Text © World of Showjumping

McLain Ward's long-time groom Virginie Casterman was announced as the winner of the inaugural Karlswood International Grooms' Awards at the RDS Dublin Horse Show 2024, while Janika Sprunger’s groom Charlotte Verger came second and Darragh Kenny’s groom Shauna Murray third. 

Set up and sponsored by Cian O'Connor's Karlswood Stables, a €10,000 prize fund was shared between the three grooms – with €5,000 for the winner, €3000 for the second place and €2,000 for the third. The jury consisted of two experienced judges; Jimmy Doyle and Marie Yorke. 

"I was keen to do something for the grooms,” Ireland’s Cian O’Connor told World of Showjumping about his initiative ahead of the 2024-edition of RDS Dublin Horse Show. “I think everyone realizes the importance of a brilliant team around you,” he said. “Whether it's feeding the horse on time, having the horse clipped correctly, having the bandages done properly, or making sure that the blankets are changed according to the weather, these are all things that are very basic. However, if you don't have the right staff and it's not done well, it can cost you dearly in the end. I couldn't stress enough the importance of the team.” 

“I wanted to have judges for the competition who have groomed and gone on to other professions,” O’Connor explained about the team of judges. “Jimmy Doyle was a groom in the Irish Army for many years and then he went on to become trainer and manager for Georgina Bloomberg and had other successful jobs in America as well. Marie York groomed for Conor Swail and she now runs the veterinary office of Marcus Swail, the Irish team vet.” 

“My thought-process behind the judges was to showcase how grooming isn’t a dead-end job, that there are other opportunities if you work hard and are resilient. I think in society in general, people maybe want an easier life nowadays, but you should get rewarded for hard work and I wanted to promote this kind of mindset. It's not a huge thing, but it's something and maybe others will do the same at other shows. It would be nice if we had all the major shows reward grooms.”