‘My hero’: The photograph that conveys the depth of feeling between horse and handler

Here’s the theatre of the Absurde. The France-born, Irish-trained stayer who could win the Melbourne Cup. His bond with his groom is as good as it gets.

Groom Emilie Seigle attends to Absurde after Sunday mornings workout in preparation for the 2024 Melbourne Cup at Flemington. Picture: Darren Tindale Photography

The devotion is sincere. Intense. Tender. Unwavering. Brings ­Emilie Seigle to tears. Constantly! It’s not ridiculous to feel this way. It’s Absurde.

“He’s my best mate,” she says.

Emilie starts crying in our ­interview. Which brings a tear to my eye. Look at these two. ­Absurde is the mighty seven-year-old, France-born, Ireland-trained gelding who could win the Melbourne Cup. His beautifully devoted groom has a poetic, singsong French accent. She becomes excited like an exclamation mark between giggling fits. Then there’s deep-and-meaningful pauses while she’s describing how she feels about her bloke.

“I can’t lie!” she says. “I talk to him about my life. I do. All the time. I’m 100 per cent sure he ­understands me. I feel like he’s listening. I feel like we’re communicating all the time. He’s a special horse. Sometimes my boyfriends have said to me, ‘Are you crazy about this horse?’ I know this horse is my friend. This is what I feel in my heart. I am so sure. I don’t know how to explain it. But this is true!”

Emilie’s not from Paris. The 37-year-old is from Deauville, Normandy. She packed up her life two years ago to move to Ireland’s County Carlow, to be sure, to be sure, and become Absurde’s full-time handler for legendary trainer Willie Mullins.

“My family is not into horses,” she says. “I am the only one. I learned to ride at four years old because we saved a horse from the abattoir. I was a little girl who came home from school every day at full speed to watch a series on TV about the story of Alec Ramsey and his black stallion. Now I am with Absurde and he is my hero. He has changed my life. There is only one way with him. He wants you to give 100 per cent. When you do that, he gives you 100 per cent in return.”

Emilie knows Cup day at Flemington will be dramatic. Theatre of the Absurde? To be sure, to be sure, he’s a red-hot hope, one of the top few favourites, paying $10 and taking Australia’s masterful, three-time Cup-winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy along for the ride.

“When I tell Absurde I’ve had a big day, or a bad day, or a good day, or there’s trouble at work, or something is wonderful, or something is disappointing me, he helps me find the answers to my life,” Emilie says.

“I know this sounds unusual, but he helps me in this way. He helps me find a solution to life or understand a situation better. I will explain to him that I’m hungry for a certain situation, or unhappy for it, and he looks at me like, ‘OK, don’t worry. Everything will be OK.’ And I believe him. One hundred per cent I believe him!” Rarely does a photograph truly convey the depth of feeling ­between horse and handler. This one does. You can see the ­devotion is sincere. And you can see it’s mutual. That’s the beauty of the portrait. It’s a photograph that says more than this yarn ever could.

“Once in your life might you have a chance to meet a horse like this,” she says. “Maybe never. You need to make a lot of sacrifices. Am I willing to make sacrifices for him? My answer is yes. He loves cuddles and to stay by my side. Sometimes if he’s sleeping in the field, I sleep near him. This is also true. He’s stubborn but he can be cheeky and playful. He’s a big boy but there’s a child inside him. He is my hero. Thanks to him, my life has changed.”

Nervous about the Cup? You bet! “It’s not just the Melbourne Cup,” Emilie says. “Every race, I get these extremely nervous feelings. It becomes very hard for me to speak and keep smiling. I try to enjoy the day, but it’s very, very, very hard for me because my heart is on the track with him.

“He is a true warrior. If he wins the Melbourne Cup, incredible! I will not stop crying! Crying all the time! If it happens, I will need a moment to understand the dream. I know I will cry. Constantly!”