Emily Reudavey left our shores seven years ago to pursue a dream of riding in Europe. Fortuitously, she discovered a passion for behind-the-scenes action as a professional groom. Managing multi-million-euro horses is all in a day’s work for this self-confessed “laidback” 26-year-old West Australian.
Catching up with Emily Reudavey at her family home in Western Australia, it’s sunset hour and the sun is casting a golden glow across her face as it dips into the ocean behind her. Emily is back for a 10-day visit, her first in five years. She references Covid as the culprit for keeping her away. However, it quickly emerges that Emily is totally dedicated to her role as groom for Australian international dressage rider Simone Pearce, and she hates to miss a show.
“I’ve always been at the shows, never missing one, which is crazy. I’m always there,” Emily says. “I love the atmosphere. I also love looking, adjusting my eye and noticing all the tiny details. There is always more to pick up. It’s super interesting watching all the horses develop.”
Emily is based in Germany, having just made the move in June from Gestüt Bonhomme near Berlin to just outside Munich, where Simone rides for the Ritzinger family and coaches Sophia Ritzinger. Here the Ritzingers are building a team of horses and Emily says it is because of this “transitional time” that she has an opportunity to visit Down Under. It’s no stretch to think that 10 days is quite short when you make the long trip from another hemisphere, but this too reveals Emily’s passion for her job.
Whilst here, she has acquired her truck driving licence so she can drive the horses to competitions across Europe. I suggest it’s a big day driving long distances as well as grooming. Emily simply smiles and agrees it will be a “really big day” but says it is “just easier” if they don’t have to hire a driver as they have in the past when taking the truck.
As we talk, Emily is humble and composed. She prefers talking about the horses and Simone’s success rather than herself. I get the feeling her sense of calm is partly what makes her such a great groom. She describes herself as “very laidback”, yet a big part of her job as groom to one of Australia’s most successful dressage riders is to ensure she doesn’t miss a thing when it comes to the horses. She tells me this is perhaps the biggest challenge of her job.
AN EYE FOR DETAIL
“I think to always have a real eye for detail, so that you are never in the stable and missing something that has come up with the horse’s health,” she says, “and being responsible, are the most important things for me in the job.”
We chat about the different horses. I suggest her role handling some of the stallions is perhaps stressful and she must bring a certain quality of composure to the situation, whether it is in the stables or at a competition. “I think so. I am also very disciplined with them without being unnecessarily hard. I am strict on the body language and am very aware of them keeping the boundaries I put in place. It takes work and repetition until they respect you. Just to quietly keep everything in check by being aware and calm also helps.”
Of course, I have to know whether Emily has a favourite horse and who it is. “I always loved Millennium; he is very special and sprightly. And Destano is definitely the number one favourite. He is such a kind horse, especially for a stallion.”
Emily is tangibly excited and lights up when we talk about the recent 2023 FEI/WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship where Simone and No Limit made Australian history with a silver medal in the Five Year Old Final in Ermelo, the Netherlands.
“This was amazing. Just insane. Watching the process of Simone teaching him in just six weeks and putting the test together, she did amazing,” Emily explains. “I was not expecting a medal. I thought we would be really lucky to have the bronze, but silver was very special. An amazing day. One of the best days for sure.”
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAMWORK
It appears clear from the outside looking in that Emily and Simone have a fantastic working relationship. Emily says that despite being friends, they work really well together and it is “super easy” and “very natural”. I ask how they are able to mix business and friendship so well. “We always just communicate straight up – even sometimes before things come up. We are really good at talking and making sure there are no potential conflicts, just by having everything so clear.”
Emily says Simone likes to focus on the big international competitions, which equates to a fair bit of preparation for her, as groom, to get things ready. “The day before, I am usually making sure the horses are nice and clean. Prior to that I am packing and making sure we have the papers for travel. Usually, we are travelling pretty far. We need to be really prepared with everything, including taking hay and shavings and making sure it’s never a rush.”
Upon arrival at the show venue, she checks that the horses have travelled well and are comfortable. “We ensure we take the time to make sure the horses are settling in before doing anything with them; that they have time to really come down at the show,” she says. Emily explains that usually the horses are lightly ridden by Simone, jogging and stretching, for their first ride at a venue. Whilst this doesn’t require huge preparation from her end, Emily still has much to get done in the background such as preparing boxes, plaiting and getting them ready for vet check.
“Basically, [I do things] so Simone doesn’t need to worry about anything; so that she can be in a good state of mind and know that everything is taken care of. We’ve done it together for so many years now that I don’t even have to think, it’s natural and works seamlessly.”
When she is not at a show, a working week usually comprises of Monday to Friday, with weekends off. Although, she often will pop in on the weekend to check on the horses, especially now they have moved and are a smaller team at the Ritzinger property. “Usually, we balance life and work pretty well,” Emily says. “There is a lot of socialising, going for dinner or doing something on the weekend. If we do have the time, we are going to different cities, because that’s the nice thing about Europe, it’s so easy to get around.”
With such a busy schedule and with the responsibility of managing such expensive equine athletes, I ask Emily what the best thing about the job is. “With Simone and I being best friends, it’s so special to work together. It makes everything for me way more special. When we had the silver medal, for example, it was such a big moment.”
She says she really enjoys forming bonds with the horses, too. “It’s really nice handling them and knowing them all from the start and getting to know their personalities. Watching their progression every day with Simone is also really good,” Emily adds.
THE ROAD TO GROOMING
Moving from Perth to the UK in January 2016 as a working student, Emily held the dream of being a rider. She had her first working student position with British FEI dressage rider, national selector and judge, Judy Harvey. After a year, she moved to a sales training barn in Holland where she bought herself a horse and was riding and competing. From there, she then enjoyed a stint training her horse at Warwick McLean’s.
“My idea in coming over was to ride. I never intended on grooming, I just didn’t think of it,” Emily says. She met Simone at a show and the pair struck up a friendship. In January 2018, when Simone was working for Helgstrand, Denmark, Emily travelled to Wellington, Florida, with Simone for three months. Whilst Emily wasn’t an employee, it was an opportunity to experience seeing the horse industry from another country’s perspective and help out grooming at a few small shows.
“I did about six shows and it was enough to get hooked,” Emily says. “I thought, well maybe since I hadn’t found a job yet I would come back to Helgstrand in Denmark, and Simone could help me and train me with my horse for a few months.” She then took a job at Stutturi Atterupgaard stud in Denmark (think Olympic partnership of Cathrine Dufour and Atterupgaards Cassidy) where she was riding and breaking in some of the young horses.
“It was a really nice job, very relaxed and I really enjoyed it, but I missed being on the big shows. I was still helping Simone out at the odd show in my free time,” Emily laughs.
When Simone left Helgstrand and took a job at Gestüt Sprehe, Emily moved too. At Sprehe Emily was a working student, riding a few young horses and training her own. Her afternoons were spent grooming for Simone. When the time came for Simone to require a full-time groom, Emily decided to take on the position and let go of her working student role. “I chose to groom because I saw how much blood, sweat and tears went in to being a full-time rider at that level and I felt I just didn’t have enough motivation to be at the top like Simone. It made more sense to have a horse of my own that I can train with Simone to improve myself and I can groom full-time. It was the right decision for me in the end,” Emily says.
“It was the right decision for me in the end.”
She believes she’s not enough of a perfectionist to be a rider at that level. When I suggest that perhaps she may indeed be a perfectionist given her attention to detail as a professional groom, she laughs agreeably. Emily says she is really developing her eye so much from watching on the ground, and noticing the “tiny details” at the big shows has helped her apply what she picks up to her own riding. “You think you know it but there is always more to pick up and more details to see.”
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON
I am keen to know what’s ahead for the Australian groom that left home seven years ago and has quietly built a resume that reads like a championship list, with all the major international competitions, including the Tokyo Olympics. Emily does not miss a beat when I ask her what’s on the horizon. “Paris! It just depends which horse but watch this space,” Emily states.
Of course, nothing is a given in the horse world. With less than 12 months to go to the Olympics in Paris, Simone is actively vying for her place on the Australian dressage team. What we do know is Emily will be behind the wheel with her newly obtained truck licence, an integral cog in the wheel, driving them towards the next Olympic dream. No doubt she will be glowing in the background, poised and reliable as the sun setting over the ocean in her hometown in WA. EQ
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