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44 SIDELINES MAY 2011 FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE

HORSE SHOW

My Line:

Back to the Show Ring

By Sarah Ward

Five weeks after knee surgery, I was back in the saddle; three weeks later I entered the show ring. I can’t tell you how good it feels, or how bad it felt at times. My doctors told me it would be six months till I mounted up, but I wasn’t looking at the same calendar as they were! My deadline was the Devon Horse Show. And believe it or not, I made it with a few weeks to spare! That isn’t to say it was “easy,” “enjoyable,” or “fun.” More appropriate words would be “frustrating,” “exhausting,” and “painful.” Everyone says it starts with small steps, and I did. I began with short rides, which led to longer, more focused fat work. Finally, after what seemed like years, I was able to jump small courses! What really amazed me was how sore and weak my body had become in such a short time. One minute my leg was strong and healthy, the next it was a shadow of its former self. Like magic, my muscles had disappeared, leaving only a memory! My frst few times out, I ached in places I didn’t know existed. And when I started back over fences, it felt like my knee was on fre! I wasn’t out of commission for very long, and I am only 21… You would think it would be easy, right? I’m sure it is the same for any athlete coming back from an injury; you think you’ll just jump right back into the game where you left off! Not possible - or at least, not possible in my case! However, the more I rode the easier it got, and the more I had to ice my knee!

I hadn’t really thought about my knees when riding in the past. But on the road to recovery, the bigger and wider the jumps, the more mine hurt. Personally, I now think that the knee is a much overlooked and often underappreciated part of a rider’s body… Heels, lower leg, hands, eyes, even elbows get tons of attention, but not the knees!

There were numerous discussions about my program and getting back into the show ring. My trainers decided to play it safe. I returned to the Amateur Owner Hunters right away, but started with some lower warm up classes in the jumpers. The A/O would have to wait (just a little bit). It took a few classes, but I fnally felt almost back to normal.

After six months that has been flled with more suffering and stress than I care to admit, I’m making a point of taking special care of my body. I’d better, it has to last me a lifetime…

Sarah Ward is currently living in Atlanta. Sarah rides with Finally Farm’s Jack Towell and Liza Towell-Boyd and competes with Finally Farm in the hunters and jumpers in both the amateur and open divisions.