My Happy Times as Head Girl for the Griffiths Eventing Team

With the gorgeous Happy

So as I write my final blog I have just finished my last day as Head Girl for Sam after five years working for him and Lucy it certainly feels strange waking up this morning! I have had the most incredible and almost indescribable times, met some life-long friends, travelled through Europe, been to an Olympic Games, developed skills and as a person without attending university!!

I first went to Symphony Farm having just done fairly terribly in my final year of A-Levels at school; University was never something that totally appealed to me, but I'd always been heavily involved with eventing, competing myself. It was my first move away from home and I was fortunate enough after a year and a half to be asked to be head girl. 'It's simple' said Sam, just organise some days off for the staff, book in the farrier and make sure the horses are vaccinated on time....

The first Three Day win in my first year as head girl with Angelo

On it goes - really my first Three Day Event for him was two horses at Badminton and when I look back on photos of the horses there now, I do just think ‘what was I doing!!’ But you have 'to do' to learn and that's what I did, I had lots of support from Sam and Lucy during the beginning of my job and I was fortunate to be able to grow into the role as such!

Brocks the Badminton winner!

One absolute stand out memory for me was from 2014 - little did anyone know we would be Badminton winners. Having gone to Badminton every year as a spectator since I was a small child, I was in awe of the whole thing and being behind the scenes. The event just has this amazing buzz around it like no other place. Each time I have been fortunate enough to go we all just think...wow this is amazing!!! A day I will never forget walking into that main arena as the winners, alongside Sam, Lucy and Paulank Brockaghs' incredibly supportive owners.

We were then fortunate enough to be selected for the World Equestrian Games that same year and we then headed for Burghley with the gorgeous Happy Times who was third there! During my time I've been very lucky that as a team we've achieved some super results at the highest level and I've been able to follow the track of the young horses developing through their careers. This is a huge part of the job for me, the bond with each horse and their own individual careers makes the job so interesting and enjoyable.

It's not all plain sailing and it certainly hasn't just been good results along the way! It’s a mentally tough job, and sometimes it seems there is no way out of the sometimes endlessly tough days - there is no dispute that's it's a very tough job! We've always been fortunate to have a super team of people at home year in year out and no yard in this sport can be without that. You have to celebrate the good times when they come around as who knows when the next one will be!!

With Favorit Z

In 2015 we lost the most gorgeous boy Favorit Z after a fatal accident. It was just the most awful time. He had a heart of gold and was just the most special horse to me as I had cared for him day in day out since the day he had arrived with us. To this day it still brings a tear to my eye and it took me a long time to get over not having him in the yard. It is sadly something we had to come to terms with within our team, but as a closing blog for me he couldn't have gone without a mention, with a huge place in my heart.

My time with Sam couldn’t have finished any better this season, with our trip to the Rio Olympics this summer. As a team Sam and Paulank Brockagh excelled and showed the world what an amazing combination they are and then team Australia followed suit (as Sam was the first team member!)

The Australian team grooms at the Rio medal ceremony

It was an unbelievably proud moment for me as Paulank Brockagh has a special place with me. She's just an amazing mare who quite literally knows what she wants when she wants, and does just that!! She's most definitely earned that though and I feel lucky to have been able to care for her during her (and my) first 4* and major Championships.

As a job it's a total whirlwind, but I wouldn't have changed any part of it. I would recommend it to anyone as something to do and I'm not bowing out easily or completely for that matter. It was an incredibly hard decision for me to leave Symphony Farm and a job I love but as this season ends another four year cycle for the next Olympics starts. Something I wasn't sure I could commit too. I'm not totally sure what's next for me, some holiday and a full Christmas and New Year without a work commitment, however Sam still competes my horse so for a short while I won’t be too far away from the eventing circuit with her.

Imogen Mercer