United States Eventing Association

Devon Brown took the trip of a lifetime this spring to groom for her close friend Libby Head at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. Riding her own 18-year-old Sir Rockstar, Libby was the highest placed Under-25 rider at the end of this CCI4*, and the pair looked foot-perfect thanks to Devon's meticulous care. Devon was there for Libby’s first four-star at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2014, and she was there again for her first overseas competition at Badminton. She now shares her behind the scenes experiences from one of the most prestigious events in the world.

Where to start! This trip was a whirlwind filled with so much fun and excitement that I almost felt hungover once it was all said and done. I learned so much throughout this experience and can't wait to be able to use it in future situations.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

To say the beginning was intense is an understatement! I had graduated college in Athens, Ga on Wednesday, flew to Gainesville, Fl Thursday, drove with Libby and Rocky on Friday to Miami, and was on a cargo plane with Rocky to Amsterdam Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. It was crazy and went by fast but the experience was incredible. I watched the shippers load each horse up into the boxes and then see the machines lift them into the cargo plane. I stayed up where the pilots were during the flight, periodically going down the steps to where the cargo was to check on Rocky and give him water. Each time I went to check on him, I had to bring an oxygen tank with me as a safety precaution; it was pretty cool. Rocky took everything in stride and acted as if he had done this his whole life.

Loading on for a flight across the pond. Photo courtesy of Devon Brown.

After an eight-hour plane ride we landed in Amsterdam at 7:00 p.m. local Netherlands time, unloaded the horses into the stalls while we waited for the vet to inspect them and their passports/papers. This process has been known to take an exorbitant amount of time, and the group that arrived a good while before us was still waiting on their tack and equipment when we were leaving! But we were lucky to only wait a few hours to get everything checked. After that, we loaded Rocky onto a lorry to transport him to the overnight stay which was about 15min away. We stayed at a quaint little horse hotel where Rocky and I got a good night’s rest, and back on the lorry we went the next morning headed for England!

Their lorry drove onto this train to take them underneath the English Channel. Photo by Devon Brown.

After 10 hours, two drives and one train ride that took us under the English Channel, Rocky and I finally made it to Jesse Campbell’s lovely farm where we would stay for about a week until the start of the competition. It was extremely nice of Jesse to allow us to stay there and use his amazing facilities and we appreciated it so much! Libby and I spent the week getting reorganized, making sure Rocky was in tip top form, and playing tourist around beautiful England. The two of us even got to go into Bath to have an amazing lunch, see some awesome views, and most importantly do some jog shopping!

Selfies with Rocky. Photo Courtesy of Devon Brown.

The week before Badminton flew by with the rest of the American team getting to Jesse's on the Friday before. I was joined by Buck Davidson and Boyd Martin’s grooms, Woodge and Kristen. We all had tons of fun in light of the stress of Badminton looming ahead of us, and it was great to make some new friends.

The Big Event

The week of Badminton came up quickly and next thing you know we are all packed up and headed the just an hour up the road to one of the biggest, most prestigious four-star events in the world! Once we got there Libby and I both had to practically pick our jaws off the floor as we looked up at the castle which hosted the actual stalls for competitors. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. As I went to find Rocky's stall, I was passing by the stall cards listing Izzy Taylor, Laura Collet, Chris Burton, Paul Tapner, Oliver Townend, Ben Hobday, Jock Paget, Mark Todd as well as a wheelbarrow with Jung written on it..... My mind may have just blown when seeing that one! That was when I realized how tiny a tadpole I was in this ginormous body of water we call eventing. The best of the best were here, and Libby and Rocky were a part of it. Watching each of those riders work with their horses in the days leading up to dressage was pretty spectacular. I wanted to stop each and every one of them and ask, why are you doing that? What is your prep leading up to this huge event? How are you getting that result from what you just did? I was in complete and utter awe of each and every rider - it made me want to stay in this wonderful bubble that lived, breathed and ate only eventing.

Libby on the left and Michael Jung on the right. Photo by Devon Brown.

The rest of the week flew by. With jogs on Wednesday afternoon, Rocky was sparkly clean and ready to show off with Libby looking beautiful next to him. They passed with flying colors and were onto dressage on Thursday afternoon. I got him all ready to show off his dancing moves, and sure enough that's exactly what he did! They got their best four-star score to date (57.8), and I couldn't have been happier for them.

Libby, Rocky and Devon head back to the stall. Photo by Katherine LoChiatto.

As soon as dressage was over, Libby, her coach Kyle Carter and I got totally focused on cross-country. I was able to walk the course with Libby and Kyle which was really cool to see. Everything looked doable, and I knew the two of them had it in the bag come Saturday. All I could think about was how badly I wanted to ride this course someday!

Saturday by far was one of the greatest days I have been able to experience. Cross-country day at Badminton is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. The fans, vendors and action made the entire atmosphere electric. Watching Libby and Rocky rock around that course was so inspiring, and I felt proud to be a part of their team. Libby helped Rocky when he needed her and vice versa which paid tribute to their amazing partnership. We celebrated Libby and Rocky’s amazing trip around with a big pitcher of Pimms and a pretty hilarious picture with Sir Mark Todd!

Rocky and Devon stop for a photo with Mark Todd. Photo Courtesy of Devon Brown.

Rocky felt fantastic after cross-country and recovered really well making my job so much easier on Saturday night and Sunday morning before the second horse inspection. Preparing for show jumping on was an interesting feeling as I felt Saturday was full of excitement, nerves, and anticipation whereas Sunday was actually a bit relaxing. Libby even said she wasn't as nervous for show jumping, which is slightly unusual for her. Rocky tried his heart out and Libby rode beautifully to produce a lovely round with only one rail down.

Looking Back

And there it was: the two of them finished their second four-star and their first Badminton, along with bringing home a new saddle for being the best placed rider under the age of 25 in the field. I really don’t think the weekend could have gone better, and their successful go blew me out of the water.

Devon and Rocky. Photo by Libby Head.

As a rider with dreams of competing internationally, this was a truly unbelievable experience. I urge anyone that wants to compete at the upper levels one day to take every opportunity there is to gain valuable experiences like this one. Now that I know how much blood sweat and tears go into making this all possible, I can more easily do this myself when the time comes. Always keeping your mind open and willing to work your tail off for this sport is key. Whether you’re riding or grooming, each experience is beneficial in its own way. Very grateful I was able to be a part of their journey and one day it will help me when I'm trying to make this journey as well! Until next time Badminton...