Page 52 - 2304

50 SIDELINES APRIL 2011 FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE H O R S E S H O W

On Course With

Sarah Orberson Taylor

Sarah Orberson Taylor, a 22-year-old jumper rider from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, said she spent a decade bouncing around from farm to farm looking for the right trainer. In 2010, she started training with Finally Farm in Camden, South Carolina, and feels like she has “fnally” found her home.

“When I started training with Jack Towell and Liza Boyd at Finally Farm, I found trainers who are all on the same page and are working towards the same goal. They have my best interest at heart, they are supportive and they work to help me meet my goals and then set new ones. They have really boosted my confdence and my skills in the saddle,” Sarah says, adding that she trailers in for lessons and meets them at shows. “I am thrilled to be with Finally Farm and am learning so much and having a great time too.”

Sarah says her search to fnd the right trainer was a revolving door experience. “I had some great trainers over the years, but circumstances kept occurring in which they would move or leave the barn where I was. It really became a struggle and I almost gave up riding. But now my riding and showing future looks fantastic.”

Sidelines: What horses do you own and compete?

ST: I own True Religion, who I call Hootie, and I ride him in the child/adult jumpers 1.10 and the classics. I also have Macket that I was doing in the amateur owner hunters 3’3” last year but he is for sale because I am only doing jumpers now. I also have my old junior hunter and a pony jumper that just hang out.

Sidelines: How have Jack and Liza inspired you?

ST: If I hadn’t begun riding with them, I probably wouldn’t have ridden much longer. I couldn’t fnd a consistent trainer around the Charleston area and was getting frustrated. They have inspired me to not only continue riding but to dreammuch bigger than I ever could have imagined before.

Sidelines: What do you consider the highlight of your career so far?

ST: My most recent exciting highlight was placing 6th in the $25,000 Barry Lane Memorial Grand Prix. That was my frst big class since switching to the jumpers and it was pretty exciting.

Sidelines: How has your journey to fnd the right trainer made you a better rider?

ST: I have had the opportunity to ride with several very good trainers and picked up bits and pieces of knowledge from each of them. I have seen characteristics that I would want to see in myself, and those that I would not. With having been through so many trainers, I now know what I want out of my trainers and what I don’t.

Sidelines: What are your riding goals?

ST: My riding goals are to switch to only jumpers and hopefully get to the point of at least doing the high junior/amateur jumpers.

Sidelines: You are in a paralegal program, how do you fnd time to show?

ST: I do my school online so that I am able to travel and ride whenever I need to. I made that decision when I started college that I didn’t want to ever have to miss a horse show because of a test or a class that I couldn’t miss.

Sidelines: What do you do in your spare time?

ST: I love to read books about law cases, watch reality TV, and relax with my three small dogs Gucci, Coco and Fendi. I also love to shop.

Sidelines: Describe yourself in 10 words or less.

ST: Carefree, dedicated, determined, critical of myself, energetic, impulsive.

Sarah and Hootie enjoy a fun moment together

Photo by Sydney Masters.

Sarah and Hootie Photo by Flashpoint Photography