"Hi, my name is Silvia and I’ve worked for German jumper Tim Rieskamp-Goedeking for more than 8 years.
I feel very blessed that I saw all of my four current Grand Prix jumpers growing up - from young horses classes to competing at their first 5* show.
And while I was at their side growing up and learning I realised that there’s also so much that they taught me and that’s what this little text is about.
IB Qualita is the horse that made me realise how much horses can teach me.
This now 12-year-old mare is a true force of nature and the queen of the stable. As it fits for a queen, she taught us she wants to be the first horse out of the stable, otherwise she would give us angry faces and try to hurt herself. She had us all under control.
But when she was badly injured and had to stay calm for a really long time, she taught me to adjust to a new situation.
Besides that, she showed me it’s worth believing in miracles - in my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have guessed that she would jump beautiful clears at a 5* show after that very long break from the sport.
Zinano G - he is a 10-year-old gelding with all the jumping ability in the world... but you cannot call his body figure the one of a modern top show jumper.
But still, he tries everything - which can look quite funny to be true - and jumped himself up to 1,60 competitions.
He showed me everything is possible with the right effort.
Pepina G is a huge 12-year-old mare with a unique jumping style.
Especially over small fences, she’s just doing a bigger gallop jump and most people would not believe how incredibly fast she can go.
She taught me it doesn’t matter if people underestimate you, know your own worth and be proud of the results you achieve.
Last but not least - Coldplay, the king of the stable. I often joke that he’s more famous than everyone else in our stable and everybody likes him.
He’s a true winner with a heart of a champion and always gives everything he has, no matter how difficult the task is for him.
When in top form he looks like he’s flying. He manages to be everything for everyone - my best friend, a clown, the winner, and on top the schoolmaster for Tim’s children.
At home he’s laid back and a bit lazy, but at the show he’s ready to shine and absolutely loves to stand in the middle of the spotlight.
He taught me when you show you have an open, true heart and give your best you can go places that might looked unreachable in the beginning.
I have to finish by saying there are so many colleagues out there who do a brilliant job and I admire you all; I can easily say I’m not the best groom in the world... Also my horses are not the ones that compete at 5* level all around the globe.
But I’m incredibly grateful to have these animals by my side, know them inside out, and have their trust and love.
Nowadays it’s really easy for a groom to just change the job if things are getting difficult. But (as long as you have proper circumstances and get treated the way you should) it’s absolutely worth it to work through harder times; because in my opinion, the incredible partnership you get with your horses is the reason why we all started to work with these beautiful animals, and the best reason to stay.
Every horse you meet can teach you something - and as Silvia shows, sometimes it's not practical teaching but 'soft skills' that help you in life and as a person as well as in your career. What have your horses taught you? Get in touch and share your stories helen@internationalgrooms.org
