When he first came to work for rider Louise Serio seven years ago, Andreas Vega was not the most seasoned groom in the barn.

“He was quite young when he started, and he didn’t have a lot of experience, but he always tried very hard,” Serio explained of Vega.

Years of dedication to learning more about his craft paid off for Vega on Feb. 27 at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington Fla.—Vega topped a field of 18 entries in the groom’s class sponsored by Shapley’s Equine Grooming Products.