They are always there — often before sunrise and long after the applause has faded: the grooms, silent forces behind every successful rider and every gleaming horse. During Jumping Indoor Maastricht 2025, they finally took center stage. In collaboration with Quintes Finagri, the “Best Groom” award was introduced for the first time — a tribute to dedication, craftsmanship, and love for the horse.
With this award, Quintes Finagri aims to highlight that behind the scenes, care, structure, and attention make all the difference — values that perfectly align with their vision of reliability, quality, and trust within the equestrian world.
Three Finalists
Over the past few days, a jury panel consisting of representatives from Quintes Finagri, the event organization, and the media observed the grooms during their daily routines in the stables, the warm-up arena, and in their interactions with horses and colleagues. From this group, three exceptional finalists were selected:
- Marinda van de Berg, groom to Kristian Houwen
- Mel Jobst, groom to Marcus Ehning
- Alin Seidler, groom to Maikel van der Vleuten
The ultimate winner of the Best Groom Award 2025 was Alin Seidler, who received the prize from Suus Oorthuijsen on behalf of Quintes Finagri.
“Alin is truly always there for her horses, no matter when you walk into the stable,” said the jury report. “She works with complete dedication, and you can see that reflected in her horses: they look fantastic and radiate calm and care. That’s the result of her hard work and love for her profession.”
In the Spotlight
The three winners received a beautiful prize package as a token of appreciation for their commitment — a complete surprise for them. “I absolutely did not see this coming,” said Marinda van de Berg with a broad smile. The trio had the rare chance to shine under the spotlights of the main arena at the MECC — an experience usually reserved for the riders.
“We’re usually on the sidelines, filming or watching our riders and horses,” shared Mel Jobst. “So being the center of attention is quite nerve-wracking, but we love it. This is such great motivation for grooms — a real acknowledgment of what we do every day. Although it doesn’t have to be in the spotlight,” joked the groom of German top rider Marcus Ehning.
Winner Alin Seidler pointed with a smile to the bottle of champagne in her prize package: “We still have to prepare for the Grand Prix, so our work isn’t done yet. But that bottle… we’ll definitely pop it open later!”
Photos by Digishots
