On the Line

From start to finish, reading the new novel The Dressage Chronicles by Karen McGoldrick, felt like sitting around a barn aisle somewhere with close friends and a closer adult beverage, gossiping for hours about horses and the crazy cool people who surround them.

 By the time I reached the last page of this book, a debut effort by dressage rider and trainer extraordinaire McGoldrick, this show jumper was ready to reach across the discipline divide and give her equestrian soul sister a fist pump.

She must have reached inside On the Line’s brain and pulled out long-repressed experiences, thoughts and emotions to find inspiration while penning this novel. Never have I read a book that so closely mirrors the super-valuable-but-never-to-be-repeated-not-ever-ever-ever times that I lived while working for big riders. My experiences, minus all the parts about dressage, the parts about owning a fancy young mare, and the part about showing an actual high-level horse, that is.

But hey, soul sister, McGoldrick got all the little details in between down pat! The dirt, the passion, the exhaustion, the frustration, that bright shining moment when you sit astride a horse that’s won medals around the world and pick up the reins…. ah, those were the days.

The Dressage Chronicles follows 22-year-old Lizzy, who packs up her talented but raw horse into her trusty old trailer and travels from her home somewhere vaguely north to South Florida after landing a working student job with a famous dressage trainer. She’s insecure, really nervous, and sure that all she wants to do is become a Great dressage rider. Her big move is motivated in part by famous last words from a non-horsey ex-boyfriend (been there!) and upon arriving at an out of this world gorgeous farm (been there…) is immediately put to work like the indentured servant she’s signed on to become (ditto.)

Along the way Lizzy encounters the many colorful horse-world characters that inhabit the barn, and adventures commence. Between the immaculately dressed, impossibly snobby assistant trainer whom she reports to, the Cruella De Ville nightmare of a farm owner, and the friendly Virginia foxhunter-slash-event rider who befriends her, the personalities in this novel are reflections of every single crazy/awful/ridiculous/hilarious/amazing person I’ve ever run across in the horse world, while not being based on one specific person.

How did she do that?

Ah yes, McGoldrick knows these people. These are her (and by her I mean our) people, after all.

“I’m 54 years old and I’ve lived through some mighty tough learning curves, so I have no problem finding material for my writing,” she says. “I have made some wonderful friends along the way, both human and equine, and been witness to their ups and downs.  When you think about it, all you have to do is keep your ears open at a horse show, and you will find great stories.”

Amen, sister.

But McGoldrick doesn’t think of her book as any kind of expose. Her characters are all multi-dimensional, and they grow and develop along with the story. She didn’t base any one character on any one person, but I’m sure that all readers will see shades of themselves, their trainers, and their friends somewhere in each character.

McGoldrick, who started her own career as a working student, is a dressage trainer in Alpharetta, Georgia, a USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medal rider, and an L certified judge. In her spare time to writes for dressage magazines. Without a doubt, she is qualified to bring our world to life, and does she ever. Happily, more books are in the works. To all my soul sisters out there, take it from me, you will consume this book!

More on The Dressage Chronicles is on the web, on facebook, on your Kindle, and in this smashing video below:

I’ve shined boots that were not my own. I’ve cleaned the stalls of horses worth more money than I can ever hope to earn. I’ve swept the same aisle multiple times per day, and still suffered a disapproving stare for missing a single shaving along the way.

Have you? If so you can relate to grooming. Being one, that is. For me, being a groom for big name riders in 2007 and 2008 was just a step along the way to an end goal. It was rewarding, frustrating, fun, tiring, and nothing if not eye opening. Can’t say I have too many warm and fuzzy memories of those days, but I also wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

While it was a temporary occupation for me, for many others grooming is a career choice, and a tough one at that. European grooms generally find their job more accepted as a career choice in the big business of the horse industry overseas, but in the United States, the occupation is gaining new ground.

Recently so with the help of Liv Gude. She’s the person behind the Professional Equine Grooms facebook page, and new proequinegrooms.com website.

Liv is from San Diego and has groomed for several of the dressage greats, which gives her serious clout in grooming expertise. In addition to being a freelance marketing consultant, she’s now the property manager for the farm of an Olympian in Southern California.

Liv Gude hangs with the source of her green-stain knowledge, her horse Miguel.

As a former pro groom, On the Line has a special respect for those who groom full time, and is of the opinion that grooms rarely receive the props that they so deserve. So I was very curious to find out more about the person taking the time to begin a network for grooms. I rarely (if ever?) post Q&A interviews to this blog, but with her amusing wit and on the ball responses to my emailed questions, Liv makes it worth the exception:

On the Line: How extensive is your grooming experience, and who have you worked for?

Liv Gude: I have absolutely no grooming experience (not really.) My first job as a groom was for Guenter Seidel in 2006. I also did some freelance for Sue Blinks. It was sink or swim time when I started. Luckily, I swam.  I came from the old school of riding lessons where if you could not catch your mount in the field, you had the entire lesson time to keep trying.  Grooming and horsemanship were part of my lessons from age 6 to age …well, now.  It was only when I moved to CA that I learned of this “Groom” who would do all the work and all you did was show up and swing a leg over.

On the Line: Can you tell me more about your riding/horse owning experience?

LG: I have two horses of my own and have done all of the Grooming, Training, and Management of their care for as long as I’ve owned them (12 years.) I never wanted to have someone else do that aspect of their lives for me.

I rode the hunters in VA from age 6 to about 19.  Back when Hunters were Hunters, and actually hunted (did that, too, and quickly learned why folks drink before they get on. SCARY!!) Sprinkled in there were some jumpers that I lessoned on, and somehow managed to survive a few GP rounds on.

During the college years, I rode cutters and reining horses (I was in Texas, it was logical.)  his was a great transition into dressage – believe it or not.  But that happens later.  After college is the swingin’ single life, and I was riding more for pleasure than anything. Lots of trails, more western, no pressure, just fun. After marriage and a move to CA, I picked up the Hunters again and bought myself a project horse (that I still have…).  Then came corporate world burnout, a return to school for my MBA, and part time teaching up-down lessons. This is when I stumbled into Guenter’s barn and started grooming (by now, my project horse is quite the fancy hunter, but what the heck? SURE, Guenter!!  I’ll have my first ever dressage lesson with you!!  No worries!!) Now I also have a dressage horse in the family that has taught me the GP with Sue’s help.  And he’s gray, so I know a lot about green and yellow stains.

On the Line: How did the Pro Equine Grooms facebook page come about?

LG: I had the idea for “something” for Grooms many years ago.  I did a business plan and then set about to do the market research.  Which ultimately told me to GET THE HECK OUT – this is a stupid idea and no one will care.  But – I had also started the FB page as a “social experiment”.  It’s free – and I could gauge the market without the expense of a website and all that stuff.  So I started it.  And when my market research said to abandon ship, I put the FB page down and walked away.  But I never deleted it…and months later I logged in to see that it had grown.  So I started posting…and here were are.

I’m surprised by the sources of the support – the farriers, vets, trainers, and press. Not so much by the grooms (although they have been SUPER supportive – which is crazy awesome, I just expected it from them.) I really thought the other Pros would see this as a “silly club” or such. NOT the case at all.

On the Line: So, you see grooming as a legitimate profession?

LG: Of course it’s a legitimate profession.  Anything that places you in charge of another creature’s health and welfare is beyond legitimate.  Add to that the hours, the less than stellar weather at times, and the blood, sweat, and tears, and you have yourself a bona-fide profession.  The major mission of Professional Equine Grooms is to have everyone else acknowledge that also.

On the Line: What is the single most significant limiting factor that grooms face in their industry?

LG: The most significant limiting factor is a workplace that cuts the legal corners.  In my humble opinion, it’s not OK to hire workers outside of the law (either non-legal residents or workers paid “under the table”, etc.) to avoid workman’s compensation insurance and/or proper record keeping and payroll. Working with horses is dangerous with a capital D. And expensive with a capital E. Please don’t skimp on protecting your grooms in case they are involved in an accident at work. You are also proliferating the image that grooms are not really worthy team members when they are not even compensated in a legal manner.

I see both sides – I understand that this industry is brutal. Lots of work, a little money. But is it worth the risk to have your reputation tarnished with a fine of $10,000 for hiring a non-legal resident, or having a trusted and loyal Groom injured with no way to help him out financially if he can’t work?  I don’t have the answers to that yet, and I hope one day we won’t have to ask that question.

On the Line: What are your goals for your Facebook page and website, and what do you hope that those outlets will bring to people who make their living as grooms?

LG: My goals??  I joked once that I would love for my FB page to have more “fans” than the AQHA, which has well over 300,000.  The FB page is a great way for any business to network with potential clients and a great way to spread the word about a business.

Ultimately, though, the basis for Professional Equine Grooms lies in the website, as an online resource for all things Grooming – especially jobs.  I dream that one day, all trainers, across all disciplines, will use the website as a place to post job listings.  And have them filled!

I also see the website as a tool to log and archive all of the things we talk about on FB.  The newsfeed only stays up so long….There are so many great ideas and tips that we all have contributed.

The website will also be the “go to” place for Grooms in the News – which is amazingly sparse RIGHT NOW.  In order for the mission of Professional Equine Grooms to really be accomplished – we have to gain front page new worthiness.  And that’s what I’m going to do!!

At the end of the day – I ultimately want those folks who make their livings as Grooms to have a resource to go to for any question they may have (well, almost. I don’t cook, so skip asking me recipe questions!)

Power to the grooms! Be sure to go “like” Professional Equine Grooms on Facebook, and bookmark Liv’s most excellent new website. 

Hello, everyone out there across the interwebs? Just simmer down for a moment, won’t you? You know who you are. On the Line knows that there are only two reasons for a vertical spike in traffic to this web address. One is an Eventing Nation link, and the other is a mention on a public forum. Today, this blog was graced with the latter.

Guess what, it’s true! On the Line did indeed commit a mortal sin by posting a few photos of Rodrigo Pessoa riding sans helmet during a clinic at Sonoma Horse Park in California. Shame on Sidelines Magazine, shame on On the Line, shame on all who didn’t rush to immediately slam a brain bucket on their favorite Brazilian rider’s head.

Or, perhaps, it was the rider, and that rider alone, who committed the mortal sin. In this day and age, I don’t know an Olympic and multi-World Cup Finals champion who doesn’t need and deserve a good chastising from the court of public opinion . . . . wah wah wah. Not that he’s listening, or worrying his pretty little head about it.

Much like wearing seatbelts in the ‘40s, helmet-wearing continues to be a personal choice in most places, for most people over the age of 18. Public pressure and accepted opinion is slowly changing that reality, and if we give it ten (fifteen? twenty??) more years, helmets will be mandatory everywhere, and we’ll all be on to something else to be up in arms about.

But for now, let’s state the obvious for those who need such to be stated – Sidelines Magazine does not advocate helmetless riding. Nor does Sidelines Magazine control the movements of Rodrigo Pessoa, Beezie Madden, or any other famous rider whom thousands idolize. Some of them wear helmets, some of them do not. If this is news to you, I don’t know what else to tell you.

However, while lurking on said forum (by the way, many thanks to that forum for directing so many readers to this blog), On the Line came across a point well worth sharing. Instead of throwing yourself at your keyboard in hysterics, consider this a teachable moment. If people are worried about impressionable kids looking up to and possibly emulating famous riders who don’t live in their helmets, try this.

Step 1. Show your child/impressionable friend/die-hard Pessoa imitator this photo, of Rodrigo schooling a horse on Monday at his clinic:

Photo ©Christina Gray

Step 2. Show same person this video, made by Courtney King-Dye, Olympic dressage rider who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a helmetless fall from a horse in March 2010:

(video embedding disabled, click the link and . . . )

http://youtu.be/awJDYBhBPzk

Step 3. Enough said?

Rodrigo Pessoa taught his first-ever jumping clinic in the United States this week, at the Sonoma Horse Park in Northern California. It was a highly anticipated event that fell between two weeks of horse shows at the venue, which is just two years old and thriving. (If you’re a regular Sidelines reader you might remember my profile of show manager Ashley Herman, pub March 2011). The facility is impressive, the scenery gorgeous, and riders in Northern California continue to flock to it for its series of  excellent shows held May – September.

But back to the clinic. On the Line did spend the weekend in Sonoma, but had to jet back to Florida early, regrettably taking a pass on the clinic. I was curious to know if Rodrigo took an active interest in the riders, how he dealt with the different horses, and how the riders responded to him. On the Line memorably interviewed Rodrigo in 2010, during the height of season at WEF. On that afternoon he was understandably preoccupied, and a little bit tired from a long day of showing.

But by all reports from riders and auditors out in Sonoma, Rodrigo pulled off three two-hour sessions of five riders per day like a seasoned pro. Clinician, that is.

In a moment that surely would make George Morris simultaneously cringe and nod in appreciation – Rodrigo expressed his dismay at the majority of riders’ difficulty riding lateral movements like the shoulder in, and proceeded to focus in on lateral work, while not holding back with a few zingers, a lá Mr. Morris, along the way. But his overall message was simple; keep the horse in front of the leg, while also maintaining control. That meant control going forward, and control moving laterally. On the Line’s sources reported that at least 45 minutes of each session were dedicated to lateral work on Day 1, before Rodrigo reluctantly allowed the groups to move on to a straightforward gymnastic. Ouch.

Riders fared better on Day 2, jumping a technical course of varying heights. During a question and answer session during lunch, he suggested a few training techniques that raised some eyebrows among the NorCal crowd (jumping an oxer backwards to keep the horse alert?), but general consensus was that everyone worked a lot, learned a lot more, and enjoyed basking in the fact that for two sunny summer days, show jumping royalty graced Northern California with its presence.

Dappled Gray’s Molly Knott was onsite during both days of the clinics, and recorded more than a few noteworthy Rodrigo quotes. It’s well worth the click over and a “like” on her facebook page to check them out.

And graphic designer and photographer extraordinaire Christina Gray audited yesterday’s sessions, from which she gives us these shots:

"Insert memorable teaching quote here." Photo ©Christina Gray

Photo ©Christina Gray

Lateral work. Photo ©Christina Gray

Lateral what?! Photo ©Christina Gray

Lateral work! Photo ©Christina Gray

And again. Photo ©Christina Gray

Talking suppleness and connection. Photo ©Christina Gray

Aannnd that is what we call earning the right to jump. Photo ©Christina Gray

Someone earned their carrots for the day! Photo ©Christina Gray

Rumor has it there’s already a waiting list for next year….