‘I completely fell in love with it – I was hooked’: how a riding school sparked a life-long love of horses in top eventing groom

It was at a Welsh riding school where Jade Roberts’ love of horses first blossomed. David Doel’s groom is caring for Galileo Nieuwmoed at Mars Badminton Horse Trials this week – a horse she has seen grow from a youngster into a powerful globe-trotting five-star stalwart.

“There was a riding school probably a 10 minute walk from where I come from in north Wales,” says Jade, who comes from a non-horsey background.

“I persuaded my parents to let me have a half-hour lesson on a Saturday, which then turned into me working there all day for a lesson – then it became a weekend thing, and I just completely fell in love with it. I was hooked straight away.

“I went to college and did a national diploma in horse management and started grooming from there.”

On finishing college, Jade went straight to France to work for a big stud, before moving into eventing, which has always had a special place in her heart.

“I’m going into my sixth year of working for David,” she says. “I originally did four years as travelling head girl, then went away and spent a couple of years for the Prices, did some travelling, and then came back. I started freelancing and David said, ‘Would you like your job back?’ So I’ve been back full-time since December 2023.”

She adds: “I was there when Galileo Nieuwmoed first came to us. He’s quite boisterous, but he does actually have quite a soft side. Sometimes I’ll find, if I’ve mucked him out, he’ll follow me around the stable and want to cuddle – but he won’t let anyone else see it; it’s on his terms.

“If he wants attention and you’re walking past the stable, he’ll almost try to nip you from behind, not get hold of you, just a little tease. He can be a handful to deal with, but he’s so cool.”

Jade Roberts: “I love watching the partnership grow”

David has previously spoken to H&H about how his now strong partnership with Galileo Nieuwmoed did not start with love at first sight.

Jade recalls how the horse just kept on stepping up to the task at hand, rising through the levels until she found herself watching him here at Badminton in 2022.

“I watched him showjump and I had tears streaming from my eyes, it was amazing to watch the partnership grow,” she says. “It’s really good to be back working with him and to know him and just keep growing the bond.

“We went to Maryland last year – that’s probably the most surreal place we’ve been to, Luhmühlen, and I actually took him down to Pau for a CCI3*-S, that was great – it was his first proper, big [overseas] event.”

Jade Roberts on Badminton Horse Trials

She adds that it is “always amazing” to be here at Badminton.

“We try and keep his routine as much the same as possible,” she says. “He can be quite a handful. If I try and bring him in from grazing and he’s not finished, he does get quite boisterous and tries to bite my knees! But otherwise, once he’s settled down, he’s quite easy to do.

“My favourite part of being a groom is growing the bond with the horses and figuring out their personalities – what they like, what they don’t like, and then watching them being produced up the levels.

“Watching them go from a four-year-old to being part of the ‘A-team’ is amazing. [Being a groom] is unbelievable, it’s a surreal experience – horses have taken me to some extremely cool places that I wouldn’t have been to otherwise.”

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