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“What I like the most is how flexible and multifaceted the job is,” Lovisa Munter – who for the past five years has worked as Bertram Allen’s show groom – tells World of Showjumping. “Even if there's a bit of a structure, because you're around horses and they need it, as a show groom, every week is different. We don't do only five-star shows with two horses, we do two-stars in between with up to five horses; there's always the aspect of bringing up the young horses while keeping the top horses at their level. I'm extremely competitive as a person so I enjoy all of it – even though it is a lot of work.”

From a local riding school to traveling the world as part of a hugely successful operation at the Allens, the 33-year-old has quietly worked her way up to what once was a dream. “I went to Gothenburg Horse Show for the first time when I was seven or eight, and already then, I loved watching the grooms,” Lovisa tells. “Back then, I didn't know what a groom actually was, but I was fascinated with what I saw.”

Like so many others, Lovisa started riding at a local riding school in Sweden, at the age of five. “From day one, I was obsessed,” she recalls. “My love for the sport came very early as well. I would read all the horse books; I was a true horse girl.”

“I kept riding at the riding school and showed a little bit with their ponies, before I got my own pony,” she continues. “I always loved the shows, not only jumping myself but equally as much just going to shows to help my trainer. In Sweden, we could watch the World Cup every Sunday on TV and that was the highlight of the week. I didn't really know that grooming was an option, that you could make a career of that. Therefore, I always thought that I would maybe be a young horse rider.”

 I'm extremely competitive as a person so I enjoy all of it – even though it is a lot of work

“Maybe I was not brave enough to be a professional rider, but I knew I wanted to do something with horses,” Lovisa continues to explain about her career path. “I had a friend who went grooming in Germany and she wrote a blog about it. When I read it, I thought that it could actually suit me as well. I put up an ad on a Swedish page where you can sell and buy horses, looking for a job – and I got around 60 replies. I simply took one that was paying fairly well; obviously, I didn't know anyone in the business outside of Sweden. I moved to Switzerland and started working for a Swedish girl who was based there. That was my first job, and I thought I was going to be away for six months,” Lovisa tells about her abroad adventure that started in 2014.

There were a couple of twists and turns on the way before Lovisa ended up at Bertram Allen’s yard. “I stayed in Switzerland for a year and really learned to work hard. Through my second job there, I got in contact with Stephex Stables and ended up as Jonna Ekberg’s home groom. That was the first time I worked in a bigger, professional stable. I got to watch and learn from the best – both riders and grooms. I got to follow along to some of the smaller shows, and my time there helped me realize that I really wanted to be a show groom.”

After six months at Stephex, Lovisa got offered a job at Alexander Zetterman’s yard in Sweden. “I was the show groom for Alex. I really liked working with him because he's so focused and interested in the sport and the horses. I learned a lot, mainly about being in charge of the horses, because that was obviously the first time I was the main show groom. One and a half years later, Jonna called me and wanted to know if I would consider coming back as her show groom was leaving. I quit my job with Alex basically at the same time that he relocated to France, got my truck license and went back to Stephex.”

What I like the most is how flexible and multifaceted the job is

“I stayed with Jonna for almost five years,” Lovisa explains. “I really liked working at Stephex. I made some great friends there, and we had really nice horses. However, obviously it's a sales barn, so every horse eventually got sold. When Jonna started on her own, I went with her to the new stables. The first few months there were tough; we had a lot of horses and Jonna and Alex were trying to find their way forward with their own business.”

Under a huge workload, Lovisa started feeling that maybe it was time for her to stop altogether. “However, I had this dream of doing championships and experiencing the top sport – that was what I had been dreaming of since I was a child,” she says.

Eventually, Lovisa accepted an offer from Bertram and has been part of his team since 2020. “When I started here, I went straight to Wellington for a few weeks. Initially I was not sure if I would stay for a long time, but three weeks in, Pacino Amiro won a five-star Grand Prix, and the planning for the Tokyo Olympics began – and I found my motivation again.”

One of the highlights through the years was going to the Olympic Games in Tokyo

“I think I maybe missed two shows during the five years I've been here,” Lovisa tells about her current role. “One of the highlights through the years was going to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Even if we only jumped two rounds, it was a cool experience. And last year, Team Ireland won the Nations Cup in Aachen for the first time in many years, and Pacino jumped double clear – that was another unforgettable moment. The Global Champions League Playoffs in Prague three years ago were fun as well. On paper, we didn't maybe have the best team, and we thought we would probably just jump the first day, and then go home – but we ended up winning, with Pacino again going double clear on the last day.”

Lovisa has built a close bond with Bertram’s championship mount Pacino Amiro. “I've been a groom for over 10 years, but the only horse I ever got to keep for more than one or two years is Pacino,” Lovisa explains. “When I started, he was only nine. He had done a few four-star Grand Prix classes, so it was obvious he was capable, but we didn’t’ really understand how good he was going to be. The whole year when he was nine, he was just fantastic. He did a few of the Nations Cups and he never had more than one down. The year after, he had to carry the team since many other horses got sold. I keep statistics of every horse I ever had and I think I'm around 75 shows with him now – so we have spent a lot of time together.”

I've been a groom for over 10 years, but the only horse I ever got to keep for more than one or two years is Pacino

“He has a huge personality,” Lovisa describes Pacino Amiro – or Buddy as he is known in the barn. “He's so fun to be around. He got injured just before the Olympics in Paris, and that was probably the toughest time for me. Back then I actually missed a few shows because I tried to stay at home with him during his rehabilitation process. Having him come back, and seeing him at the first few shows when he jumped 1.10m again, felt as meaningful as any other big result. At his first five-star show back, in Rotterdam this summer, he won the big class on Saturday – and I think that's actually the biggest highlight with him so far.”

Through her role as Bertram’s show groom, Lovisa has been integrated in another hugely successful team; Ireland’s senior jumping squad. In 2024, Ireland was the top ranked jumping nation in the world, and in 2025, finished third on the Longines League of Nations ranking to qualify for another season in the highly competitive series. “It is a very individual sport, but when you have the team, it makes it more fun,” Lovisa says. “Most of my personal sport highlights have been with the team.”

There's so much quality in Ireland

“For the Irish team, there are so many good riders, which is exciting because you know that you will normally do good,” she continues. “However, it's also very competitive. Every time leading up to a championship, we don't have a set three or four horses and riders. Anyone who has a really good horse at the right moment can be in. As an example, in Barcelona in 2025, we definitely did not have our A-team, and we still finished second, only beaten in the jump-off by the Brits. There's so much quality in Ireland.” 

In the decade Lovisa has spent as a groom, the appreciation shown for what is one of the most important roles in the sport has increased. “I feel there is a big difference, both in how the shows and the riders are treating the grooms, and also in how the grooms are taking care of themselves,” she points out. “The younger generation coming in is different. When I started, there was no discussion; you needed to have a truck license if you wanted to be a show groom. It was always like a competition – and still is a little bit – of who drives the most, who can work all day and drive all night.”

In general, the next generation is much better at looking after themselves and taking their time off

“I have a lot of friends who are younger than me and they are not as keen on taking their driving license,” Lovisa continues. “I also feel like riders are nicer now, and they will pay for drivers. For myself, I do mainly enjoy the driving, I always did. In general, the next generation is much better at looking after themselves and taking their time off.”

“However, there are things that haven’t changed at all, too. The first example, especially during the indoor season, is that the schedules are still crazy. I understand that shows want the night classes because that draws the most audience, and the atmosphere is mostly amazing. However, when grooms finish in the stable at midnight, we still have to be back there early the next morning, even if there are no classes until the afternoon. Doing that week after week gets really tough, and unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any improvement on that front.”

“In the end, if we want people to stay in the sport and consider grooming as a career, there has to be improvement,” Lovisa points out. “There's so much more money circling in the sport now, and it should show in the salaries as well. Another point, which I know is really hard for many, is for everyone to take their days off and holidays. I know I don't take as many holidays as I should. I will always get time off if I ask for it, but I don't ask for much because I want to go to all the shows that my top horses are going to – and they go almost every single week, at least one of them. I believe people quit because they are overworked for a salary that's maybe not as competitive as in other lines of work.”

Certain horses you can't really leave behind

“You always look forward to the next championship,” Lovisa says about the future. “For sure, I want to keep going as long as Pacino is going. Certain horses you can't really leave behind. I feel like I could not move forward as long as he's here. Now we also have an exciting horse in Qonquest de Rigo, and obviously the goal is for him to do the World Championships in Aachen. And then there's Olympics in 2028 coming up… so you never know. We never had a better string of horses, so it's all very exciting at the moment.”

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