Behind every great ride is a great groom. Frances, an Eventing Nation reader and now certified superb guest writer, groomed at the Wayne Horse Trials in Illinois this weekend and was kind enough to write to us about her experience. I think I deserve a pretty little blue ribbon for not posting EN’s official Wayne picture. I also accept pretty little “course complete” ribbons. Thanks for writing this Frances and thank you for reading.
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From Frances:
Hello Eventing Nation! My friends, Rider and Scout (names changed), invited me to groom for them at their first recognized trial this weekend. Who can say no to that, especially a newbie groom? So I packed up my gear and my seven year old daughter and off we went to Illinois.
After an uneventful trip down I-94, we arrived at the Wayne DuPage CountyForest Preserve. We unpacked and walked across the street to Lamplight where another horse show was taking place. Of course, Lamplight did not disappoint. It is a beautiful facility with gazebos nestled among the trees, shaded arbors for viewing the dressage, and even a coffe shop. I had a great time reading the vanity plates in the parking lot, and I snapped this pic of my favorite:
After our tour of Lamplight, we went to walk the cross country course. This is where I belong! Wayne Du Page Horse Trials LLC owns all of the cross country jumps that are located in the preserve. My friends were riding started novice and the jumps were all very fair and inviting for the level. Here are some examples:
I must say that the mosquitoes were NOT very inviting. They were voracious and clearly we were on the menu for dinner. They were so thick in the woods that we ran part of the course to get back into the hot sun. A quick ride and bath for the horses, and we were off to bed.
Early Sunday morning, we went to take care of the horses and feed ourselves. This included a quick stop at the grocery store to find a substitute for the muck bucket we forgot to load. We found a lime green galvanized tub, now dubbed the “Martha Stewart Muck Bucket.” Hint: a muck bucked of limited volume is not a “good thing.”
Time to get ready for dressage: the horses were groomed, braided, and tacked up. While Rider and Scout warmed up, I decided to do some groom RECON. I chatted up some of the other grooms, admiring their braiding jobs. I visually inventoried their groom boxes, searching for some secret tool for perfect turnout that was beyond my limited experience. Anyway, the horses looked nice, and I went to give some dressage tips and take photos.
Soon we were on to stadium jumping and I was juggling crops, bug spray, and water bottles. Rider and Scout did great in stadium and quickly headed off for cross-country. Again my job was to take photos, I even took pictures of other riders:
After cross-country, we threw all the gear in the trailer, got anal about the stall cleaning, and checked out for home. I am happy to report that Rider and Scout both placed. And apparently, my grooming was satisfactory because they invited me to come again.
Again, chatting, I discovered a well known local fact: the cross country course is open to free schooling during the year. Apparently jumps get moved for clinics, fox-hunting, etc and the grass isn’t always mowed, but it’s open and there are loads of obstacles at all levels. I would like to give a big thanks to everyone for a really nice event. The event ran on time, weather was beautiful, everyone was friendly, and there were lots of gorgeous horses. Can you ask for anything more perfect?
Thanks for reading.
