‘I just love working with the horses’ – Yasmin Ingham’s groom Alison Bell on travelling the world, a first Badminton and why Rehy DJ shouldn’t be underestimated

Alison Bell’s career and love for horses have taken her all over the world in her role as groom to world champion Yasmin Ingham. This week marks a milestone much closer to home for the pair as Yas makes her Mars Badminton Horse Trials debut in the saddle, and Alison has her first taste of grooming at the iconic British spring five-star.

“I’ve never been here before – it’s amazing,” says Alison, whose charge for the week is the 15-year-old Rehy DJ (“Piglet”, to his friends), owned by Janette Chinn and The Sue Davies Fund.

“I started grooming for Yas in 2019, so I’ve known Piglet a while now. He’s ace, such a dude.”

Piglet’s flashy stable companion Banzai Du Loir, with whom Yas was crowned world champion at Pratoni in 2022, is the better known of this pair by virtue of that title and his senior team appearances. But lovable Piglet is a star in his own right too. He has twice finished on the podium at Luhmühlen and scored his third top-10 finish at five-star at Pau 2024 – his 34th international double clear.

Alison Bell: ‘He’s Pig by name, pig by nature!’

“He’s really special when you get to know him – he’s an amazing little horse. A real performer and he tries very hard,” says Alison, who has been by his side for much of his top-level career.

“Napping and snacking is his life. He is Pig by name, pig by nature – he is quite dirty in the stable and he eats like a pig! He’s really cute and sweet, but does also have a spicy side to him – you know when he wants to be here and wants to do it. Every now and then he’ll have a little spook and a little fizz.”

She adds that Piglet settles very well at events – “as long as he has food, he isn’t bothered” – and is enjoying his trip to Badminton so far.

“He’s super simple to care for at big events. He does a lot of grazing – short stints as he is definitely a good doer, bless his soul. He comes out of the stable a lot in shorter breaks, enjoys mooching around, a little walk, a bit of lunging to get that little fizz out of him,” she says.

“I love taking them away, I love being with them at home as well. They are funny and are all so individual, you really do get to know them and when you’re away, you get to know them on a deeper level. They really have their own likes and dislikes, their own ways to relax.

“I just love working with the horses. It’s such a satisfying job and they make you feel things you never thought you would experience in life. I’ve been all over the world with them now, it’s something I never thought I would do. They are incredible.”

How Alison Bell became an elite eventing groom

Alison grew up in Belfast and caught the horsey bug when her grandfather took her riding. She completed a bachelors degree in equine management and then went to work for Ireland’s Joseph Murphy for four years. A masters in veterinary physio brought her over to England, which is how she came to join Yas’s team.

“The course was part-time at weekends and Yas’s place was 40 minutes away, so I was able to do it as one,” says Alison, who ended up completing a postgrad diploma instead of the full masters, and went on to join Yas full-time.

She lists the world championships at Pratoni and Kentucky – where Yas has finished second and third with Banzai – and Piglet’s happy hunting ground of Luhmühlen, among her stand-out highlights.

“I never thought I would ever see Pig on a five-star podium and he’s been on one twice. That’s so special for a horse like him, as people tend to put him on the back burner, but he’s one to watch a lot of the time,” she says. “The two boys have struck a high in their careers, and in mine.”

She adds: “They are very different boys. Banzai loves having company – if he doesn’t have a horse, he likes to have you there, whereas Pig is like, ‘I love your company, but you can leave me alone now – bye! I’ll eat and sleep’. He’s so laid back, but Yas and I both know he does have that side to him, where he really does switch on.

“It’s really special to be here at Badminton. Everyone always says it, but you don’t really know until you’ve come. It’s a privilege to be here and I can’t wait to experience the whole week.”

How to watch Badminton Horse Trials

If you want to watch the live action from Badminton Horse Trials from the comfort of your home, wherever you are in the world, you will need to subscribe to Badminton TV. This year, Badminton TV has teamed up with ClipMyHorse.TV, but you do not need a full ClipMyHorse.TV subscription to watch Badminton – you can just subscribe to Badminton TV for £21.99. Go to clipmyhorse.tv/en_GB/badminton to subscribe or to activate your account as an existing Badminton TV subscriber. If you are already a ClipMyHorse.TV premium member, Badminton TV is included in your subscription. As part of Badminton TV, you can enjoy the documentary programme Legends and Legacy, a fly-on-the-wall insight into the 2024 event and preview of 2025.

Enjoy the best of Badminton with Horse & Hound

To ensure you keep up to date with all the breaking news, behind the scenes insight, and the best of the action throughout Badminton Horse Trials with no limits on how much you can read, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now. And don’t miss our bumper 22-page magazine report on Badminton, including in-depth analysis and exclusive comments from top names, in the issue of Horse & Hound dated 15 May.

You may also be interested in: