There’s a French horsemanship saying that native Virginie Casterman stands by: “A good curry is like a scoop of oats.”
As a longtime groom for McLain Ward’s Castle Hill, Casterman knows what she’s talking about. And, once again this week, all that currying is paying off.
On Sunday, August 18 at the Dublin Horse Show, Casterman was awarded top prize during the first-ever Karlswood International Grooms’ Competition. Charlotte Verger (groom to Janika Sprunger of Switzerland) took second place; Shauna Murray (groom to Ireland’s Darragh Kenny) took third.
Casterman was awarded €5,000 for her efforts, half of the total €10,000 prize fund offered by Irish Olympian Cian O’Connor’s Karlswood. The international competition was judged by fellow grooms and Irish Army Equitation School veterans Jimmy Doyle and Marie Yorke.
The pair evaluated each entry’s turnout throughout the week during classes including the Cashel Palace Hotel Stakes, the Nations’ Cup of Ireland, and the Dublin Stakes.
“The grooms are the lifeblood of our industry and we must do all we can to help and support them,” O’Connor wrote on Instagram. Dublin Horse Show Director Pat Hanley agreed.
“It is the grooms, and the background team, who provide the detailed care and ensure the day-to-day well-being of the horses. For many, it is a labor of love, the hours can be long, the work is physical, and the attention to detail required is vital,” he said.
“It is the riders and horses that most often get the limelight and the glory, so it’s wonderful to see the grooms rewarded for a job well done.”
Casterman has been the talent extraordinaire behind such famous Ward mounts as HH Azur, Clinta, and Ward’s Paris Olympic partner, Ilex. She has also won numerous grooming awards at top venues including Wellington International, North Salem, and the Devon Horse Show.
Casterman, who grew up riding in France and on her uncle’s pony in Monaco, accepted her first grooming job at Haras de Hayettes stud in Belgium when she was 20 years old. Other gigs followed for show jumping riders including Kate Levy and Canadian Pan American gold medalist Yann Candele.
In 2016, Casterman was living in the States and between jobs when she reached out to Ward’s longtime Head Groom/Manager, Lee McKeever, who told her they were hiring. The rest, as they say, is history. And no one could be happier for Casterman than her own Castle Hill colleagues.
“This just happened!!!” Erica McKeever wrote on Facebook to celebrate Virginie’s win in Dublin. “A lifetime of dedication.”