Professional Event Management

Duncan Whitney-Groom, founder of Optimum Event Management has ridden to a high level under the guidance of a number of Olympic & International Dressage & Event riders and learnt through riding & competing, that attention to detail is one of the very important keys to success.  

Training at Moulton College of Agriculture in the 1990’s, Duncan gained his BHS Stages I, II & III before successfully landing a working pupil role in a small yard in Bourton-on-the-Hill located in the Cotswolds.  It was there that he met riders such as Carl Hester, Emile Faurie, Owen Moore, Christian Landolt & Daniel Greenwood amongst others.  

After leaving this establishment, he was fortunate to be offered a role as rider for Michael Godfrey (USA 3DE Team Rider) in the USA.  While in America for six months, Duncan schooled & competed a variety of horses culminating in winning one of the sections at the Immokalee 3DE in Florida.  

Coming back to the UK, Duncan secured a role with Carl Hester back in the Cotswold's where he schooled & competed horses from youngsters to Grand Prix level, qualifying two 4 year old's for the Preliminary Regional’s and finishing in the top 10 on them both at the Shell Gas National Championships later that year.  

Moving just a few miles away from Carl’s yard in Stow-on-the-Wold to Lady Bamford’s Daylesford Stud, Duncan spent the next three years schooling & competing Dressage & Event horses up to PSG & Intermediate level before taking a position working alongside Jeanette Brakewell at the Lawrence David Event Team.   From here, he progressed into Event Management at Hoplands Equestrian Centre in Hampshire ahead of five years at Merrist Wood College in Surrey.  

In 2014, Optimum Event Management was formed and the rest is history.  Our events are professionally run, friendly and welcoming and we pride ourselves on making them enjoyable - after all, that's what it should be about.