Leading groom Joy Michel advocates old-school advice
Joy Michel, 30, was not born into horses and discovered them as a kid growing up in Pony Club in Belgium. She took the time to go to university, and realized that an office job was not for her. Joy told her father she was going to try working with horses for six months. Eight years later, she is still grooming and at ‘Saturday Night Lights’, she was on hand to look after H5 Porthos Maestro WH Z as Mexico’s Carlos Hank Guerrero took the win in the $215,000 FEI 4* Grand Prix.
This article is part of a collaboration between HorseGrooms, Wellington International and Paper Horse.
What led to your job working with H5 and Carlos Hank Guerrero?
At the end of 2021 I got a bad back injury, so I took a break. When I recovered I wanted to start just freelancing to make sure I was physically able to be grooming full time. Someone told me they had a client who came over to Europe with just two horses and just needed help at the show, which was perfect for me. The client was actually the vet for H5 and after he got to know me, he talked to Carlos and his trainers, Eduardo and Enrique and told them this girl is good, you should hire her. And I think I’ll be forever grateful for that opportunity, coming out of nowhere. That was the beginning of a dream and I’ve been with H5 since October 2022.
How would you describe Porthos’ personality?
He’s a very special horse. He’s definitely not the easiest to take care of. He can be stressed and anxious. Like at the ring on Saturday, with all the noise and everything, he would just run over people. If he gets scared, he will just run over you. Doesn’t matter if you’re there. I know him pretty well, so I know his reactions. I know when I can go close to him and when I have to keep my distance.
He’s not easy in the stable either. He has very weird behavior sometimes. He likes to bite the walls and things like this. But he can also be the absolute cutest horse ever. There is something between me and Porthos. I don’t know how to explain it but I really have, like, a crush on him.
He will forever be, for me, the number one. I know not everybody likes to be around him but for me he is my best friend.
How did you prepare Porthos for the $215,000 FEI 4* Grand Prix during Winter Equestrian Festival’s [WEF] ‘Saturday Night Lights’
I don’t like to bother the horse a long time before the class. He gets his dinner, then I let him chill out.
When I’m getting him ready, I know that with Porthos, even more than with any other horse, I can’t rush him. Because if I start to rush and move a bit too fast around him, he will then be a bit scared, and that’s going to make it more complicated. He also has an issue with head shaking. So, I know that I have to keep him as quiet as I can, otherwise it can make everything very complicated for me, especially when I’m braiding or putting on his bridle and bonnet.
I don’t like to get to the ring early because it’s always very busy, especially on Saturday night. There are lots of people. There’s not a lot of shade, so if it’s busy, you’re standing in the sun, and I don’t like that.
And so I like to just go on time. I do the tack check while Carlos is getting ready and then he takes the time to walk him and warm him up quietly.
What do you love most about your job?
What I like the most is when you see the horses stepping up into the sport. Here with Carlos this is the case with Porthos and Shaq [H5 Shaq Attack]. When I started with Carlos, Porthos was doing his first 2* Grand Prix. My first season in Wellington, we were doing the Under 25 with Porthos then he did his first 1m50, his first night class. And then a year and a half later we were at the [Paris] Olympics. It’s something amazing.
And it’s the same for Shaq Attack. When I started with Carlos he just got the horse and was jumping 1m30 National classes, and now he is jumping 5* Grands Prix. The horse is amazing.
It is extremely rewarding for a groom to just see those horses keep going and going up especially when they turn into such competitive horses. I’m extremely competitive. Probably even more than Carlos and for me this is all about winning.
It’s a great part of my job. Also, the other side of grooming is the relationship we have with the horses. Like having a good moment with my horses can definitely make my day better.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to work as a groom at the top level of the sport?
I would advise them to find a good mentor. Find someone from the old school who has been around horses for many years and knows all the tricks. Also you have to be thorough in your work and be very organized. I see too often, like younger grooms, just doing the absolute basic necessary. They don’t think of the consequences of what they are doing. For me, any young groom that wants to step up into the sport, needs first to be well trained. I’ve learned from a groom who was making me fold a blanket ten times in a row, until it was perfect.
And you need to be well surrounded by good grooms and riders. This is the best way to learn. And then if you want to go into the sport, you need to work hard and make a name for yourself. Knowing the right person at the right moment, the good opportunities will come to you – that is what happened for me.
Also, if you don’t know, just ask. Pretty much every groom would be happy to help a younger one that is having trouble and just doesn’t know what to do. With horses you learn every day.
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