Marina Lemay Enjoys the Quirks and Travel of Top Level Dressage Grooming
This article is part of a collaboration between HorseGrooms, Paper Horse, and Wellington International.
Marina Lemay, 34, is from Montreal, Canada. Last Friday Night Lights at the Global Dressage Festival saw victory for Adrienne Lyle and Zen Elite Equestrian Center’s 13-year-old Helix with a personal best of 80.325% in the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle. Marina was awarded the $500 Grooms Award.
What led to your job working with Adrienne Lyle?
It was actually a little bit by happenstance, honestly. I was kind of looking for a bit of a shift in my career. I had been working in equine rehab in North Carolina and I just missed Wellington as I hadn’t been there for about five years.
I was kind of reaching out to different people about potentially working just part time for one season and I saw a very old ad from Katie Duerrhammer who was a student with Adrienne. I casually reached out to her, and said I know the ad is really old but are you guys still looking for a groom? And she said no, but Adrienne was looking. So it was a little bit of an accident, but it ended up great and I have been working for Adrienne now for about two and a half years.
How would you describe Helix’s personality?
He is a very quirky horse. Probably the most quirky horse I’ve ever been around. We say sometimes that he’s a little bit neurodivergent because he’s very peculiar in the way his mind functions. He’s very meticulous in his brain. He’s very pattern-oriented and likes his routine.
But he has the biggest heart ever. All he wants to do is please and understand what you want of him and do the job correctly. So he ‘s a really fun horse to work with because he has so much try, and he always gives it 200% – no matter what you’re asking, which is really great.
How did you prepare for the FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle?
It’s kind of an all day thing. A lot of it is, honestly, just waiting around to do the next thing.
But Helix goes out for a lot of hand grazes and he just tools around the show staring at the other horses doing the National classes. I keep him busy because he’s a very interactive horse and he doesn’t like to be left alone in his stall for too long.
We have a type of PEMF recovery blanket that he wears about an hour before the class. And it just kind of warms up his muscles and gets him feeling all loose and limber. And that’s pretty much it. It’s not like a huge, crazy routine. It’s a lot of waiting around and keeping him happy and occupied throughout the day.
What do you love most about your job?
The selfish part of me is going to say the traveling. But the horses are really why I do it and are always going to be the passion at the forefront of my career.
But this particular job, I have to say I really, really enjoy because I get to travel to all these really great, fun, exciting shows and venues. We go to Europe and do some really cool competitions. And that’s been super exciting for me. But obviously the horses are the best part – just getting to know them and their different individual quirks and that kind of stuff is very fun too.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to work as a groom at the top level of the sport?
Just be really patient and don’t expect the moon. Just cut your teeth in the industry like everyone else and just do your best and try hard and have a good, positive attitude. And I think a lot of these positions and good opportunities and exciting gigs are almost luck-based sometimes.
Yes, if you work hard, you’ll have good things happen to you, but sometimes it’s just a bit of a waiting game. It is a little bit luck based. I’ve worked at a lot of FEI barns, and this is the first position I’ve been in where I get to travel internationally – and go to the Olympics, which is obviously a dream come true for any groom.
I got by with the connections that I had, but I think I’ve learned to work hard and have a good attitude. That’s a very good place to start.
HorseGrooms is the leading platform dedicated to supporting and empowering grooms worldwide while elevating the standards of horse care. Through education, resources, community initiatives, and the exclusive HorseGrooms Insiders membership (a great gift for your groom!), HorseGrooms provides tools to help grooms grow professionally and connect with like-minded peers. Wellington International proudly supports this mission by highlighting the invaluable work of grooms through exclusive interviews at their venue. Published in the Weekly Wire and online, these stories celebrate the dedication of grooms and reinforce their essential role in equestrian sport. This collaboration between HorseGrooms, Wellington International, and Paper Horse Media ensures that grooms receive the recognition they deserve. To support HorseGrooms, click here.
This could be interesting:
Heritage Farm put their stamp on the first Grooms’ Class at WEF