Saturday Night Lights for the $500,000 Bainbridge Companies CSI5* Grand Prix brought a special degree of tension for Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue’s groom Shauna Murray as they waited their turn. Fourteen horse and rider combinations had tackled the Alan Wade course without a clear. “I was watching at the Stables, because I wasn’t going until the end of the class, and I was like, oh my God. What’s going on here? Is it that difficult?” said Murray.
The “Thoroughbred County” of Kildare Ireland
Murray’s foray into horses began when her family moved to the “Thoroughbred County” of Kildare Ireland. Surrounded by an array of stunning TB stock, Murray, 32, traded her passion for dogs in for horses. Riding lessons and Pony Club followed before she dabbled in eventing by repurposing an off the track Thoroughbred that she trained herself.
The Dublin Horse Show
Visits to the Dublin Horse Show launched a fascination with the showjumping world. “Watching the big classes, the height of the fences, it was amazing,” she said. “With eventing, it’s all a little bit more about scores – if you have a good dressage [test] that kind of determines your week. Whereas show jumping is a little bit more of a fair sport, because it’s whether you’re clear and you’re fast.”
Oakland Stables
Murray acquired a position at Kenny’s Oakland Stables but patiently waited to be Kenny’s main groom. “I waited for a year and I almost gave up for a second, but I thought this is what I really want. I always admired Darragh as a rider. For me, he’s the best in the world. I don’t think anyone really compares to him.” Fate stepped in and after both grooms left, Murray became Kenny’s head groom and has been for four years.
Highs and Lows
As in any sport, showjumping comes with highs and lows. But for six months, Kenny faced a major blow brought by an FEI suspension over a prescription drug that he took for ADHD. Forced to watch from the sidelines, Kenny relied on Murray to make sure the horses were prepared for Kenny’s good friend Bertram Allen to show them – ready for when the Irishman returned to competition.
“It was very, very difficult for Darragh,” said Murray. “At the end of the day Bertram did a fantastic job with the horses. I think Darragh was grateful that it was Bertram doing it – his friend. And we’re very lucky that we had such supportive owners and sponsors.”
Keeping the Horses Happy
Caring for the horses is what Murray likes best. “My biggest thing is keeping the horses happy,” she said. “I do spoil them.” But even treats are not sufficient sometimes to make Eddy Blue content. “Blue is such an amazing horse. Anyone who knows him on the show circuit knows he’s a character,” said Murray. “He’s not just a horse – he’s part human, part dog, part horse. If he has a fence down, he’ll be annoyed and can be a monster when walking back to the stables.”
Emotional
Saturday night was the opposite. “For sure he knew he had won,” she said. “It was very emotional.” Murray had a good omen before the competition even started. “It’s funny because I had a very weird feeling the whole day that we were going to win,” she said. “I had to keep saying to myself, stop thinking about those things, because I also feel like it’s bad luck.”
Different Bridle
Kenny requested a different bridle – a snaffle – to be made up for the class and Murray brought out the bridle that she had put aside when the last horse to wear it, Kenny’s Olympic mount VDL Cartello, retired.
“It was a really special night with Darragh back and me deciding to use Cartello’s bridle – which I had put away for safe keeping,” she said. “The win was also a long time coming. Eddy Blue’s been second, he’s been third. He won the World Cup in London, but he’s never won one of the five star Grands Prix before. He’s always been so close. To win one was just such a relief.”
Photos courtesy of Shelby Phillips
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.
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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.
