A brush with the Games

Want to know what really goes into preparing an Olympic campaign? Bethany Stone speaks to top industry grooms with star-studded CVs for the scoop

- Bethany Stone

WITH another Olympic year upon us, the equestrian community is abuzz with anticipation –the disciplines we love will soon be raised up on the international sporting stage and very firmly in the spotlight.

While the fruits of a rider’s labour are perhaps the most obvious in watching the sport, it would be remiss to ignore the fact that an Olympic campaign can’t happen without a full team. There’s the physio, farrier and vet to think of – coaches and owners too – but there’s one team insider who knows both halves of a competing partnership inside and out.

We’re talking, of course, about the grooms – those all-knowing, hardworking powerhouses that take on astronomical organisational, logistical and physical tasks not only in the run-up to a championship, but every day of their working lives. So for this three-part series, we’re delving into what it takes to be part of an Olympic Games from the perspective of some world-class grooms.

SELECTION

YOU might think Olympic hopefuls are like coiled springs waiting for the squad longlist, ready to launch into preparations if their name appears. But according to Tilly Hughes, groom to Laura Collett and London 52 at the Tokyo Games, athletes and their teams gear up far sooner.

“Preparations begin months and months before the longlist,” she tells H&H. “Winning Pau the winter before was probably the moment Laura thought, ‘Maybe we could make Tokyo our aim?’