In our latest blog, Executive Director of the IGA, Lucy Katan MBE, explains the 'why' behind International Groom Clean (IGC)

"We have now launched International Groom Clean; anti-doping education for grooms approved by the FEI.

This has been a significant project, and one we’re proud to have delivered. I wanted to explain why we developed it and why I believe it’s important.

My story
Back in 2001, I was a young groom at the European Championships in Germany. In the stables, I saw one of the more experienced grooms applying a liniment to his horse, and I heard a rider ask, ‘Is that safe for doping?’

I knew so little that I didn’t really know what the question meant, but it did make me think!

I didn't realise how much I didn't know—or how easily I could have made a mistake with serious consequences for my rider, the horse's owner, and the British team I was part of.

Since then, my career has included educating elite athletes for UK Anti-Doping, and that experience as a groom has always stayed with me.

So, when we started thinking about how to offer more value to IGA members, the answer was obvious: practical anti-doping education. Training that not only builds confidence and knowledge, but also provides an FEI-approved certificate that can strengthen your CV and demonstrate your professionalism.

 

Professional development for grooms
Having represented grooms for many years, I've seen first-hand that there is still a lack of formal education, even at the highest levels of the sport. Our research reflects this too: in one survey, 80% of FEI grooms told us they had received no formal anti-doping education.

Of course, some aspects of horsemanship can only be learned through experience. Anti-doping isn't one of them.

Our vision is that, in time, every groom working with FEI horses - or aspiring to do so - will hold an International Groom Clean (IGC) certificate. Why?

Because grooms consistently tell us they want their profession to be recognised as a career, with opportunities for continued professional development (CPD) and clear pathways for progression.

IGC is a step towards that. It's an important benefit for IGA members, but it's about more than professional development...

 

The bigger picture
Protecting Clean Sport is one of the ways equestrian sport can protect its future. Our sport is under increasing public scrutiny, and every anti-doping rule violation brings further negative attention.

As the people who care for our competition horses every day, grooms play a vital role in safeguarding their welfare. By making formal, certified CPD an expectation, we can demonstrate that grooming is a profession committed to knowledge, responsibility and continuous improvement - for the benefit of both horses and the sport.

What began with an overheard conversation in a stable aisle has grown into International Groom Clean: a practical education programme designed to ensure that every groom working with FEI horses understands why Clean Sport matters and how to play their part in protecting it."