On the Line

I’ve found a man less accessible than McLain Ward, and his name is Prince Harry. No real surprise, I know, but in the “real” world, inaccessibility gets physical. I found this out yesterday when I was tossed in the mix with two dozen bald, sweaty, and pushy British members of the press corp.

Our group of media (of which Sidelines News is the sole representative of an equine publication) attended a children’s garden party and cultural performance at the Barbados Museum with Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. The whole weekend benefits Sentebale, a charity set up by both princes in memory of their mothers, to raise funds for the children in the African country of Lesotho.

www.sentebale.org

Prior to their arrival the group of media lined up and jostled for space along the walkway that the princes would pass by on. When they arrived I got my first real taste of what it feels like to be the paparazzi. Those Brits have no qualms about shoving a skinny American out of the way if it means getting their shot. When I lucked out with a clear line of sight to the princes, they instantly closed in above and to the sides of me, clicking away. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Harry when you experience firsthand the constant click of shutters and long lens that is his life. And there I was, another shutter adding to the chaos. But when in Rome. . . . .

The Polo Cup is today – there are 1,200 people attending, 500 of them dignitaries and other VIPS. And 60 members of the worldwide media will be following Harry’s every move. Pray for me.

McLain Ward’s stable is unmarked and I got lost on my way there. If his name hadn’t been painted on the side of his trailer I would have been driving up and down the road all afternoon, wondering which barn to wander into first.

That distraction effectively quashed any nerves I might have had, but it had already been a long day. I’d sat on the rail of the warm up at WEF, surreptiously trying (and failing) to take pictures of Rodrigo, Ian, Eric. I’d met up with Tuny Page at her farm and lucked into watching Robert Dover coach one of the Canadian WEG hopefuls. I’d talked to Missy Clark about coaching, and made final preparations (read: agonized over questions) for the big interview.

So by the time 3:00 rolled around, I was ready. McLain was polite, charming and, well, relatively airtight. The hardest part about interviewing someone like him is that he’s pretty much been asked all the questions before. The challenge is being original and finding a new angle. Accomplishing that with a man well versed in the delivery of soundbites was – interesting. But no matter, I plunged in, and may have even scrounged up enough material to write a powerful story.

Oh, and I got to hang out with Sapphire. Day, made. Now it’s time to buckle down and write about the man behind the mirror. Prince Harry is on the horizon.

To anyone who thinks that writers lead glamorous and exciting lives, what you’re about to read is extremely misleading. My life is not glamorous. My life is about deadlines. Commuting to the office. Flooding at the barn.

Until last week, the list of things that could possibly equal, or even top, an interview with McLain Ward was very, very short. But until last week, being flown to Barbados to attend a charity polo event hosted by two real live Princes was the stuff of pure fantasy.

So my hands shook a little as I filled out paperwork last Friday for approval to be in the presence of HRH Prince Henry of England. Unbelievably, this equestrian writer has been invited to attend and write about the inaugural Sentebale Charity Polo Cup, hosted by none other than Prince Harry (yes that Prince Harry) and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho at the Apes Hill Polo Club in St. James, Barbados. Come Friday, I’ll be blogging to you from the West Indies.

You tell me:

Does Prince Harry trump McLain? Do the two even compare? That question has probably never been asked before, but at the end of this week, I’ll know the answer.

Most of the time, California riders cannot reeeallly complain about winter weather conditions. Rain showers are nothing compared to blizzards, freezes and the months of winter misery that most of the country faces. But today was one for the record books.

While it’s been storming I’ve been happily getting five or six horses ridden in our big indoor ring at McIntosh Stables in Portola Valley. Sure, An Empty Indoor is a Beautiful Thing, but despite the traffic that occurs when seven barns share one ring, I’ve had some good rides on dry ground this week.

It wasn’t until about 9:30 this morning that we were forced to throw in the towel. As hail pounded the roof and gale force winds blew the rain sideways, a flash flood suddenly overtook the ring in the space of time it took to ride one horse. I was cantering around jumping that crossrail on the right less than 20 minutes before this picture was taken.

How many days until spring?

For that matter, how many days until FLORIDA??

The first thirteen days of 2010 have been hectic, and are probably an accurate foreshadowing of the next 352. I’ve got 254 days to get organized for WEG, 98 days to plan new and complete coverage of Rolex with Sidelines’ ace photographer/writer, Lauren Gianinni, and just 16 days to prepare for one big interview.

First things first: I’ll be heading to Florida at the end of the month to interview McLain Ward, and meet his indelible mare Sapphire. McLain and Sapphire will be gracing Sidelines’ March cover, and I don’t really need an excuse for a trip to Florida -one of my favorite places in the world- but this is an especially fabulous reason to pop across the country for a weekend.

The closest I’ve ever gotten to McLain was staying out of his way in the warm up ring during the 2008 Olympic Trials, when I was grooming for Peter Wylde. Setting jumps for one gold medalist while another gold medalist vied for his turn made for an extra tense atmosphere (with its own set of stories. . . )

I’ll be more comfortable talking to McLain in an interview setting, but with a big interview like this comes a big challenge. McLain has been the subject of many an article, interviewed multiple times throughout his starry career. Which leads me to ponder the question – if it’s already been done, how will I do it better? I’ve got t-minus 16 days and counting to figure it out. . .

Here it is practically mid-January, and this is my first blog post of the year. But instead of grousing about what a slacker I am (I’m not) and how my New Year’s resolution is to post twice a week (it is), I’m going to go right to an important revelation I had over the weekend.

All horse trainers should go snowboarding.

I had this revelation after unsteadily balancing on a borrowed snowboard for the last two days, feeling wholly out of place and apprehensive about my balance, my skills, my equipment, and pretty much my place in the world. I was a beginner.

I like riding because I’ve long since risen above the beginner ranks. I enjoy having the confidence that comes with years practicing one sport. I enjoy teaching others and watching them improve. But once in a while, I forget how hard it is for my students to learn what comes second nature to me.

Falling on my butt (and knees, and back, and hands) for two long days helped me remember. Teaching riding lessons five days per week has given me a pretty solid perspective of the learning process, which, when you think about it, is basically the same from sport to sport. Muscle memory and repetition teach balance. So scrape, turn, scrape, turn I went down the mountain, all the while thinking of how I constantly torment my students with heels down, thumbs up, heels down thumbs up. Avoiding fear is key, I thought, while I sat, terrified, in the middle of a deceptively icy, steep slope, too scared to stand up and wondering if this was how my student felt that time I put the jumps up a little high. Going back to basics always helps, so I walked, my confidence marred, toward the bunny slopes and thought about the horse that’s now jumping from a better spot after a month of pole wok.

At the very end of the second day, I had a few good moments that were more turn than scrape, and with a trace of confidence I picked up some speed and flew (well it felt like I was flying) down the bunny slope. And suddenly I remembered what it feels like to jump a crossrail course for the first time.

So you see how snowboarding makes me a better horse trainer. I suppose there are some talented folks out there who are skilled both in the saddle and on the board, but any new sport will do to gain a little beginner’s perspective.

Snowboarding was almost as useful as going to a George Morris clinic. Hmm, George Morris on a snowboard, now there’s an interesting thought. . . .