CASTLEWELLAN’s Ciarraí Rice was a multiple winner at last Saturday night’s Eventing Ireland Northern Region awards ball, but the veterinary nurse wasn’t the only member of her family to be called forward for a presentation in The Stormont Hotel.

Thanks to her convincing nomination letter, Ciarraí’s husband Jack was judged winner of the prestigious Roy Pugh memorial award for the season’s top groom and he was presented with a beautiful print, kindly donated, as always, by Ruth Eyre Pugh. This is what Ciarraí wrote:

“I would like to nominate my husband Jack Rice for the best groom award.

“He has come from a non-horsey background and made my horsey world his world for me. He plans his whole diary around all my Eventing Ireland one-day events and training – giving up all his car shows and he’s car-mad! He has supported me from day one, ensuring to never miss an opportunity to grow my eventing journey, which I only started three years ago.

“I call him my ‘Stud Man’, as he takes so much pressure off me, prepping at home and at events by taking on the groom role in studs/course walking/time keeping/video man, as well as making sure my mare Jessie is always looked after with fresh water, head scratches and cheeky grass nibbles. He is there for all the at-home prep and I can’t forget his role as lorry attendant, as he will make sure he patches everything together to always get us straight back out and never miss an event.

“He will stand for hours at every outing and, even if we are too busy to grab some food along the way, he will never complain. He will still always meet me with a smile and say, ‘Well done’. I couldn’t do it without him. His support has not only allowed me to get to all these events, but also allows me to focus solely on my competing, achieving success along the way.

“He is my biggest fan, forever proud, and brings great moral support. He has fully dropped what he loves to provide so much happiness for me. He has now made many friends in the Eventing Ireland world and is an all-rounder helper at all events for anyone in despair.

“Jack’s love for my happiness and his love for my special mare, Lady J, is heart-warming. We all need a husband groom like him, and I am very lucky! It would make his world winning this award, as he is continuously learning and trying to do better as a groom. He will love this award to make him feel part of the horsey world he now loves. He truly deserves this award.”