The TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show 2018 saw the introduction of two epic awards centered around equine wellbeing. The Golden Groom Award and Peak Performance Award celebrate the care and compassion from each equine athlete’s support team and reward the hours of hard work which it takes to get these horses to their peak. Dominic and Francesca Fox, owners of TheraPlate UK have always recognised the passion and dedication required from the grooms and the vital role they play in equestrian sport. As a result, they introduced the Golden Groom Award and Peak Performance Award to give back to the industry and highlight the commitment, care and devotion which goes into these maintaining these horses.

With unmissable prizes, including a car for a year awarded to the Golden Groom and a TheraPlate for a year to the winner of the Peak Performance Award, the number of entries were astounding with a constant line of horses wanting to try the TheraPlate in the stable area! Horses who had used the TheraPlate at the show were judged by Dominic and Francesca on their condition, turnout and wellbeing. All shapes and sizes of horses were entered, from Grand Prix showjumpers to Shetland racers!

Following extensive deliberation, a winner was picked. Daniel Tarpey, groom for Harry Charles, was selected as the winner of the Golden Groom Award and recipient of the car for a year. Daniel was chosen for his care and attention given to Harry’s ride, Sieco- a gorgeous 9-year-old grey gelding with a cheeky personality! The Peak Performance Award and TheraPlate was presented to the owner of Sieco, Peter Charles.

Following the grand presentation of the award, we caught up with Daniel to find out more about what makes him a Golden Groom.

What is your earliest equestrian memory?

Going to Royal Windsor with Fiona Collino- ex groom for William Funnell and current groom for Poden Farms. Fiona really taught me the ropes and what it was like to work at an international show at such a young age!

How did your childhood passion evolve into your equestrian career?

I’ve always loved horses for as long as I can remember. I would drive my family crazy wanting to go riding every weekend when I was very small! I’m so grateful that it’s now turned into my career! You never stop learning, and it’s definitely a lifestyle for me but one which I wouldn’t swap for anything.

What are your career highlights to date?

I’ve been really lucky to have worked on a freelance basis for a few years with different riders. Working with one of my best friends, Laura Mantel, and watching her progress through the ranks has been really special for me. Another highlight would definitely be when I was working for Harriet Nuttall during her win at the Nations Cup in Odense. However, the absolute highlight has to be the whole of 2018 though, working with Team Charles has been simply amazing. We’ve accomplished a lot and made some great memories along the way. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend some of the best shows in the world, although I think the best is yet to come for Team Charles!!

Favourite part of your job?

It definitely has to be the horses! They really help to keep me motivated, it’s a hard job and you have to love what you do. We also have a great team around us and we all play a part in keeping the wheels turning!

Biggest challenge faced when working with horses?

Being organised and having a strict system and routine is a necessity for the team, and the horses also thrive from it! We deal with horses in peak condition at the top of their game, which is vital to keep competing at the highest levels. This take a lot of preparation and planning but it’s so worth it to see the horses doing so well.

Do you own your own horse, and do you have time to compete?

As cliché as it sounds, the horses at Team Charles are my babies and I put them before anything else! I am forever on the road with them, caring for them and always going the extra mile for them. This does take a toll, as my friends will tell you, I often have little time left for anything else!

Where is your favourite show ground?

I have been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel to some amazing shows. One of my particular favourites is Aachen, Germany. The atmosphere is electric, and it is one of the biggest shows in the world.

We know you are not allowed favourites, but who is your yard favourite and why?

I don’t really have favourites, all of our horses are lovely!! I am travelling with them most of the time so know them all as individuals. Although, if I had to pick, the horse I go to first every morning is Fred (ABC Quantum Cruise). He’s a lovable rogue who I love to spoil, he’s definitely a big softie!

What’s your favourite quote/advice to live by?

Keep your head down and work hard, you will get rewarded along the way. Also respect the older grooms and they will be willing to help you! And finally, you never stop learning.

What are your must have items as a professional groom?

I can’t leave the yard for a show without my grooming box, which has everything I need in it, and my trimmers- there’s always something that needs trimming up at a show! It’s all the fine details that go towards the end result.

What does a ‘normal’ day consist of for you?

When at home, my day starts when I wake up at 6:15am. I feed and hay at 6.30am, make coffee and begin mucking out at 7am. Breakfast for us is between 8-8.30am depending on how busy we are. 8.30am-1pm we exercise all the horses, this includes riding, using the treadmill and the walker as well as turnout time in the field. We also use the TheraPlate at this time too for warming up and cooling down the horses. In the afternoon, we do all the ‘odd jobs’ like clipping, tidying the yard, de-cobwebbing and just general cleaning. 4-5pm we skip out the horses, hay and feed and check they are all well. We try to keep the same routine every day, it’s really important that the horses stay in this routine and it does really work for them! We also make sure that they have their rest at lunchtime. They are given their lunch and hay then we leave them for an hour, we also do the same at 5pm. It’s really beneficial for their mental and physical wellbeing to have this ‘downtime’.

TheraPlate UK launched two new prestigious prizes at the TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show 2018.

The Golden Groom Award was presented to the groom of the horse considered to be in the best physical condition who had used the TheraPlate at the show. Daniel Tarpey, Groom for Harry Charles, was the lucky winner of this award and the amazing prizes which accompanied it. Daniel won the award based on the care and attention he demonstrated to Harry’s ride Sieco, who was judged to be in optimum health and condition. Daniel won the Golden Groom Award Trophy and a brand-new Toyota Aygo for a year!

Peter Charles, the owner of son Harry’s horse Sieco, won the use of a TheraPlate for a year as recipient of the Peak Performance Award.

Daniel said, “It is just fantastic to win a car for a year. I am now 28 and have been grooming since I was 16, and this is just a brilliant prize for the industry as a whole.”

This prize demonstrates not only TheraPlate UK’s commitment to the equestrian industry but also gives recognition to the people who make this sport possible- the grooms.

Dominic Fox, owner of TheraPlate UK said: “The Golden Groom Award recognises the groom’s role within the equestrian industry. Equestrian sport regardless of the discipline would not be the same without the endless hours of hard work and dedication from our grooms.”

Congratulations Daniel on your win and happy driving!

We are very proud to be head line sponsors at the prestigious Liverpool International Horse Show. It’s such a pleasure to meet so many riders, owners and trainers on our trade stand opposite the collecting ring plus offer sample treatments on our stand in the stable area.

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Theraplate UK Liverpool International Horse Show Grooms Get Chance to Win a Car for a Year!

THIS year’s Theraplate UK Liverpool International Horse Show – December 28 to 31 – will see two new awards launched at the prestigious event – with one lucky groom winning a car for 12 months!

The Golden Groom Award and the Peak Performance Award are being supported by Theraplate UK and include the use of a fantastic Toyota Aygo car for the winning groom for a year.

The winning rider, owner or trainer will win the use of a TheraPlate for six months.

The Golden Groom Award will be presented to the groom of the best turned out horse which has tried the TheraPlate at the Liverpool International Horse Show.

Dominic Fox, owner of TheraPlate UK said: “The Golden Groom Award recognises the groom’s role within the equestrian industry. Equestrian sport regardless of the discipline would not be the same without the endless hours of hard work and dedication from our grooms.

“The Golden Groom Award is a great way for TheraPlate UK to support and reward this commitment. The winning groom will receive a trophy and the use of a Toyota Aygo for a year.”

The Peak Performance Award will be presented to the rider, owner or trainer of the horse from the Golden Groom Award. This horse will have been judged on condition and overall wellbeing. For this award, the winner will receive a trophy and the use of a TheraPlate for six months.

Following a successful career in horse racing spanning over 25 years, ex jockey Dominic Fox is committed to giving back to equestrian sport.

Said Dominic: “We hope that the Peak Performance Award and the Golden Groom Award reflects our understanding and commitment to the equestrian industry. Performance and wellbeing go hand in hand and it takes a team to succeed, these awards will certainly make a difference to the winning team.”

Said Show President, Nina Barbour: “We are delighted that Dominic and the team from TheraPlate UK have generously supported this prize. The commitment and dedication of the grooms in this industry is second to none, and often gets overlooked.

“We will be honouring the prize with a special presentation on the podium just before the New Year’s Eve celebrations start.”

The presentation to the lucky winner of the Theraplate UK Golden Groom Award and Peak Performance Award will be made after the presentation of the Grand Prix competition on New Year’s Eve.

This year’s Liverpool International Horse Show will see a host of leading names in action from December 28 to 31, at The Echo Arena on Liverpool’s iconic waterfront.

For further information and to book tickets visit www.liverpoolhorseshow.com

Hi Everyone,

It’s Grace here. I am delighted to announce that I now have a blog with TheraPlate! This will now be the place I tell you about the happenings of my day to day life, the ups and downs that are horses and just a place to generally write down whatever comes to my mind.

We are currently on the buildup to my absolute favourite show of the year- the TheraPlate UK Liverpool International Horse Show! I have competed there the last couple of years and it really is the highlight of my equine calendar, the big finish to the chaotic shows throughout the year and a chance to celebrate the New Year in style.

I first competed there is 2016 on a horse I had only ridden a handful of times, with very little notice that I was competing there (a surprise Christmas present of which I was very much unaware!) and with the most horrendous flu you could imagine. Talk about being unprepared, the atmosphere really was overwhelming for a first timer like me at my very first international show. The bright lights, the amazing courses, and there is nothing quite like the atmosphere. It’s strange though because I thought the standard would be way out of my league and that the riders would be intimidating. But it was quite the opposite. Everyone was so welcoming and what I learned there really was invaluable to my riding and ring experience.

Mum and I always joke about it because I was so ill the first couple of days that I actually couldn’t hear the bell go so I had to keep checking the big screen to see if it had gone (come to think of it I’m quite lucky I wasn’t time faulted!). But it really did give me an incredible first experience there and that definitely drove me much more to go the following year on my own horses… which is exactly what happened.

Much like the first year, the atmosphere was incredible, but without the pressure of riding someone else’s horse. my competitive streak finally having the drive to come out, of course I wanted to win there- who wouldn’t?! And my horses very nearly made that dream come true with Claire coming 2nd twice in the Am-B classes. She heart-breakingly pipped at the post both times but what a ride she gave me both times. Lena actually had the winning time one day but in a real sack-the-jockey moment, mother got a little overly keen on the penultimate turn to result in a fence that we would have been victorious without (and Lena really did deserve the win that day given she had put up with my riding and answering every question I asked no matter how ambitious!).

Hindsight really is a wonderful thing, right? It’s just proved to me that a win there really isn’t out of reach and that maybe if I just work that little bit harder then I might just be able to achieve my ambitions there. I have the most wonderful string of horses and I really do owe it to them for allowing me the opportunities that I have been given. They really do have the hearts of a lion, and who knows? Maybe this year will be our year!

So that brings me back to the buildup. Of course, December time can be difficult to keep them fit, particularly when the cold weather pursues. Put it this way- fresh, fit competition horses and testing weather conditions are not always the greatest combination… and this has resulted in rather a few ground inspections, but one must keep in good spirits as I think I have begun to master the on-the-feet landing! And of course, they are all being fed like the princesses they know they are.

Each day they get carefully measured out feeds, the best haylage and strict fitness regimes… meanwhile, by the time I am finished caring for them I end up fetching a McDonald’s on the way home and shoveling down a day’s worth of calories in one sitting; a rather impressing talent I must say. But the struggle really is real being a rider at this time of year. I don’t know about you, but I really am a ‘foodie’ meaning that resisting the temptations that the Christmas period really can be difficult for me. I could quite easily devour a box of heroes in one sitting, meanwhile my horses are on the most balanced diet and I’m careful not to give them too many treats because it ‘might be bad for them’. The irony.

With the coming New Year, this gives you chance to reflect on the year that has passed and create yourself goals for the new one- resolutions if you will. I always challenge myself to a no-chocolate January. Seems a straight forward goal, but for me it is harder than you think. Of course, ‘get fit’ is a resolution that always makes the list, but I can never quite bring myself to fully commit to it. I really would love to be one of those gym fanatics, but with the scattered timings of the days where the horses are concerned and my general streak of laziness once at home, this resolution generally stretches to February at best. But maybe this year could be that ‘new year, new me’? Maybe one day I can be as fit and as well fed as my horses, but perhaps that too is wishful thinking. But jokes aside I do have some ambitions for next year with the horses, with the main being to finally get the opportunity to compete abroad. And of course, I always want better myself as a rider. As far as I feel I’ve come this year, I still want to push myself that little bit more to prove and finally do justice for how truly talented I know my horses are.

The plan for the meantime is to just keep moving forward. The horses are both looking and feeling fantastic and I can only hope that I do them justice at the end of the month. I’m determined to have them peaking at fitness, even if this does mean a few more unscheduled dismounts, sweat and grit. And even if it doesn’t go to plan- another lesson learned.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog and I’m looking forward to blabbing on again soon.

Grace