IN an effort to recognise a groom’s contribution to equestrian sport in Ireland, The Irish Field has launched an online survey to discover the biggest challenges facing grooms in Ireland and in an effort to provide a support platform.

Grooms in racing yards around the country are represented by the Irish Stable Staff Association, however equestrian grooms have no such group to lean on.

Just last week the FEI held an inaugural Grooms Working Group meeting at their HQ in Lausanne, Switzerland, for grooms on the international circuit. It was agreed by the working group that there was a need to establish a more formal relationship with grooms to facilitate further development of education systems, creating a more structured framework.

VITAL ROLE

“Grooms play an absolutely vital role in our sport, especially in preserving the welfare of our horses, but often they go unnoticed and unrecognised, so this new working group has been set up to change that and establish an official relationship with these very important members of our community,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said at that meeting.

He continued: “Grooms are truly worth their weight in gold, and we want to provide the finest resources and tools that will help increase knowledge of best practices and standards.

Forging better relationships with our grooms is only the beginning. We want to help them share their knowledge with the wider community for the benefit of the sport globally.”

The Irish Field is keen to lead the way on recognising the worth of grooms on the national circuit in Ireland and determining the need for educational programmes and further support to develop their skill set.

Get involved and have your say on the issue by filling out our survey at http://www.theirishfield.ie/survey-recognising-the-groom-s-contribution-to-irish-equestrian-sport-295558/