How special was it winning the very first Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping Major at CHIO Aachen in 2013?

It was incredible winning the first Rolex Grand Slam Major at CHIO Aachen in 2013. I had been lucky enough to win this Grand Prix three times before, but to be the first Major winner of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping was incredibly special. I was in a great position heading to the next Major, CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, but unfortunately Big Star got injured so we couldn’t go.

Can you remember your emotions and how you felt at that moment?

Winning in Aachen was truly amazing, it is the best show in the world. In terms of it’s stature, I would place it on par with The Masters in golf, and The Championships, Wimbledon in tennis. Winning with Big Star was amazing, he was the most phenomenal jumper, it was also incredibly memorable for me as his owners and my family were there which made it far more special than a normal show, or any other Grand Prix.

Can you tell us about Big Star and what made him so special?

Big Star was such an incredible horse – he had it all. I would rate him 11 out of 10 for everything. He was so scopey, careful, and incredibly intelligent. He was always so excited to jump – he loved it.

I bought Big Star when he was five-years-old. Laura [Kraut] found him when she was at a show in Holland in 2008 where the American Team were at a training camp ahead of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She was at the show a day early and saw him jump, and knew I needed to have him. 

The Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary later in the year – how big an impact has it had on the sport?

The Rolex Grand Slam has had a huge impact on the sport of show jumping – it is incredibly prestigious. To win the Rolex Grand Slam, riders need to win three out of the four Majors – each Major is incredibly difficult to win as a stand-alone competition, so combining these shows really makes it the sport’s greatest challenge and something that everyone wants to win. In total, including the pre-Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping era, I won CHIO Aachen and CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ four times each, The Dutch Masters twice, and CHI Geneva once – so I wish the initiative had been around sooner.

Do you have a personal favourite moment over the past 10 years?

My favourite moment over the past 10 years has to be when Scott Brash won the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Everyone was backing him and wanting him to win his third Major at CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, a feat which at that point had not been achieved – it was such an incredible moment for our sport. I hope someone will do it again – maybe McLain Ward will achieve this at Aachen this year, the mare has been jumping fantastically and I am sure he will be giving it his best.

Throughout your career you had a number of highs and lows, how did you ensure that you kept moving forward?

I have always tried to buy young horses and bring them through. It is incredibly important to always younger horses moving up the levels – this allows you to constantly remain at the top, as hopefully when you retire your best horse, the next one is ready to step up. All of my horses apart from Dollar Girl were bought as young horses, including Arko III and Big Star. It is very satisfying to produce a horse up to the point that they compete in or even win a Grand Prix or Major.

Now you have retired from the sport, what do you do, and do you miss the thrill of competition?

I do not miss competing anymore. I competed for so many years and I ended my career on a good note in 2016. Currently, we have numerous students that we train, in addition, we also source young horses with the aim to produce and sell them to owners or riders.

During the winter, we spend a lot of time in Florida, for the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, which is three-months of hard work. After that, we usually come back to Europe to follow the European tour. We will be attending CHIO Aachen this year – we are aiming to win.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

I am not sure what the best piece of advice I have been given, but the piece of advice that I always give to my students is to remain patient, stay consistent in your training, and do not give up. In this sport, you have to have patience, especially when training young horses.

Can you introduce yourself, tell us who you work for, and what your role is?

My name is Denise Moriarty, and I have been the head groom for Kent Farrington for 11 years now. Our relationship is great – we know each other so well. Kent is very good at involving us all in every step of the horse’s journey, he wants us to understand why he is doing something. For example, if he is trying a new bridle or bit, he shares his feeling as a rider with us so that we can better understand. There is a lot of communication and trust.

You often make the long journey across from America to Europe, how do you ensure that your horses travel well so they can continue to perform at their peak?

We like to make sure that they are extremely fit so that they can handle the travelling and recover quickly after the journey. For example, before CHI Geneva, we would fly and land in Europe on the Monday before the show. They would then trot-up on Tuesday, with their first class taking place on Thursday. The biggest thing during their transportation is to make sure that they stay calm, and that they are eating and drinking properly. We try and make the experience enjoyable for them.

I fly with the horses and honestly, it is much nicer to fly with them than on a normal commercial flight. You do not have to queue or wait for the stewards to come around with food and drinks – you can just help yourself. With the permission of the pilot, we can walk around and go and check on our horses, which is really nice. Each of the planes that we fly on is different, for example Qatar Airways has a huge upstairs area for us, but some of the domestic flights are a lot smaller and we sit on the jump seats – but these flights are only a couple of hours, so it is okay.

If there is a horse that doesn’t like to travel, what can you do to help it?

If I have a horse that does not like to travel or is new to it, I will try and pair them with a more experienced traveller, as they learn and feed off the more experienced horse’s energy. If an anxious horse sees the other horse not reacting, it calms them down and helps them to understand that there is nothing to worry about.

I also like to make sure that everything is laid out for them properly – so the ramp is safe, and the partition is open – I try and make sure that everything is totally clear to them. It is important that their first travelling experiences are positive, sometimes we will use earplugs to take away the sharpness and help it be an enjoyable experience. I have found that if they have a good experience the first couple of times, then they will be good travellers in the future.

Can you tell us about the horses that you currently look after and what their characteristics are like?

There are a lot of big characters in our barn! But we like this, and we let them be themselves – they are all very different.

Creedance is just happy about everything, and is excited about every day, even though most of his days are the same. He loves getting his halter on and going out for a ride or a jump. Landon is very much the same way. He is excited to do his work, but he can be a bit cheeky and become quite stallion-like at the shows, even though he is not one! For the most part, they are great horses, of course, they have their little quirks just like people do, but they are sweet horses.

How much do you enjoy coming to the Majors – The Dutch Masters, CHIO Aachen, Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’, and CHI Geneva? In your opinion, what sets them apart from the other shows?

I think it is just the prestige and the respect for the Majors. You get all of the best horses and riders competing there and the facilities for everyone including the grooms are incredible. They are the best of the best.

The shows are held in venues where everyone who attends understands horses and has a connection with them. The crowds’ involvement and all of the hype and energy that they create add to the unique atmospheres. You just don’t see that at other shows. 

I have always loved CHI Geneva – it is one of the pinnacles of our year. The atmosphere at CHIO Aachen is just unbelievable, and the size of the fences at Spruce Meadows makes it such an incredible competition. Then, The Dutch Masters is filled with such knowledgeable horse people, and the staff there are amazing. Each of the four shows have something so unique and special about them.

How special was it being part of Kent’s team when he won at CHIO Aachen and CHI Geneva?

They were both such special moments. Gazelle was amazing, she just kept on fighting and wanting to win. As I have mentioned, these shows are the best in the world and to watch your rider and the horse that you look after everyday win – it is something words can’t describe.

Did you do anything differently?

Honestly, with Gazelle, we try and keep everything the same. She will let Kent know once he gets on whether she is in a winning mood – he will be able to feel it. As long as everything works out, then it is normally a good day.

What has been your proudest moment as a groom?

It is hard for me to pick just one. We have had Gazelle since she was seven-years-old and so we have built her up into the horse that she is today, seen her grow, and watch her highs and lows. To look back at her win at CHIO Aachen, and to remember watching her jumping three of the biggest and testing rounds in the sport, and to still see her fight to clear the last fence and gallop to the finish line, wanting to win as much as Kent did, it was amazing. It was an incredible feeling – what these horses do for us is just unreal. That win meant a lot.

Of course, watching Kent and Voyeur win the team silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio was another incredible moment.

What are your favourite and least favourite parts of the job?

My favourite part is just being with the horses. As grooms, we are very lucky, we get to work outside all day, and we are always moving. It is great because we are active and healthy. We get to go to some of the nicest places in the world, and there is always a chance to just take a deep breath and appreciate what you do. For me, the travelling is the hardest part – there can be a lot of long days and it can be quite tiring, but it is just part of the job.

What advice would give to someone who would like to get into this career?

To watch and learn – you must also have a passion for the horses and love what you do. If it is not something you enjoy, then you should not be doing it. Even now, I still watch other grooms and how they do different things or how they deal with a difficult horse – you always keep learning in this job.

It is a great industry to be in – I have made lifelong friends from all over the world. You just have to leave yourself open to be social and take all the opportunities that you can.

What is the grooms’ community like? Do grooms support one another?

We are all in this job for the same reason – we love the horses. We all share the same passion and all work hard. A lot of my friends who are grooms have been with their riders for a long time, so it is like a small family on the road together. There is always someone that you can call to get advice from, even the other day I had to call Sean because I couldn’t get the electricity in the lorry to work! Someone is always willing to help – it is a great community to be a part of.

The Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is delighted to announce that it is launching a new Podcast series to celebrate one of the most important groups – and often unsung heroes of the sport – the grooms. Much like a caddy in golf, or a mechanic in Formula One, the grooms play a vital role in the success of their horses and riders. Launching  in June the podcast will be released on Spotify and Apple Podcasts quarterly ahead of each of the four Majors that make up equestrianism’s ultimate challenge.

Each episode will vary slightly, depending on each participant and their individual stories, but will mainly focus on and highlight the important role that grooms and the whole team behind the scenes have on the success of a top show jumper. In addition, it will explore their careers so far and the relationship that they have with the horses that compete in the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.

First to feature in this exciting new series are the grooms of World No.3 and current Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping Live Contender McLain Ward – Virginie Casterman and Lee McKeever. The knowledgeable duo have worked in the industry for numerous years and have experienced both the highs and the lows of the sport.  Whilst Casterman has been part of the team since the end of 2016, her seven years with Ward is eclipsed by McKeever, who has been with the American rider for over thirty years.

Speaking during the Podcast, Casterman stated: “I have wanted to be a groom since I was 13-years-old. I love what I do, so I don’t really feel like I am working. We travel a lot and so we are away from our home base for around 10 months of the year, but for me home is wherever horses are.”

Together as a team, they travel the world with Ward – who refers to them as ‘the best in the game’ – and his horses. They know what it takes to take care of horses at the very top of the sport, including keeping the extraordinary HH Azur, also known as Annie – who is now 17-years-old – fit, healthy, and able to keep winning that the highest level of the sport.

McKeever followed: “Annie [HH Azur] is like a professional athlete, she knows her venues. When she arrives at Rolex Grand Slam Major, she knows that they are something special – she is a winner and rises to the occasion. She is like a person; she wants to do her best and loves winning. Looking ahead to Aachen, she has always jumped well there, so hopefully the Rolex Grand Slam is something we can achieve!”