“ONE day, I’m going to work for Carl Hester,” announced eight-year-old Lucy Scudamore to her mother some time around 2005. Now, 19 years later, her dream has come true in ways she could have hardly imagined. As head groom for Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin, having stepped up to the top job on their Gloucestershire yard after Alan Davies’ retirement in early 2023, Lucy is now a familiar face in dressage circles. Anyone who wasn’t already aware of her certainly is now – Lucy rounded off a whirlwind 2023 by being named Absorbine Groom of the Year at the H&H Awards.
“I remember watching Carl on TV aged eight and being completely obsessed. I decided I didn’t need to work at school because I was going to go and work for Carl,” she chuckles, although young Lucy’s intention was not to become a groom.
“I always thought I would be a dressage rider, but by 18 I was doing some work with young horses for Sandra Biddlecombe, just up the road from Carl, and I realised around that time that not everyone can be a rider,” she says.
What unfolded next could be attributed to fate. Lucy had done a work experience stint with Carl while training at Hartpury and got to know Charlotte during her time with Sandra – developing a particular affinity with a tall, quirky black youngster of Charlotte’s. When Charlotte mentioned back in 2017 that Alan was making mutterings about retirement – six years prematurely, as it turned out – she suggested to Lucy that she might be a good fit for a groom’s job at Carl’s.
Denne historien er fra February 01, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra February 01, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Walking up a sweat
Plodding around the hills in the summer is poor preparation for a riding lesson, finds Tessa Waugh, who nonetheless improves from \"granny crouch\" to conjuring a floating trot
'She's a little rocket'
An amazing Billy Stud auction purchase is untouchable and a Dorset \"family holiday\" proves profitable
Speedy Brown bags a win
PHIL BROWN and Rachel Cardall's M Bear Esquire (Joey) were the only combination to keep a completely clean sheet in the sole intermediate section - a feat that earned them top spot.
Ballaghmor Class looks sharp
Oliver Townend's veteran star is back in the game, while elsewhere horses heading to Pau dominate, as this East Anglian event defies the weather
A symphony of red and gold'
Waking with the jackals, sleeping under the stars and galloping to the world's edge in a \"true wilderness\", Eleanor Jones experiences the trip of a lifetime in the Namibian desert
'The world's toughest steeplechase'
The Pardubice is well known to be formidable. Xander Brett asks some of the British raiders how they rose to the challenge
What's the problem?
Lameness is often the first thought if a sport horse performs below par, but there are plenty of other possible causes. Imogen Johns FRCVS explains
Lewis Robertson-Carrier
The new national dressage champion and his newly-wed wife tell Oscar Williams about the highs, challenges and emotions of their unforgettable week
New technology aims to reduce equine inbreeding
The idea is to give owners of mares and stallions more information when choosing possible pairings
Half of owners cannot identify equine lameness
A study found many owners cannot tell when a horse is lame or sound
