken care of, we continue with our evening chores until Ariel finishes her final ride. These chores include refilling hay nets, dumping water buckets, raking, and blowing the aisle one last time.

7:30 PM – “Lates”
This is the time of day we call “lates,” when we tackle the remaining chores of the night, including going out into the fields to blanket horses as well as refilling hay nets and water buckets for the horses that are stalled at night. The time of nightly turnout greatly depends on the season. In the summer, it tends to be later, around 7:30-8:00pm, but in the winter, it adjusts to the timing of the sunset.

Andrea Hill, head groom for Ariel Grald. Photo by Heart Horse Media for Athletux.

The timing at events tends to be more fluid due to ride times and the type of competition; nevertheless, we try to keep the horses’ schedules as consistent as possible.

General Structure for Day of Arrival:
The first thing we do when we arrive at a competition – typically the day before a horse trials or the day before the horse inspection for a long-format FEI event – is get all of the horses settled into their stalls. This includes filling hay nets, waters, and feed tubs, as well as organizing all the gear into the tack stall. Once everything is set up, Ariel starts with her rides for the day.

For FEI events, if we arrived the day before, Ariel will usually take the horses on a relaxing hack to help them acclimate to the show grounds and ride in her ring familiarization time to prepare for dressage day. Typically, the horses are fed after their rides, but this can vary based on arrival time. About 4 hours later, we refill the hay nets and water and make sure that the stalls are clean. The horses also get to go out for a graze and, if we arrived the day before, a full-body bath.

FEI Jogs:
On jog day, our goal is to ensure the horses look their very best! We braid their mane and forelocks and wrap the top portion of their tail to keep them smoothed down. As a team, we walk over to the jog strip, helping to hold and walk the horses around. If space allows, we will walk the horses in one big circle. Ariel practices jogging while we keep an eye on the horses to make sure they look polished. Just before it is their turn to be presented, we give them one final brush down and unwrap their tail wraps.

Day of Competition:
I aim to arrive at the barn an hour or two before Ariel to prepare the stalls for the day and do any necessary braiding. If needed, some horses will get a pre-lunge or pre-ride before heading into the warmup ring. Each morning, I give all of the horses a tube of Ulcer Gard and any other morning medicines they may need. I keep my phone handy to track when each horse needs to be ready for their pre-ride or competition ride.

We stick to lunch time at 11:00, while dinner timing depends on the last ride of the day. This helps to ensure that all the horses get fed at the same time. At shows, we also like to switch off who is videoing Ariel’s rides and who is bringing down the horses to the ring.

Show Jump Day:
Show Jump day involves a few more technical details compared to dressage day or arrival day. While most of the day stays the same, one or two of us will go down to set jumps in the warmup, along with videoing Ariel’s ride. For FEI competitions, one of us will also do the hind boot check for the officials to watch as we place the boots back on. For Prelim and up horses, they will wear ice boots after they show jump. At the end of the day, we wrap the horses’ legs to ensure they recover properly.

Cross-Country Day:
Cross-Country day has an added layer of complexity compared to Show Jump day due to all the preparation and care. Before the horses head out on cross country, I put in the studs Ariel selects based on the footing and the level. For long-format FEI, we prepare three to four buckets, three sweat scrapers and sponges, towels, vet wrap, halter, and extra shoes and bring them to the vet box. Whether we meet her at the finish flags or she trots into the box, we quickly switch the horse’s bridle to a halter and remove the saddle so we can begin the process of cooling them down with water and sponges. If the horses are warm, we will walk them around and repeat the process of applying water and sweat-scraping them until their temperature and breathing are back to normal, then they can return to their stalls.

For both FEI events and horse trials, we bathe the horses after cross country and check that their shoes still look good. The icing routine for the horses varies based on their level. Training Level horses will get their front legs iced once with wraps. Preliminary horses will get their front legs iced once with SoundHorse ice boots. Intermediate and Advanced horses will get their front legs iced twice in the SoundHorse boots and have their back legs iced with wraps. Depending on how the horses are feeling, we will also do a session of the Bemer on them. At the end of the day, we poultice and wrap the upper-level horses, then put Magic Cushion into their hooves.

Ariel Grald gives Leamore Master Plan a cuddle after presenting for the USA. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

I am very fortunate to work with such an exceptional team and incredible horses. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support such a talented rider and a team that shares the same passion and dedication as I do. It’s a true privilege to contribute to their success and watch them shine in and out of the ring. It’s the hard work, bond with the horses, and support of the team that makes this job so fulfilling.

Andrea Hill is the head groom for Ariel M. Grald Eventing, based in Vass, NC, and Ocala, FL. Ariel is a highly-respected elite event rider who competed with Team USA at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni, Italy, on Leamore Master Plan, where she placed 11th individually. She is known for her passion of working with and developing young horses and building unique, personal relationships with each of her horses, and attributes much of her success to her dedicated team, headed by Andrea, who enable her to maintain a focus on her riding and competitive goals. Ariel and Andrea hope to see her current upper-level horses qualify for consideration in future US Team competitions, including the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships in Aachen.