Marina Lemay is a show groom working for Olympic dressage rider Adrienne Lyle out of Denver, Colorado in the summer and Wellington, Florida during the winter. The team show internationally, competing in Europe and across the US. Marina mostly cares for Adrienne’s competition horses and her client horses, along with an amazing amazing staff of grooms. Marina’s many responsibilities include performing various therapies, managing health records, assisting the veterinarians, doing the routine daily care and, of course, travelling to shows.
Take us on the journey from the early days until now
Marina with Adrienne, and Helix after their CDI5 GP Freestyle win at Global Dressage Festival last winter. image by Lily Forado
I was actually raised in the city (Montreal, Canada), so I didn’t really have access to horses, growing up. But I knew I wanted a career with horses, pretty early on. I studied Equine Sciences in small college in northern Quebec, and, upon graduating, I initially wanted to be a trainer. But during my first working student position as an adult, I realised I simply lacked the experience and education of my peers, who had all grown up on a horse’s back, so I scrapped that dream. Regardless, I knew I just really wanted to work hands-on with horses, whatever that looked like. I didn’t care so much about whether I could have riding opportunities, or even the discipline I worked in, as long as I got to care for horses. In my early twenties, I got lucky enough to work for an FEI Dressage trainer in Wellington by pure happenstance (a family friend connected us), and I definitely got bit by the high-performance bug. I had next to no real-world experience with horses, but that program enabled me to work in a very educational environment, which I’m so thankful for. I got to learn so much about veterinary care, performance maintenance, competitions protocols, nutrition plans, excellent husbandry, basic classical dressage principles, etc. It laid a very impactful foundation for my love of dressage and just taking genuinely good care of horses, regardless of their background. I’ve had other horse-related jobs since, from working equine rehab, grooming FEI show jumping, etc. But I ended up circling back around to my first passion: dressage. I’ve been working for Adrienne Lyle for about 3 years now.
What does your role involve?
Marina with Quinn Iverson’s Gremlin 41 before his Small Tour awards ceremony at the Festival of Champions in Lamplight, two years ago. image by Amanda Morse
It varies, but pretty much everything encompassing the care of top equine athletes. They need various therapies to keep their muscles loose and happy while they’re in strenuous training, so that tends to take up the bulk of our day, as grooms here. I also communicate and work with our team of veterinarians, bodyworkers and farriers to help them curate preventative medicine protocols for our horses, deal with their performance maintenance, and everything in between to keep them healthy and happy. I also do the typical groom duties of tacking up, clipping, turning out, etc. I also travel with the show horses to various venues, including when they need to fly overseas.
What makes what you do special?
I think just being able to work with any horse is pretty special, to be honest! But what I think makes my particular job so unique and exciting is how incredible our team of people and horses is. I feel so spoiled working with such truly kind animals who also happen to be some of the most naturally talented and wonderfully trained athletes. It feels like a privilege that I want to honour by helping take excellent care of them. Every horse is obviously different, but my theory is that if we can give them the utmost best care available and boost their confidence with empathetic handling, then they appreciate it, feel better, and will perform for their riders because they truly want to, and feel pride in their job. To see them progress, gain strength & trust, and blossom in themselves is one of the most rewarding things I’ve been able to witness.
What are your least favourite tasks?
Marina with Adrienne Lyle and Hussmanns TopGun after a winning Third Level test at Global Dressage Festival two winters ago.
This is honestly a difficult question because I tend to find some type of enjoyment even in the traditionally “bad” chores, like wound care or clipping. If I had to choose, I’ll admit I’m terrible at braiding!
Most memorable moment?
Most memorable moment would have to be walking into the stadium in Paris for the 2024 Olympics for the first time. I don’t think I’ll ever experience as beautiful a venue with such an electric atmosphere. It was truly breathtaking, and I’m so grateful to have been able to participate.
What are the hardest parts about being a groom?
There are so many challenging aspects, but I think the personal sacrifices tend to top the list. It’s not uncommon for you to miss out on family events, birthdays, weddings, milestones, etc. because the horses always come first. I sometimes joke that this job isn’t so much a career as it is a lifestyle because it can be very hard to find a work-life balance. You’re usually tied to the barn because of your responsibilities to the horses. You work holidays, late hours during night classes, have sleepless nights with sick horses, and you can’t realistically take much vacation time unless you have a very good home staff to support you in the off-season (if you even have an off-season!)
What advice could you give to anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Marina with Helix (far left) with the rest of the Team USA Dressage horses and grooms at the venue in Versailles at the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics. image courtesy of USEF
I guess the main thing is to have realistic expectations. I think many young grooms think their starting positions will including exercising horses, traveling abroad, or working traditional 9-5 hours with good benefits. Not to say that some employers can’t accommodate that, but this industry can be a bit notoriously harsh on its grooms, especially the inexperienced ones. Thankfully, I think most people wanting to get a foothold in this field tend to be passionate and they already have an immense love for the animal, and I think that’s truly the most important starting point.
What does it mean to you to work in the support team?
It’s really special to work with like-minded people who share that same passion as you. When everyone on staff has a common goal, and we can communicate and work seamlessly together, it makes my job so fun and easy. When you then get tangible results as a team, like winning big championships, it makes those important milestones that much sweeter.
What are some of the unexpected parts of being a groom?
Marina with Quinn Iverson (Adrienne Lyle’s long-time assistant trainer), her horse Gremlin 41 before their Intermediare-A debut at Global Dressage Festival this past winter. image courtesy of Quinn Iverson
As silly as it may seem, I think one of the most unexpected parts of my job when I first started was how much I’d have to deal with people! I’m naturally very introverted and prefer dealing with animals over humans, so I didn’t realize I’d need to communicate and accommodate clients, coworkers, industry professionals, etc., which was challenging at first. But now that I’ve been working in this field for 13 years, I’ve learned to enjoy working with our amazing support systems.
A horse that holds a special place in your heart?
I have so many that I’d love to talk about and I try to never get too attached or to pick favourites. But I think I’d be doing him a disservice if I didn’t give a special shout-out to Helix, who’s taken me to more places than any other horse. He’s a flashy chestnut KWPN gelding that taught me so much. We’ve travelled to countless CDIs all over (including the Olympics!), and he also happens to have the most hilarious, quirky personality. The bond we developed from spending so much time around each other is something I can’t quite describe. I swear, that horse can talk to us with his body language.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
Over the years, I’ve learned to not have overly specific goals, otherwise I get my hopes up and end up disappointed when I don’t achieve them in time. This ideology’s served me pretty well, because it makes me take things day-by-day, and fly by the seat of my pants to the next adventure that my job takes me to! It’s enabled me to participate in some of the sport’s most fantastic experiences.
What is your Top Tip
Curry, curry, curry! I know it seems so remedial but I’m a firm believer that consistent, good, thorough currying will make a world of difference in your horse’s coat, health and wellbeing, and it’s weirdly overlooked!
Product that you can’t live without?
I’m not a big fan of shampooing horses, because I believe it can strip their natural oils and can sometimes cause more harm than good. That being said, I love high-quality, oil-based horse shampoos like Eqyss, E3 and War Horse, who all have great lines of horse-friendly products. I’ve found that using these products sparingly when needed retains the natural oils in horses’ skin that makes their coats nice and healthy. When I do need to give a bubble bath, I always stay away from the harsh soaps that will dry out the horse’s skin, especially when we’re in South Florida, where bacteria and humidity can wreak havoc on their skin and lead to dermatitis, hair loss, fungal infections, itchiness, etc.
What would you pack for travelling to a competition?
Oh my. That’s a loaded question. My packing lists are notoriously extensive. Other than the usual tack, feed, equipment, etc., I make sure to always be a bit “over-prepared” with a very well-stocked ring bag. I get made fun of because my show backpack is so big and heavy. But I like knowing that I can be ready to face just about any situation when we get to the show ring and something goes awry. A spur strap might snap during the warmup, a rock might get stuck in the horse’s foot, a braid might come undone, etc. And you should be prepared to fix the problem with the tools and products in your ring bag. You may feel sort of silly bringing half the barn in your backpack but it’s always when you forget to bring that one specific item that your rider needs that hole-punch or a roll of electrical tape right before going down centre line!