The coronavirus caused many people staying at home to work or just 'to be home' because of unemployment, but that's not the case for most grooms. However competitions are not taking place right now, the stables have to be cleaned and the horses need to be taken care off. The Belgian Federation spoke to Max Rundle, the British showgroom of Gudrun Patteet.
Max Rundle (23) is stuck at home on doctors prescription. Not because of the virus but because of an accident with one of the horses. "A horse fell on me a couple of weeks ago. My back still hurts but I'm fine. This could have ended a lot worse".
Did you return to England?
"No. I have an appartement at the stables so I stayed in Belgium to recover. My accident didn't came at the right time because Gudrun was competing at the Sunshine Tour at that moment so I couldn't be there. My French girlfriend, who is a freelance groom, took over. She is still working for Gudrun right now.
So you're stuck at home. Maybe this was the perfect timing given the fact that there's probably not so much to do after all?
"That's absolutely not the case. There is plenty of work here. I'm going to start working again next week and will be claiming my spot again. I'll be cleaning stables, making the horses ready,... We do however follow the rules at the stable. We wash our hands often and keep our distance. I must admit I don't like the fact there's no competition right now. I do understand that the work at home needs to happen as well, but this is more boring. If you're a groom, you want to be on the road and I must admit that I miss it. It's more rock-n-roll to be on the road than to stay at home all the time.
Gudrun and the rest of your colleagues are like 'your family'. What's it like to work for Gudrun.
“(laughs) She’s the boss ! She is my boss and I really like working for her. She is a perfectionist, but I am too so that doesn't cause any problems. We understand each other without saying a word. This is very important because everything has to be just right during competition. But she's relaxed as well. We can talk about everything. She says what's going on and she's a good communicator; I really like that because like this, I always know what to do. We however keep a certain distance. When you're around each other too much, risk is that you're not taking things serious in the end. It has to stay professional.
You're from Londen. Is this the epicenter of Corona in the UK right now?
"I'm afraid so. I think the UK government has reacted way too late. Everyone in my family is still healthy but for my grandparents it's very difficult. They were always very active, despite the fact they're 80 years old. But they do realize they have no choice. My parents call me very often, more than they used to".
Max Rundle (23) is stuck at home on doctors prescription. Not because of the virus but because of an accident with one of the horses. "A horse fell on me a couple of weeks ago. My back still hurts but I'm fine. This could have ended a lot worse".
Did you return to England?
"No. I have an appartement at the stables so I stayed in Belgium to recover. My accident didn't came at the right time because Gudrun was competing at the Sunshine Tour at that moment so I couldn't be there. My French girlfriend, who is a freelance groom, took over. She is still working for Gudrun right now.
So you're stuck at home. Maybe this was the perfect timing given the fact that there's probably not so much to do after all?
"That's absolutely not the case. There is plenty of work here. I'm going to start working again next week and will be claiming my spot again. I'll be cleaning stables, making the horses ready,... We do however follow the rules at the stable. We wash our hands often and keep our distance. I must admit I don't like the fact there's no competition right now. I do understand that the work at home needs to happen as well, but this is more boring. If you're a groom, you want to be on the road and I must admit that I miss it. It's more rock-n-roll to be on the road than to stay at home all the time.
Gudrun and the rest of your colleagues are like 'your family'. What's it like to work for Gudrun.
“(laughs) She’s the boss ! She is my boss and I really like working for her. She is a perfectionist, but I am too so that doesn't cause any problems. We understand each other without saying a word. This is very important because everything has to be just right during competition. But she's relaxed as well. We can talk about everything. She says what's going on and she's a good communicator; I really like that because like this, I always know what to do. We however keep a certain distance. When you're around each other too much, risk is that you're not taking things serious in the end. It has to stay professional.
You're from Londen. Is this the epicenter of Corona in the UK right now?
"I'm afraid so. I think the UK government has reacted way too late. Everyone in my family is still healthy but for my grandparents it's very difficult. They were always very active, despite the fact they're 80 years old. But they do realize they have no choice. My parents call me very often, more than they used to".