Olympic groom

London 52’s groom Tilly Hughes is still pinching herself after her charge’s success with boss Laura Collett in Tokyo

- Andrea Oakes

The whole Tokyo experience was slightly surreal. I still can’t quite believe that we’ve been there and done it, and that the team has won Olympic gold.

My journey with horses started at a young age; we lived on a farm and had ponies, and my interest grew from there. I did some eventing myself and then secured a place at university to study forensic science. I wanted to get horses out of my system, so I started working for eventer Jonty Evans during my gap year.

Jonty’s head girl, Jane Felton, had groomed for him at the Rio Olympics and she taught me everything I know. Jonty then had a serious fall at Tattersalls and his yard closed while he recovered, so a friend who was grooming freelance at Laura Collett’s yard suggested that I move there.