Hay There, Grace!

This month we caught up with the wonderful Grace! Despite being one of the younger Horse Trust team members, she has been here for many years starting as a Saturday groom, and progressing through various roles during that time.

Grace is now a part of the Knowledge and Skills team as a Training Officer, working both with people and horses to help improve the wellbeing of horses in different scenarios.

We’re incredibly grateful to have Grace on board. As well as being fantastic in her role, she always does it with a smile on her face and spreads that joy wherever she goes! Thanks, Grace, for catching up with us and being your lovely self!

We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Hay, Grace! How long have you worked at The Horse Trust?

Hello! I’ve been at The Horse Trust since 2017 and I started as a Saturday Groom. Since then, I moved into being a full-time groom, then worked on our training yard for a year before being a Training Officer which is my current role, where I train horses and people.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

When I was very little, randomly I wanted to be a dustbin woman! Otherwise, an equine nutritionist which still is not off the cards!

What does an average day at The Horse Trust look like for a Horse Trainer?

It varies. Some parts of the day I’m teaching grooms about equine care and behaviour at The Horse Trust, at other times I’m doing behaviour training with our residents.

What is the best part of your job?

Seeing progression in the horses both physically and psychologically, whether this be who Nicky and the vet team treat or who we train. I also love seeing people understand something and continue to improve based on the training we give them.

What did you learn today?

In our HR session, I learned that a positive way to influence people is by setting an example, rather than treating people how you would want to be treated, because everyone has different ideas about how they would want to be treated.

Is there something that isn’t so fun about your job?

It’s always hard when we lose horses, however, it is so fulfilling knowing that we have given them everything they could possibly need whether this is allowing them to live out a happy retirement, or, helping them from their lowest and most poorly states when they arrive to us as welfare cases.

Is there a horse that holds a special place in your heart? If so, why?

A lot of my favourites have sadly passed on now, but Iris holds a very special place in my heart. I have been training her for almost a year now and seeing her progression has been so rewarding.

Some of my others include Abigale, she’s just brilliant. Also, little Bob, he’s so adorable and is always happy to receive some love! Not forgetting Alf, the very handsome, gentle giant who never fails to put a smile on my face.

Is there a day at The Horse Trust that stands out to you? This could be something funny, heartwarming, or memorable.

Snow days!! Despite it often being minimal team members in making it busy, we still all manage to get things done whilst also doing the odd snow angel here and there! It’s such a beautiful site that it always makes us smile!

Also, lockdown summer 2020, as we sadly weren’t open to the public, we spent a lot of time with all of the horses and giving them lots of extra pampering being bathing, grooming and just generally spending time with them!

And finally, what is something you wish more people knew about The Horse Trust?

I wish people knew more about the amazing research that we do here as well as supporting external research. It really is incredible, and every day there seems to be new discoveries! This also transfers into every aspect of The Horse Trust, including the daily care and training.

Thank you, Grace, for such a lovely chat as always.

Our Sponsorship Scheme plays an integral role in caring for our wonderful herd. It costs approximately £7,500 in care per horse per year, and as a charity that relies solely on public donations, the more help we can get, the better.

Thank you so much for your support.

Sponsor Resident