Mikkala Krog, Groom Extraordinaire of Andreas Helgstrand's Personal Medal Winners

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F.O.C.U.S.

For nine years Mikkala Krog has been a groom at Helgstrand Dressage. The fun loving gingerhead with her "mikawesome" channel on Instagram gives sound and video bites of her daily life as "groom extraordinaire" of Helstrand's biggest money makers and medal winners.

Head Groom at Helgstrand

In 2011 Krog graduated from high school and immediately began working as a groom in Vodskov. First she worked for assistant rider Anna Blomgren before getting promoted to number one groom on the mega property, personally handling Andreas Helgstrand's top horses.

"In 2013 I started to be Andreas’ groom when he got Akeem Foldager," Mikkala told Eurodressage. "I love every minute of being a groom, even when there have been hard times and sometimes it is difficult, but the happy times the horses give me make it all worth it."

Helgstrand houses 300 horses, handled by a staff of 60 on two yards. The main property is Møgelmosegård in Vodskov and there is now the newbly built youngstock rearing yard Ny Ravnstrup 10 minutes away.

The "difficult" times for her are the unexpected changes horses can throw at you.

"When you work with horses, you never know what will happen, it’s animals and like us humans they can also get a bad day or get injured," she said. "That’s part of the job working with animals, but that is also what makes is fun. You never know what is going to happen when you come to the stable."

Helgstrand's core business is sales and often horses came and go. Mikkala is very well aware that long-term connections with some horses are not always possible.

"Of course I get sad when the horses get sold, but I also understand it’s part of the job, and I love to see when the horses are going to a new loving home," she said. "But yes, I have cried some tears the last few years," she admitted, "but that’s how I get my salary so i can keep my own horses."

Groom Extraordinaire

Mikkala on Ferrari while Andreas was in Florida

Mikkala takes care of Helgstrand's biggest money making and medal winning horses. She currently takes care of five, four of them are stallions and one is mare. They are breeding stallions and World Champions Revolution (bought at auction for 1.2 million euro) and Jovian, young Grand Prix horses Ferrari (bought by his former owner Patrice Mourruau for 1.5 million euro at the PSI Auction) and Bonamour (owned by Dong Seon Kim), and World Championship bronze medal winning mare Queenparks Wendy (owned by one of Andreas' investors, Bolette Wandt).

If you go by the posts Mikkala shares on social media, the Oldenburg stallion Ferrari (by Foundation x Hotline) is her favourite.

"I would not say Ferrari is my favourite, I love all my kids. They all have such a different personality and are very special in their own ways," Mikkala smiled, "but Ferrari just love attention and love people and it’s hard not to share how awesome he is."

Mikkala notices a clear difference between the boys and her girl.

"All the boys are always trying to be funny and trying to do a new trick, and want attention all the time," she said, "whereas Wendy is a girl and loves her alone time. Don’t get me wrong she knows she is the princess and also need her princess time."

A Man's World

Aside from the sales facility, Helgstrand also stands a large collection of breeding stallions at stud. Mikkala has no problems with the testosterone levels as the boys separate their stud duties well from dressage work.

"The stallions here at Helgstrand are really sweet and behave really well," she said. "We have some people in the stallion station and they handle them when they have to do their job, so the stallion learns to separate when it is work time and fun time. It works really well and you can feel the stallions don’t get stressed about it."

When asked what her happiest memory is working as a groom, Mikkala is unsure what to reply.

"I don’t think I have a happiest memory," she confessed, "because as a groom there are so many, and with all the horses we share different moments. If I have to say one, it was when Revolution and Andreas won the World Championship in 2018. I have been his groom since he came out of the truck after Andreas bought him on the auction. To stand there and see how much our hard work has paid off and believe that this horse was a World Champion, that was truly amazing."

Daily Routine

A normal work day starts at 7 AM in the morning with stable work such as feeding and mucking out. Andreas arrives in the barn at 7.15h and around 8h15 he gets on his first horse. It takes Mikkala around 30 minutes to prepare the next one.

"After that we just go on. Sometimes it can take a long time to ride five horses, because Andreas has a meeting or clients to take care of in between," Mikkala explained. "When I know his schedule for the day some of the horses go out in the paddock in the morning or afternoon, but all his horses go out twice a day."

Every Tuesday Mikkala also does the night check at Ny Ravnstrup, which includes feeding the horses, checking the babies and "making sure everybody is happy."

She also works every third weekend in teams doing the morning stable, bringing all the horses in and out form the walker, paddocks, and spa. It is an occasional treat for her when she gets to ride or hack one of her five stars. It is not uncommon that you see Mikkala hacking Revolution outside on the canter track.

"Yes I also get to ride them, but I enjoy more the hacking part, and so do the horses," she said. "Mostly if it fits into Andreas' program we always say that Wednesday is fun day and it works super. When Andreas is away for a longer time Soren Wind rides his horses, because they can’t go on the canter track and forest every day."

Mikkala Time

Me time for Mikkala means grooming, training, competing and cuddling her own two, home bred Danish warmblood horses: the 5-year old Don Angelo T (by Don Deluxe x Milan) and the 7-year old mare Nykildgards Bell Amour T (by Bogegardens Boney M x Milan).

While Bell Amour T is on a baby break, ready to foal from Revolution, Don Angelo T is in work and being lightly competed whenever she has time.

"I'm so lucky I get help from some of the best riders in the world," she said. "I want to do it right so it takes time, but Toby Hewlett and Maria Anita Andersen are helping me."

Don Angelo T, who is nick-named "Raccoon" gets plenty of attention, before and after work, despite's Krog's busy schedule.

"Raccoon is standing at Ny Ravnstrup, so before I go to work I go to him, take his bandages off and hand-walk him for 10 mins, then he gets turn out after lunch," she explained. "I ride him in the evening."

Mikkala is feeling great at her Helgstrand home and has no clear idea of where she will be in the future. When asked where she sees herself in five years, she replied, "good question, I would probably still be working as a groom at Helgstrand, but then again you never know. I just take one day at a time, as long I’m happy when I wake up I will continue to do this."