Alan Davies has shared his plans to take a step back from his job as head groom for Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin in 2023.
Alan joined Carl and Charlotte in 2011, and has been a constant and hugely popular figure within the team that has dominated British dressage in the years since. But from this year, Alan, 56, will no longer work full-time as a groom, explaining that there are a variety of reasons behind his decision.
“I’m getting older and I feel tired – I think I need a bit of a break,” he told H&H.
“The past three years have been quite tough, both on a personal level and with work. We have had major championships cancelled and postponed, and 2021 was a really tough year, with the Tokyo Olympics and then the European Championships just a few weeks later. It took more out of me than I realised at the time,” explained Alan, who has now seen Carl and/or Charlotte’s horses through a total of 12 major championships: six Europeans, three world championships and three Olympics.
“The dynamics in the yard are changing a bit this year, with Charlotte being pregnant, and so it seems like an appropriate time to start thinking sensibly about my own future,” he added.
“Of course it hasn’t been an easy decision – Valegro and Uthopia are my absolute sweethearts and it’ll be heartbreaking not to see them every day – but Carl and Charlotte have both been very supportive.”
Alan hopes that stepping back from the intensity of his full-time grooming role will give him more time to focus on other things, including educational projects around grooming and horse management, as well as showing his Shetland ponies.
“People keep talking about me writing books, both about my life and horse management; maybe I’ll have time to have a think about that,” he said.
“I also want to see the younger generation of grooms taking over the mantle and moving forward with passion and drive for the profession. As a founding member of the International Grooms Association and ambassador for the British Grooms Association, I’m very proud of what we have achieved in this country and how things are improving for those within the grooming industry, but it’s time for others to take the momentum forward and run with it,” said Alan, adding that he will always offer help and support to the industry, but with a less hands-on approach.
Alan Davies is not retiring from his role altogether, and will remain involved with Carl, Charlotte and the horses.
“I expect I will probably pop up at the odd championship here and there,” he laughed. “I plan to still pop into the yard and help where I can – and I expect I’ll still be hacking out on Wednesday afternoons.”
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