Phoebe Leger has her favorites as groom to Daniel Bluman – older, longstanding Grand Prix dependables and new, upcoming stars of the Colombian rider’s string. Saturday Night Lights last weekend, week 11 of the Winter Equestrian Festival [WEF], Bluman, who rides for Israel, brought out 15-year-old Belgium Warmblood Gemma W for the $150,000 CSI4* 1m50 Hermes Championship final. The pair pulled off a win and enjoyed their victory lap.
Victory Lap
“I was in the arena,” said Leger, who joined her charge in the arena as she got her treats, “and the girl who had the tray of carrots was so surprised that after Gemma jumped so fast in the jump off, she just cantered slowly around the ring for the crowds. But she knew that she was just doing her victory lap.”
Milestone Victory
In sharp contrast to the seasoned Grand Prix horse, Leger brought upcoming star, Malina to the International ring the day before, as Bluman won the WEF Challenge Cup round 11 – a milestone four-star victory for the 9-year-old mare.
Family Horse Gemma W
Gemma W is a favorite, not just of Leger’s but of the Bluman family, with Daniel’s six and seven-year-old children able to jump on and ride her around the property. “She’s been like my horse,” said Leger. “I take care of her at home. I ride her at home. She is great to trail ride. I do everything with her. She’s the sweetest, and she’s so easy to handle.”
Everything Doesn’t Have To Be So Hard
Malina – still green in comparison – has been a little more challenging for Leger, who takes Bluman’s competition horses to the showgrounds during WEF, and has worked hard with the mare to help her relax in the competitive environment.
“We’ve had her since she was at the end of her six-year-old year,” said Leger. “So it’s been a lot of just slowly getting her to be more relaxed. She’s a very tense, nervous horse, and she’s traffic shy, but she’s always been very careful and really wants to do a good job and do what you ask her to do – she just wasn’t quite sure of how to do it. It took a while to teach her that everything doesn’t have to be so hard.”
Leger also likes Corbie V.v., who she has looked after for some five years, and says that the 9-year-olds – including Malina – are starting to grow on her.
Family Time and Bluman Equestrian in New York
Leger, 30, has worked for Bluman for six years. She started riding when she was five and was determined to find a role in the horse world, attending college in her home state of New York to study Equine Science and Management. Aside from traveling during the summer, Leger spends time at Bluman Equestrian in North Salem, NY, which gives her time with her family, who live in the area.
“I like it here,” she said of Wellington, “because everyone is here, all of my friends that I normally only see when I travel to the shows. Everyone’s down here, so it’s nice that I can just hang out with them whenever. But I do enjoy New York because the area is beautiful, and I’m from New York, so I get to see my family sometimes while I’m up there.”
Bluman Equestrian is a family in its own way, consisting of Daniel and Steven, Mark and Ilan Bluman, and they are all stabled together for the summers in New York. “We all get along. We all help each other – we all work together to get things done,” said Leger. “Everyone is family.”
Feature photo courtesy of Sarah Eakin/Paper Horse
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.
HorseGrooms collaborates with events, horse show organizations, brands, and professionals worldwide to share practical knowledge and real stories from the people who care for horses every day, from local barns to top-level competition venues.
For support options and to learn more, go to www.horsegrooms.com/get-involved
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.
