Hunter Groom Adrian Rodriguez Applies Precision and Passion To His Work

Adrian Rodriguez, 42, is at the pinnacle of his profession as a Hunter groom, but it was a very different story when he arrived in the States 23 years ago. “I didn’t know anything about horses,” he said. “I literally came with no experience. I didn’t know how to use a pitchfork.”

Working for John and Stephanie Ingram, he is now entrusted with some of the best Hunters in the country, including Golden Road, who won the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby with Victoria Colvin in WEF Premiere Week. 

Adrian Rodriguez, far right, with Golden Road and the rest of the winning team. Photo Courtesy of Wellington International – Grace Klement

Lunging Is A Science

Rodriguez learned from his peers and acquired an appreciation for the nuances of the job. His attention to detail is apparent in his approach to one of the core components of preparing Hunters for competition – lunging. He spends anywhere from eight to twenty minutes, depending on how the horse is feeling. It is a science if done right, and it is reflected in the level of the horse’s performance in the ring.

Last week, preparation for Friday’s Derby began in earnest on Tuesday. “You can’t just do the same thing every day,” Rodriguez explained. “You have to have a feel for the horse. On Tuesday in the warm-up up he felt fresh, he felt good. He was jumping super good, with a little bit of energy,” he said of Golden Road, who he refers to as ‘Grant’ and also ‘my best friend.’ “The second day he showed in the High Performance, and I lunged him a little bit more that morning – he was super, he was perfect in the class. We started to get ‘a feeling’,” he said, referring to the team surrounding the horse, including Colvin and the trainer Tom Wright.

“When the lunge line is loose, that means the horse is fresh. When the lunge line is heavy, it means the horse is getting quiet.”

The morning of Derby Day saw temperatures drop, bringing a new set of challenges. “I thought this is a big class and I knew it was important to get the lunging time right,” Rodriguez said. Twenty minutes proved to be the magic timeframe that day. “When the lunge line is loose, that means the horse is fresh,” he said. “When the lunge line is heavy, it means the horse is getting quiet.” Rodriguez can also read the many more subtle signs from years of experience.  “I look at the eyes all the time,” he said. “He’s going to tell you what you have to do.”

Appearance Matters

As much as feeling good, a Hunter needs to look good – appearance matters. “You have to like grooming – your grooming has to be perfect, judges see everything –  and your attention has to be perfect, because one little detail can cost you the class, especially when it’s a Derby,” he said. “Sometimes I get mad when things don’t go well – mad with myself. The next day I know I have to do something different.”

Adrian Rodriguez with Golden Road. Photo Courtesy of Catie Staszak Media

I Want To Be Perfect For My Team

Rodriguez takes his role seriously. “There is a lot of time spent waiting at the ring, but when I get to the ring, I don’t chat with my friends,” he said. “I want to see everything. That is how you learn.” His owners entrust him with decision-making based on what he feels from the horse. “When they trust you, the horse feels that too,” he said. “I want to be perfect for my team.”

This groom interview is part of an ongoing series by HorseGrooms, featured throughout the Wellington season in the official publications of Wellington International, the WEF Weekly Wire, and the AGDF Times. By highlighting the grooms behind elite competition, Wellington International supports HorseGrooms’ mission to give greater visibility to the people whose daily care, horsemanship, and dedication underpin top-level equestrian sport.

Sarah Eakin 🇬🇧

Sarah Eakin has a long history of sports reporting and covering equestrian disciplines – particularly show jumping, polo, racing and dressage – for a range of international publications as writer and editor-in-chief. In 2024, Sarah launched Paper Horse – an online magazine with an eclectic mix of stories from the horse world at www.paperhorsemedia.com. Paper Horse is an official Media Partner of Wellington International. Sarah was born in England and came to the US in 1996 as Sidelines’ Polo Editor; at the time she was chief polo writer at the Horse and Hound and Polo Correspondent to The Daily Telegraph. She married US professional polo player Gary Eakin and stayed Stateside traveling throughout North America while covering equestrian events. She is also an author; Wed, White and Blue, her first novel is on Amazon.