Proof that it is without doubt a team effort at the top when Supergroom Kerryn Edmans flew to South Africa this weekend to pick up her prize as the Cavalor 2022 FEI groom of the year at a dazzling ceremony.
Kerryn, or ‘Kez’, has clocked up some incredible miles around the globe as she heads up the team and she is massively respected within the grooms, riders and stables communities at events from baby 2 stars to Championships and Olympics around the world. It is a really brilliant award to recognise not just the hard work and talent of the grooms at top level but to also highlight that it is a career in itself…it doesn’t need to be a lifetime one but a good spin in your twenties and thirties can also be a spring board to so much more.
Ask any top groom and they will tell you the looking after the horses is the easy bit! It’s the people management, logistics, timings, being a walking/talking inventory of kit from the tack room to the truck, remembering which horse has which bit for which phase, which owner belongs to which horse, checking the route before set off at 3am so you don’t get stuck down a tiny lane, driving a massive rig with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of horses in, being cherry, smart and helpful to everyone else on the team.
And Kez does all that plus 2! Whether she is in charge of horses for both Tim and Jonelle at one days or is working for one or another of them at three days she is still the same. Happy, fun, hard working, practical and simply brilliant at her job. Whether the horses are pushy (Grovine de Rev!) or in need of their own therapy blanket (Coup de Coeur!) Kez is there for them in spades. She is quietly authoritative and massively empathetic to their needs and thats true horsemanship. It doesn’t matter if it is a 4 year old starting out or a 5 star winner, they are all loved and treated as individuals.
It’s no surprise that Kez mentioned in her acceptance speech that she would like to inspire other young people to come into the grooms world. As she so eloquently said, yes its hard work and long hours but you get to travel the world if you are good enough and that’s some ticket.
And the most special thing about this award? It’s from a public vote so to be voted a winner, the best in the world in 2022, by your peers and fellow eventers is really, truly well deserved!
Congratulations Kerryn! The best groom in the world to the winter No 1 and No 2 in the world. I think Team Price have nailed it!
