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Aspiring junior horse rider places in Summer Classic
6/28/2008 12:30 AM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By BEN BAUGH

Staff writer

Sarah Ward has been riding for only five years, but the junior rider had all the poise of a seasoned veteran winning and placing in a number of classes last week at the Atlanta Summer Classic at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, Ga.

The aspiring professional rider was champion in the Older Small Junior Hunters on Isaac, won the Small Junior Hunter Classic on Carnaby Street and placed first in the Small Junior Hunter Classic on Ludwig Storrgard.

She was also second in the $25,000 United States Hunter Jumper Association Hunter Derby while in the irons on Voltaire, finishing second to her mentor Finally Farm's Liza Towell-Boyd and Castello.

"I was winning until she went in," said Ward. "If I'm going lose to anyone, it's definitely going to be her. I love Liza; she's such an amazing rider and trainer. She rides all of my horses."

Ward and Voltaire won the Maclay class during the first week of the Aiken Spring Classic Horse Shows this past April. She has been working with the Towell family's Camden-based Finally Farm the past few years.

"It means so much to me to be riding with Finally Farm. It's my third year riding with them," said Ward. "Jack (Towell), Hardin (Towell) and Liza have all taught me so much."

Ward will continue to focus on her hunters in 2008. She also intends to direct her energies toward equitation classes. One of her primary objectives is to qualify for the Maclay Finals. She will also concentrate her efforts toward the show jumping ring and looks to eventually graduate from junior jumpers to the Grand Prix ring. Almost Famous is the name of Ward's equitation horse.

The rider has also set her sights on next year's Devon Horse Show and was pleased with her progress at this year's show and with the improvements she made from the previous year, she said. Ward's goal is to become a professional rider. She intends to keep all of her horses.

"We had some good ribbons at Devon," she said.

Ward graduated from high school in May and will be taking a year off from school to concentrate on her riding but will eventually return to school to pursue her undergraduate degree.

The horseman and her junior jumper Ludwig Storrgard have formed a formidable tandem.

"Louie is phenomenal; we found him at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla.," said Ward. "He was a little green in the mouth when we bought him. He was the only double clear (in the Low Junior Jumper Classic). He has great jumping form. It's been a team effort; I can't say enough about Liza, Hardin and Jack."

And although she has only been riding for a short time, Ward has learned much through observation.

"I'm always riding," said Ward. "I'm extremely lucky; my parents have been incredibly supportive. My mom doesn't ride but she loves to go to the horse shows. My parents wanted me to have horses that would take me far. I owe everything to them. I'm very fortunate."

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