Grooming

Riece Locke on Grooming for Ten Sixty

The young rider and hard-working groom/manager talks about caring for the TSS string at the World Equestrian Center-Wilmington winter shows.

Treats! Riece Locke with one of her charges. (Winslow Photography)

By: World Equestrian Center - Wilmington Media | January 16, 2025

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you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. riece locke on grooming for ten sixty by: world equestrian center - wilmington media. the first world equestrian center – wilmington, ohio, sunday spotlight of 2025 shines on riece locke of campbellford, ontario. riece wears all the hats that the sport has to offer as a rider, groom and manager at ten sixty stables (tss) in uxbridge. the young athlete has been widely recognized at the facility for her work ethic and top care of the string of horses at tss. we caught up with riece to learn more about her background in the sport and her current role! wec: how did you get started riding? i started riding at the age of four at a lesson and show stable close to where i grew up. i rode and showed ponies there for close to 10 years until i got my first horse. advertisement scroll to continue with content wec: how did you start on the path as a groom/manager at ten sixty stables? mike pegg ran a series of horse shows in my area and i worked for his shows during the summer while also showing myself. when ten sixty stables (tss) opened, i moved there in 2016. i love working at the stable and going to horse shows, so it was a natural transition to working full time. i like to keep things organized and have the day run smoothly so it was a good fit! wec: tell me about a day in your life at the horse shows. our days fluctuate depending on how many horses we have and what show we are at. typically, here at wec, we feed and do the chores first in the morning. all of the horses are exercised in the morning before they show. i like to make sure they all have a bemer treatment and are braided before they jump. it is normal that we have a few horses in the grand prix so it is important to keep the tack and horses organized so we can get to the ring efficiently. wec: what is your favorite thing about your job? most motivating factor? my favorite thing about my job is working with nice, competitive horses that like to do their job. i also like that it’s a multifaceted business so i’m not always doing the same thing. in the stable we have a string of show jumpers and sale horses. that allows me to ride most days, buy and sell horses for myself and compete at nice shows. during the summer at tss, we host five to six weeks of silver- and gold-rated shows. in my spare time, i like to help organize some of the things that go into running a show such as arranging stabling, sponsorship packages, hiring staff, etc. it’s fun every once in a while to announce or run an ingate, too! wec: tell me about a special horse that you have had and why. a special horse that i’ve had was named lancelot du faurieu z. he was the first horse that i purchased on my own. i showed him in the 1.20 low amateurs. he was later sold as a derby horse. wec: what is your most special memory since working at ten sixty stables? one of my favorite memories was gin tonic placing second overall in the canadian championships and qualifying for the international week at the royal winter fair. it’s a prestigious show in ontario that is full of history with a great atmosphere. wec: who is you current favorite horse in the barn to handle and why? there’s a very nice group of horses at the moment but my favorite right now is comme cartani! he is lovely to ride with a very easygoing attitude. &&>

The first World Equestrian Center – Wilmington, Ohio, Sunday Spotlight of 2025 shines on Riece Locke of Campbellford, Ontario. Riece wears all the hats that the sport has to offer as a rider, groom and manager at Ten Sixty Stables (TSS) in Uxbridge. The young athlete has been widely recognized at the facility for her work ethic and top care of the string of horses at TSS. We caught up with Riece to learn more about her background in the sport and her current role!

WEC: How did you get started riding?

I started riding at the age of four at a lesson and show stable close to where I grew up. I rode and showed ponies there for close to 10 years until I got my first horse.

Scroll to continue with content

WEC: How did you start on the path as a groom/manager at Ten Sixty Stables?

Mike Pegg ran a series of horse shows in my area and I worked for his shows during the summer while also showing myself. When Ten Sixty Stables (TSS) opened, I moved there in 2016. I love working at the stable and going to horse shows, so it was a natural transition to working full time. I like to keep things organized and have the day run smoothly so it was a good fit!

WEC: Tell me about a day in your life at the horse shows.

Our days fluctuate depending on how many horses we have and what show we are at. Typically, here at WEC, we feed and do the chores first in the morning. All of the horses are exercised in the morning before they show. I like to make sure they all have a Bemer treatment and are braided before they jump. It is normal that we have a few horses in the Grand Prix so it is important to keep the tack and horses organized so we can get to the ring efficiently.

WEC: What is your favorite thing about your job? Most motivating factor?

My favorite thing about my job is working with nice, competitive horses that like to do their job. I also like that it’s a multifaceted business so I’m not always doing the same thing. In the stable we have a string of show jumpers and sale horses. That allows me to ride most days, buy and sell horses for myself and compete at nice shows. During the summer at TSS, we host five to six weeks of silver- and gold-rated shows. In my spare time, I like to help organize some of the things that go into running a show such as arranging stabling, sponsorship packages, hiring staff, etc. It’s fun every once in a while to announce or run an ingate, too!

WEC: Tell me about a special horse that you have had and why.

A special horse that I’ve had was named Lancelot du Faurieu Z. He was the first horse that I purchased on my own. I showed him in the 1.20 low amateurs. He was later sold as a Derby horse.

WEC: What is your most special memory since working at Ten Sixty Stables?

One of my favorite memories was Gin Tonic placing second overall in the Canadian Championships and qualifying for the International week at The Royal Winter Fair. It’s a prestigious show in Ontario that is full of history with a great atmosphere.

WEC: Who is you current favorite horse in the barn to handle and why?

There’s a very nice group of horses at the moment but my favorite right now is Comme Cartani! He is lovely to ride with a very easygoing attitude.