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“Sometimes it seems that our sport has an image of being a closed world with much to hide,” Gregory Wathelet tells WoSJ. “In my opinion, this image is far from reality. Another belief seems to be that people who work with horses don’t get paid, that the hours are long and the conditions are bad. Yes, there is a lot of responsibility but it is possible to have fair conditions and be paid well. However, that also has to be earned; you have to be a good worker and in the equestrian sector that requires that you have the love for the horse as your foundation – you have to love what you do. If you only work for money, this is not the industry to be in.”

Restructuring his father’s simple cow farm to an operation that today includes breeding, young horses and competition horses, Wathelet has built up his base near Liege, Belgium, where World of Showjumping met him and his former show groom Axelle Jeanne to hear more about a project they restarted two years ago. Axelle – who now is in charge of the management of the stable – and Gregory annually welcome students from equestrian schools in Belgium and France to the yard to learn more about the reality of working with horses. 

A good groom is someone who gives their heart to their horses

“I love horses – they are my life – and because I love them, I want them to be in good hands,” Axelle explains. “And to make sure that is the case, it is our responsibility to take the time to teach the next generation properly. Anyone can be a groom – the job itself is not that complicated – but to find a person who really loves the horses, that is another thing. In my opinion, a good groom is someone who gives their heart to their horses.” 

“I am sure that everyone knows how hard it is to find good staff these days,” Gregory continues. “And when you have someone new joining your group of staff, especially someone who is not experienced, it can be uncomfortable for them and the atmosphere might not be right for learning.” 

To make sure that the students make the most of their time at Wathelet’s, Axelle follows up daily to make sure everything runs smoothly. “She makes sure that the students learn as much as possible during their time with us,” Gregory  explains. “It is important to show them the basics; how to take care of the horses, to help them understand how a horse thinks, how to handle the young ones… It is important that they see how to do things right. I am not saying that we are perfect, but we try to be as professional as possible, have a clear structure and I hope our students can learn from it.”

Honesty is the best policy, even though it might not always be easy

Wathelet believes in transparency, which is another point he hopes to pass on to the students. “With horses, a lot can happen; I can make mistakes, and so can my staff. However, whatever happens, it is important to never try to hide things or lie. Honesty is the best policy, even though it might not always be easy. We want to show our students the reality of working with horses, and not only the fun parts. Nothing in life is easy, and while some during their time here might understand that this line of work is not for them, we hope to encourage and motivate the passionate horse people to follow their dreams.” 

Axelle met Gregory in 2006 and started working with him as a home rider and eventually also as his show groom. “Before I started grooming, I was actually working as an accountant in Paris and only rode as a hobby,” Axelle tells about the beginning of her grooming career. “However, one day I felt I wanted to see the horse world and my first grooming job was at Michel Hecart’s stable for his daughter Marie – with no idea what a groom should do. I thought I would do it for a year, and after a year, I was told that Steve Guerdat was looking for a home groom at Stal Tops. I didn’t know who Steve Guerdat was, but I thought, ‘why not’? When I arrived at Tops, I saw a young man ride in the indoor and went to ask if he was Steve Guerdat – he laughed and said he would like to be Guerdat, but he wasn’t. After my time at Tops, I met Gregory at a show – and the rest is history, I would say. Working as a groom is a wonderful life; it is hard work, but you can travel the world for free. I believe we are lucky; some people can’t afford to board a plane in their life.”

We want to show our students the reality of working with horses, and not only the fun parts

After nearly a decade together, moving from one place to the other, Gregory finally settled near Liege, where Axelle first started the project of bringing in students. After leaving the yard shortly, the project was brought back to life upon her return in 2022. “I have a riding teacher diploma and I have worked as a teacher – so I like to teach,” she explains. “I met a few other former show grooms, like Jean-Charles Jolain who used to work with Eugénie Angot and is now a teacher in an equestrian school in MFR St-Flour, and we all agreed it would be beneficial to have the students more included in the daily life of a professional stable. That is how the project originally started and in 2023, we had eight students with us.” 

Usually, the students come to Wathelet at the end of the year and stay for three weeks. “I visit them in the stable daily to see that everything is ok and I also go to the apartment to see all is well,” Axelle explains. “I am a bit of a nanny to them; young people can be very shy to ask for anything they might need. Most of them do one week on our breeding side, then one week with the young horses and one week in Gregory’s competition stable. I always try to find each of them a plan that they feel happy and comfortable with, to make sure they learn as much as possible.”

Gossip and drama don’t belong in the stable; good mentality is everything

“I believe it is important to do things with the students; if you only tell them what to do, they will not learn,” Axelle continues. “I try to find fun in everything, that is my way now. When everyone feels comfortable and the ambience is good, it is much easier for everyone. This is something I had to learn myself. I know I have not always been easy to work with or patient enough to teach. When I worked as a show groom, I did not give people the chances they might have deserved. Now, in my new role – a bit removed from the stable – I have worked on myself and I see the difference. I try to keep a good feeling in the stable and for me this is the key in keeping the staff. Everyone in the team should be respectful towards each other, and if you have one wrong person, it can destroy the whole atmosphere. Gossip and drama don’t belong in the stable; good mentality is everything.” 

Axelle believes that there are multiple issues behind the equestrian sector’s current struggle of finding good staff; the times have changed, attitudes have shifted and social media has created unrealistic expectations. “One of the problems with the younger generation is that they believe they know,” she says. “However, it is not possible to know so much when you are twenty. What I would really urge everyone new in this industry to do, is to listen, watch and learn. We have all started at some point… When I first started grooming, I was told ‘see you in Wiesbaden’ – and we did not have GPS, we had old paper maps, and I just had to figure it out. The first time I was driving on my own was with Lantinus and three other horses on the truck, and when I arrived, I had to park the truck in the city. I remember watching Claude from Bosty; I learned a lot from him. I kept watching him and asked him a million questions.”

What I would really urge everyone new in this industry to do, is to listen, watch and learn

“The attitude is different now and you really need to teach the basics; how to brush a horse, how you wash a horse – many seem to think they know everything even though they don’t,” she continues. “I was lucky because I had so many good grooms around me when I started, and I learned a lot from them. You need to have a strong character and many skills to do this job, because there is so much responsibility, and I think some people forget this. Sometimes people also think they need ten grooms, but if you have two good people who work well, sometimes that is all it takes – it is not always that more people get more done, sometimes it is the opposite.” 

Axelle believes that another issue in the industry are amateur riders who often pay their employees excessively – regardless of their experience. “For the old grooms it might be nice to do less and have more money, but it creates a problem when the inexperienced grooms get over-paid. It seems to not be about the sport anymore, it is about money and it is hard to explain to someone that just because they have been at a five-star show – and worked for someone who jumped a two-star class – that does not mean that they have five-star experience."

It creates a problem when the inexperienced grooms get over-paid

"I don’t want to generalize and put all the young people in the same category – because there are some good ones as well – but the situation is very complicated at the moment. The old, loyal grooms who have stayed with their riders for years should be paid more than someone just starting their grooming career – the salary should reflect the experience.”

“Before, it went step by step; you would start with the young horses, do national shows before anything international,” Axelle concludes. “Now, many seem to just want to do what they see on social media; go to nice shows. Social media and the amount of money in the sport have changed many things. I feel like I don’t see genuine love for horses anymore – many might like horses, but they don’t love them – and love is different.”  

16.1.2024 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.