IN THE BARN:
TAYLOR GINN @ CAROLINA INTERNATIONAL
Great Opportunities Can Come From Social Media…
It started with a Facebook post from Lauren O’Brien: “Anyone interested in grooming for 2
horses 1 in the 2* and 1 in the 3* for the Carolina International???,” and ended with a week of
fun and new connections. Sometimes, it’s the number of people tagging you in the comments to
make you leap. Judging by the numbers of comments, I assumed that Lauren had found someone
but reached out anyway. What was the worst that could happen? I explained to Lauren (in a
private message) what I could and couldn’t do, my experience and who my instructor was, and
she put me in contact with Matt Flynn, the rider of said 2 and 3* horses. I took a few minutes to
scroll through the Flynn Sport Horses social media and website to get a feel for who he was and
what his horses were like. A quick phone call and a few text messages between Matt and I and
the job was mine! I guess I should be thanking social media for making this happen.
Upper Level Riders Are, In Fact HUMAN and It’s Not All About Winning…
I think that people forget that upper level riders are in fact HUMAN, just with a way cooler job
than a lot of us. It isn’t all about the perfect dressage test or double clear jumping rounds, but the
relationship between horse and rider. Before and after each ride, Matt would wrap his arms
around Wizzerd’s head and give him a hug. This short moment between the two gentlemen was
another reminder that horses are our partners and deserve to be treated as such. Matt was very
adamant about his horse’s safety in and out of the tack and made it clear that if the weather was
bad, he did not plan to head out on course. These athletes (equine and human) are not robots and
sometimes things just don’t go as you planned. Mistakes happen but life does go on. Luckily, the
weather held and Matt was able to run both horses without major issue. Wizkid, Lucky and Matt
were all able to get through the finish flags, safe and sound.
Anticipate, Stay Organized & Ask Questions…
One of the most important things I learned from my four days at Carolina International was to
anticipate what Matt was going to need, when he was going to need it and how he wanted it
done. At the beginning of each day, Matt and I would briefly talk about the plan for the day. This
was my time to ask questions and make a plan for myself. Once the horse’s needs were taken
care of, I would start to organize tack and Matt’s equipment so that it was easy to access. Using
time between rides to keep up with tack cleaning, stalls and grooming makes all of those jobs a
little easier. Like the rest of us, Matt wanted his horses tacked up, stretched, hand walked &
bathed in a certain way and having never worked around theses horses, I had to ask a lot of
questions. I have my own horses and taken care of plenty of horses but everyone has their own
way of doing things. A few of the most important questions I always ask are, “Is there anything I
should know about these horses on the ground?” and “Are they kickers, bitters etc.” Keeping
yourself safe should be at the top of your list. No question is a stupid question.