As a riding coach, my ultimate goal is to see my kids succeed. Wether it be just to ride well and be comfortable on and around horses or to actually compete! Just like any other coach. We want the students to THRIVE! Sometimes, to thrive, we must take a couple of steps back then move forward and back again. But, as a coach, I am dedicated to each of my students!
Let’s move forward with that. I really want to be there to see all my students succeed! It can be stressful but so worth it!
Anyone who knows me knows that I keep my trailer cleaner than my house. Not going to lie! I much rather clean up my trailer! So what happens when you throw 3 horses in the trailer and add a teenager or two? You have to make room. Normally, I store buckets, hay, generator, saddle pads and other random items in my first hole of my trailer. This means that when I haul three, all of that has to find a home. Then we have the “do you have everything you need” for the student. Throw in my dog too. Now we have a living quarters full of stuff, rear tack full of stuff, and the backseat of the truck full of stuff! Yikes! It’s a disaster!
So this is my perspective on how to stay sane as my trailer is getting muddy, my back seat is littered with trash and I have saddle pads on the bed in the living quarters. I bring chairs. Yup! It gets a little cramped in a 6′ LQ! So I tend to bring chairs and sit out of the trailer!
Next, I have to pay attention to the horses. Whom can be tied next to whom. I will admit that my youngest horse can be snarky at the trailer. So we put snarky on one side and the quiet ones on the other. Plenty of buckets for all three horses and hay bags. I also like to pre-fill my hay bags but when the third horse is there, empty bags get stored and a bale goes in the truck bed! (Starting to feel the need for a manger now) Keep in mind, I’m hauling a student who is still learned the what to do and what not to do on the road!
Next I make sure everyone knows everyone’s draw numbers. I have to be spaced out so that I can get my run out of the way and then be there to coach my student. I tend to pre-enter just so I can do this. Takes a lot of stress off when I can make my runs and clear my brain to be there for my student!
I teach my student my pre/post run strategy and I use them as an extra set of hands. Use is a hard word but I look at it as another teaching moment. The more the student is around different horses, the more they learn. It becomes a TEAM effort!
After it’s all said and done, I like for my students to help clean up the mess that was made in the truck and trailer.
There are some other logistics that need to be handled when hauling a student. First, you need their horse’s coggins, the student’s insurance card and make sure they always pack an extra set of clothes.
Even though it takes more time to prep and clean after hauling my students, I still love it! I get to be there when they win their first check! I get to help them through the hard parts of barrel racing! I get to see the look of joy on their face when they come out of the arena after a clean run!
P.S.—- I think I will start making it mandatory that they come over and help clean out the trailer and truck…or do it before we leave the race 😉
Rachael's Equine Services 
Amen!
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Great Perspective , Ms. Myers, running barrels is a sport and like any sport you have to be very disciplined to be successful. Practice not only your riding (or running or throwing in other sports) but everything else that goes along with it . In my college baseball days, after practice you were required to help pickup the field, the dugouts and the locker room before leaving . This is a form of “practice” some have to get used to,but becomes habit, a good habit that will last a lifetime and build character. !
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