Author Archives: Brooke Nicholls

We all know honesty is the best policy. Lying is wrong. However, every groom knows that sometimes, a rider doesn't actually want to hear the truth from the hired help....

Brooke Nicholls has groomed for some of the biggest stables in Canada. Whether a professional groom or just a helpful friend or spouse volunteering for the weekend, keep this list handy...

Don't get caught up thinking that to have happier help you have to dig deeper into your pockets. Everyone loves money, but it's not the only answer. Here are some...

From being called entitled and lazy to being accused of ruining the horse industry, Millennials tend to get a pretty bad rap. It's said they want more and more in...

Thirty-four #GroomProblems that prove you are, without a doubt, a full-fledged groom. (In case you were too tired to tell.) About the Author When she’s not sharing hard-won #groomtruths, Brooke...

At the dawn of time, when showjumpers were still riding unicorns and all-weather footing was the stuff of imagination, the very first groom stood atop Mount Olympics. There was a...

Grooms: it is easy to forget us as we work away behind the scenes, but I promise you, the overall success of a serious showing operation is carried upon the...

Have you seen your horse show dog in the last few hours? Do you know where he is? Is he a few aisles over, begging for a piece of someone's...

Everybody knows how the system is supposed to work. If there are four jumps in the warm-up ring, you find the person who goes four before you, and you wait...

When you get there in the morning, do you feel like you're home? When you look around at the grooms, riders, and trainers do you think "This is my crew,...

Spruce Meadows is the number one show in North America and for good reason. It's beautiful, it's immaculately kept, and it's where the best of the best go to compete. Even...

B is for boots Splint boots. Open fronts. Bell boots. Shipping boots. Grooms need to know their boots. Some poor saps even have to polish those of their riders. C...

I've gone on at length about the reasons people don't usually choose grooming as their lifelong career. But then, why do I recommend it to every horse lover I know? Why...

I often hear show grooms say that they're going to give up grooming and get a "real job." Most of us don't seem to consider it a career. Why? I...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbkrHZcpgcM Grooms! They keep the horses happy, the barn moving and the water buckets full. Just how they go about that daily business depends on the type... [show-list] About the Author...