24 SIDELINES MAY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
My Line
Life on the Road
By Sarah Ward
I’m headed into week eight of being on the road nonstop.
Not that anyone should complain about spending two months
competing at top horse shows in gorgeous weather against
some of the most amazing riders and horses in the world. But I
have to admit, being on the road full time like this, I am the most
exhausted I have ever been in my life. I’m sure I’m not alone and
so I fgured that this would be an appropriate topic for this month!
Showing can be tiring, especially when you are trying to qualify
for the big shows and year end fnals. To make the grade, you
have to be at the right competitions and do well in order to secure
the points necessary.
Unfortunately, this leads to being on the road traveling from
place to place for weeks and months at a time. Forget about
sleeping in your own bed or kicking back and chilling in the
comfort of home for long periods of time. You have to get used
to ending your day by slipping in between crisp, hopefully clean,
sheets into an unfamiliar bed with piles of pillows, which look
great but are often to big and frm to actually get a good night’s
sleep. This is all part of the “horse show experience” and you
are usually too tired, after a long day at the ring, the barn or in
the saddle, that you don’t really notice!
But there is one huge draw back for me anyway to being on
the road. I MISS MY DOGS! They can’t travel with me and I
am extremely attached to them. Everywhere you look at every
competition there are dogs of every shape and size, breed and
age. Let’s face it, horse people are dog people and that just
goes hand in hand. I have found it doesn’t work the other way,
people who show dogs don’t have horses, but to be sure, I think
that almost everyone who shows a horse has a pure bred or mutt
mix by their side or sitting in the golf cart or back at the barn to
keep them company!
Survival Tips
So what are some good tips and helpful hints to get you
through it? I do fnd that I spend lots of time just hanging out
with my friends and trainers canine companions. Any dog is
better than no dog; but it’s not the same! With technology today,
you only need to log on to be able to not only talk but also see
people, too, in real time! Skype has become an essential part of
my daily schedule. I’ll Skype with my professors, with my friends
and I especially love Skyping with my dogs. Yes, it can be done,
though they may have to have someone to actually log them
on so they can see me! Tommy, my coonhound, thinks it is the
coolest thing ever.
Another way to bring a bit of home on the road is to pack
my own pillow, a blanket and even my teddy bear, Finn. Last
but not least, get a good cell phone package. My nightly chat
with my boyfriend Rylan makes all the difference and makes me
feel much closer to home. I’m sure you all have your ways with
dealing with distance and life on the road; if not, you might try
a few of mine. I promise the pillow, teddy bear and Skype are
invaluable for homesickness!
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.