member spotlight - dinette neuteboom
Name: Dinette Neuteboom
Title: Founder of HorseGrooms | President of the HorseGrooms Foundation
Business Name(s): HorseGrooms | HorseGrooms Foundation
Tell us about yourself and your work?
I'm the founder of HorseGrooms, an international platform dedicated to supporting, educating, and connecting professional grooms and everyone passionate about good horsemanship and horse welfare.
Through our online community, educational webinars, articles, podcast, and in-person MeetUps, we bring people together to share knowledge and learn from each other. We also work to give professional grooms the recognition and respect they deserve within the equestrian industry.
In 2026, we established the HorseGrooms Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on making education, mentorship, and professional development more accessible to grooms and equine caretakers.
Alongside running HorseGrooms, I still work hands-on with horses as a groom, barn manager, or exercise rider. That connection to everyday barn life is very important to me. It keeps me grounded in the challenges and realities of the people we serve.
How did you end up in this specific corner of the equine world?
I don’t come from a horsey family. My father is a musician (classical) and my mother is a teacher. But I’ve spent most of my life working with horses, in many different roles and in several countries. I'm originally from the Netherlands, where I lived until I was 34 years old. I produced young horses (show jumpers), worked as an equine college teacher, equestrian journalist, press officer of an international horse show (Indoor Friesland), and as a trainer and instructor for the Dutch Equestrian Federation.
I LOOOVE horses, but I also love to travel and experience other cultures. At the end of 2009 I took a big step because I thought I shouldn’t wait with trying to live my dream until I was retired (as all of you know, you don’t know if you’ll make it that far or if you will be healthy and financially well off enough to do what you like to do), so I sold my horses, quit my job, and started a trip around the world with no end date. And although the goal now is to stay in the U.S., it still feels as if my around the world trip hasn't ended yet. It’s been almost 17 years now and I'm still combining my two passions: traveling and horses.
In all those years traveling around the world, I've worked in Wellington as a groom, home rider, and barn manager, in Peru as a volunteer (cooking for and doing activities with poor kids), as a young horse rider in Argentina, as a barn manager in New Zealand, as a young horse rider and coach in China, as a wrangler in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, and as a groom at Spruce Meadows. It was A-MA-ZING (and still is)!
Working in and visiting so many different countries (including Mongolia, Easter Island, Patagonia, and many more) has taught me that although our equestrian cultures can be different, the importance of good horsemanship is universal.
Over the years, I noticed two things that bothered me.
One: we need to and can do better as an industry (social license to operate).
Two: Grooms carry enormous responsibility for the horses in their care, yet their knowledge, experience, and contribution are often undervalued. At the same time, so much valuable knowledge is passed from one person to another and can easily disappear if we don't actively share it.
That's what inspired me to start HorseGrooms in 2023. I wanted to create a place where grooms could connect, learn, ask questions, and feel proud of their profession, and, at the same time, a place where I could do my little thing to help keep horsemanship alive.
What's something you're figuring out right now?
How to grow HorseGrooms and the HorseGrooms Foundation in a sustainable way.
There are so many things I want to accomplish, and I see opportunities everywhere. But I'm learning that building something meaningful also means making choices, finding the right people to work with, and accepting that not everything can happen at once.
I'm also learning how to balance being an entrepreneur with continuing to work hands-on with horses. Both are important parts of who I am.
What would you want a woman five years behind you to know?
You don't have to have everything figured out before you start.
I founded HorseGrooms after decades of working in the equestrian industry, but I had no experience building an online platform or running this type of business. I've had to learn an enormous amount along the way, and I'm still learning every day.
Don't underestimate the value of your experience and your network, even if your experience doesn't look like a traditional business background. The things you've learned through hard work, challenges, and working with different people can become your greatest strengths.
And surround yourself with people who are willing to share their knowledge, encourage you, and sometimes challenge your thinking. That's one of the reasons I value communities like Women in Equine so much.
What's one change you'd like to see in this industry as a businesswoman?
I'd love to see greater recognition of the professionals who work behind the scenes in our industry, particularly grooms.
We talk a lot about successful riders, trainers, and horses, but every successful equestrian operation depends on knowledgeable, dedicated people caring for those horses every day.
I believe investing in education, professional development, better working conditions, and career opportunities for grooms benefits the entire industry. Most importantly, it benefits the horses.
I'd also love to see more collaboration between equestrian businesses and organizations, including across international borders. We have so much knowledge and experience within our industry. Imagine what we could accomplish if we shared more of it.
Any last thoughts?
One of the things I love most about the equestrian world is how international it is. I'm Dutch, currently living and working in the United States, and I've been fortunate to work with people from many different cultures and backgrounds.
That's also what I appreciate about Women in Equine. Connecting with other women who understand the challenges of building a business in this industry, while bringing different experiences and perspectives to the table, is incredibly valuable.
I truly believe we can accomplish more by supporting each other rather than trying to figure everything out on our own.
Find Dinette and HorseGrooms online:
Connect with Dinette on LinkedIn
Follow HorseGrooms on Facebook
