Exeter man nominated for National Groom Award

David Woolley, based in Exeter, has been nominated as a finalist in the Absorbine Groom of the Year Awards.  

For the ninth year running, Absorbine are hugely proud to be sponsoring this prestigious national award and voting for this year’s nominees is now underway, with the winner to be announced at The British Showing Awards on 19th October 2019, at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.  

David, who previously won this award in 2011, was nominated as a Showing World/Absorbine Non-Professional Groom finalist for a second time by daughter, Helen.  Following the death of David’s wife Julie in 2012, the family sold their yard, Cherrytop Stud, keeping one homebred which Helen continues to show.  Now based at a livery yard, David acts as Helen’s personal groom and accompanying her to shows, alongside helping with the other 17 horses on site.  His daily duties include filling haynets and water buckets, mucking out stables and acting as the yard’s honorary handy man.

Although he has never ridden, David has been surrounded by horses for over 30 years and has a wealth of experience, learnt from the ground up.   Whilst the family ran their stud yard, David helped his late wife and daughter with their home-bredWelsh Section A’s, B’s, D’s, Dartmoor and Shetland ponies, all of whom were produced as show animals. 

And by no means is David a stranger to the showring himself.  Whilst Helen shows her homebred, Cherrytop Majestic May Dayboth in ridden and in-hand classes, David is there beside her, helping to strip tack and produce a gleaming pony.  When Helen had clashing classes, David was often seen showing a pony in-hand himself and nowadays, he helps to cover the livery yard whilst owners are away competing their horses. 

In July 2018, having sat down for a coffee break after his usual morning routine, David suffered a stroke, caused by two large blood clots which had blocked the main artery in his neck.  Following a serious operation and recuperation period, only four weeks later, David was back on his feet filling haynets and helping out on the yard as though nothing had happened. 

Says Helen, “My dad is a super-hero and after everything that has happened – both with loosing mum to cancer and then suffering the serious illness he did last year – he carries on as normal, helping others and putting the horses before himself.  He really deserves to win this again; he’s an inspiration to so many.”

 “I am absolutely thrilled to bits to have been nominated for the award, and I certainly wasn’t expecting it a second time around” says David.  “Helping look after horses has become a way of life and it makes me incredibly proud that my hard work – which I absolutely love – is so appreciated.” 

Leadinghorse care products company, Absorbine are thrilled to be able to continue their support and sponsorship of these awards.  Says European marketing manager, Rachael Holdsworth, “The ethos of Absorbine is reflected in this fantastic award and we are so pleased to support our grooms, without whom many competitors – both amateur and professional – could not be so successful.  Our grooming products are used by so many and it’s fantastic to be able to give something back to those who deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication to the discipline.” 

The full range of Absorbine products are available from Equestrian retailers and Absorbine Stockists.  For more product information, visit www.absorbine.co.ukor find us on Facebook (@AbsorbineUK) and Instagram (@absorbine_europe). 

To vote for David in this year’s Grooms Award visit www.showingworld.co.uk, voting closes Saturday 7th September.