Equestrian Australia presents Rachel Watts, Groom of the Year

Rachel Watts is the winner of the 2017 EA Groom of the Year Award.

Rachel is the head groom for Shane Rose, she is totally dedicated to her role and her horses. Rachel works with all the horses on the property (around 120) and is in charge of the performance horse team which includes about 25 eventing horse, ranging from youngsters to 4* eventers.

Rachel lives on site at Bimbadeen Park and is never really off duty, she knows the horses inside out and is always on hand to ensure all their needs are met. Rachel shows great attention to detail and is quick to notice any new lumps or bumps and also identifies when a horse is not feeling 100%. Rachel also has the difficult task of ensuring that Shane is in the right place at the right time. She turns out the competition horses beautifully, she is very skilled at her job which allows Shane to just concentrate on riding. He knows his horses are happy and well cared for when Rachel is around. She performs her duties to a very high standard and does so with a smile on her face and a good sense of humour.

In 2017 Rachel groomed for Shane at FEI events in Australia, England, Scotland and Germany. 2017 was a year of highs and lows for Shane and Rachel. There were several outstanding results highlighted by several wins in Australia and also winning major competitions overseas including Blair Castle Event Rider Masters, the Advanced at Gatcombe and a podium finish at the prestigious Aachen CHIO. Sadly in 2017 one of their homebred stars Shanghai Joe (Nugget) suffered a freak accident and was put down while competing in the UK. This was a hard time for Rachel who had looked after Nugget since he was born. It was no secret that Nugget was a favourite of Rachel’s and she was devastated when he died. Through this hard time, Rachel continued to be of constant support to Shane and his team of horses. Rachel is a valued member of Shane’s team and undoubtedly has a positive impact on the overall performance of the horses and Shane.