Anna Halasz won the $500 Double H Grooms Award after her charge Cydello won the $140,000 Weather Tech CSI3* Grand Prix on the Derby Field with Richard Vogel during week 2 of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. We asked Anna about working for Vogel and her preparations before a big class.
This article is part of a collaboration between HorseGrooms, Wellington International, and Paper Horse Media.
By Sarah Eakin
Anna Halasz, 31, is from Hungary and grooms for Germany’s Richard Vogel. Richard and the 11-year-old Hanoverian chestnut gelding Cydello won the $140,000 FEI 3* WeatherTech Grand Prix on the Derby field, to close out Week 2 of WEF. Anna was there, taking care of Cydello.
What led you to your job working with Richard Vogel?
That's a funny story. It was a last-minute thing. I only started working with Richie last September. A former employer of mine told me that they were searching for somebody and this is how we ended up working together. I started working with him here in the States, and it was my first time here, so it was a really interesting experience for sure.
How would you describe Cydello’s personality?
He's like a puppy. He wants attention all the time. He's a lovely guy. But he's not quiet at all. He is always ready to work, ready to win. He's an amazing horse. He has an amazing personality. He's super easy to work with, but he can have his moments like every other special horse who is like competing in the top level.
How did you prepare for the CSI3* Weather Tech Grand Prix?
I usually like to give my main focus to the horse that is doing the Grand Prix and spend as much time with them as I possibly can - like hand walking, and I like to do everything in steps.
So, I checked when our class starts. I checked when he was going and when he had to be ready. And I just give a lot of time for everything. I'm not doing anything crazy, just normal horse care. Planning ahead and just taking the best care of him so he can have his own downtime - he can have a rest between the grooming and the class.
And I always give them a little pep talk that they should do good and if they do good, then they can go and have fun. I mean, anyway, they can do that, but it's a little motivation.
What do you love most about your job?
Everything. Horses. I like every horse that I meet, and I can get to know and have these special connections. I always want to be around horses more than humans, anyway. So it's just the horses - to take care of them. It’s very rewarding.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to work as a groom at the sport's top level?
If they want to be on the top level - it's just that you should never look at it as a job. So if you really want to do it and at the top level, you have to love what you do and you have to do it because you love the horse, not because you love the sport. Then you can be really good at the top level. Because the horses come first and the rest is always going to follow. So if you take good care of your horse the results will come.
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