Denise Moriarty grew up in County Mayo, Ireland. Her foray into the horse world started after her mother sent her to a riding school in her early teens. She’s worked as head groom for Kent Farrington for 14 years and was on hand this weekend as Farrington took home the Saturday Night Lights’ the top spot in the $500,000 Lugano Grand Prix CSI5* with Greya, their team’s second consecutive five-star victory during the Winter Equestrian Festival this season.
This article is part of a collaboration between HorseGrooms, Wellington International and Paper Horse.
What led to your job working with Kent Farrington?
When I finished college, I came to the States to work for the Littles – Marilyn and Lynne at Raylyn Farm. Kent used to show horses for them, so that is how I met him. After working for eight months or so for Ronan McGuigan, I went to work for Kent, and I’ve been with him for 14 years.
How would you describe Greya’s personality?
She's a very feisty mare, and she's very opinionated. But thankfully, in the ring, she uses that fight for the good. She's a very determined mare.
In the stall, she likes to just greet you with her ears pulled back – even if you have a carrot, she'll do it. It's just her way. She's spicy, but she's not mean or anything, and she's not mean to the other horses. She definitely stands her ground and has the authority.
How did you prepare Greya for the Saturday Night Lights’ $500,000 Lugano Grand Prix CSI5*?
We keep the routine pretty simple. We feed in the morning, hand walk, and then we normally run the blanket in the morning one time. We'll have a walk again at lunchtime, and then Kent normally rides her around 4. And then she'll have a small snack for dinner, and then we leave her alone for a little bit before we come back and get her ready again for the class.
She doesn't like to walk in the dark so she’s always happier if there's another horse with her when we walk from FEI to the ring. When she sees the lights from the exhibitors’ stands she starts to march to the ring, because she knows where she’s going.
What do you love most about your job?
Just the horses and watching them grow. Like Greya we have had for many years, so it's exciting to see her step up and do the big stuff now and do it well.
So that's what I enjoy the most. She's been on form now for the last two years. She's figured it out. She took a little bit longer than some of the others, but she has a lot of quality, so she was worth the wait.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to work as a groom at the top level of the sport?
You have to love the horses and love what you do. The horses come first, and it's not just a simple 9 to 5 job. Obviously, it consumes a lot of your time, so you have to be willing to give it in order to reap the rewards of the success in the ring.
You’ve just got to love what you do. Love the horses and watch other people. Learn from other people, and go from there.
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