Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220

Lara Dyson Profile Two of this year’s foals In this issue we meet Lara Dyson, the Alltech-sponsored dressage rider and learn what it takes to be successful. A Day in the Life of Lara Dyson The following hour and a half is spent riding others in her string, which include Amigo, a fouryear-old pony stallion that Lara broke in and trained but is now competing with Liberty Tyler. She started riding at an early age and has gone on to achieve great success nationally, coming home victorious from the Northern Winter Regional Championships in February this year. A life with horses is not for the feint-hearted and no-one knows this more than dressage rider, Lara Dyson. Early starts, long days and hard work are all required to get good results and then there is the full time job to fit in. Lara is based at her yard in Grimsby, Lincolnshire and is sponsored by Alltech, adding their Lifeforce supplement to her horses’ feed each day to help Feeding time Time for a quick shower before the short drive to work and by 10am Lara is sitting at her desk. As well as competing and running her yard, Lara holds down a full time job as a Sales and Quality Manager for a new homes company. Stopping for lunch is often not an option so a quick snack at her desk will be all that there is time for. The day starts early, when the alarm goes off at 5.30am and Lara drives to her parents’ house, where her horses are based. The first job is to check over the mares and foals, something that is never a chore! Planning entries Leaving the office at 6pm, Lara heads back to the yard and the evening duties begin, exercising Macho, a four-year-old pony that was imported earlier this year and Lara hopes will eventually be ridden by her nephew and nieces. Next, the morning exercise regime begins with five horses to ride before work; each horse is given a good 45-minute workout. The rest of the evening is spent checking the yard, making plans for the following day and completing administration such as filling in entry forms, updating the website and booking farriers etc. them stay in first class condition. First up is Cadans M, a six-year-old KWPN Approved Stallion, who has bred a few foals which are Lara’s pride and joy but this year they are concentrating on competing more than breeding. Riding Bodyguard, another KWPN Approved Stallion follows and he is in his first year competing so Lara is working on building up his strength. Tack Cleaning By 8.30pm it is time to head home for a well deserved dinner, more often than not cooked by Lara’s very unders tanding boyfriend Gary before falling into bed exhausted at 9.15pm, with morning arriving far too fast! Aside from working and competing, Lara has taken a keen interest in the development of a new foldable saddle stand with local company Salsbury Design. “Saddles are very expensive and the new design supports the contours of the saddle which can only help extend its lifespan. It is also really useful as it makes into a tack cleaning or drinks table as well,” said Lara. Success in any sport takes dedication and none more so than in equestrian pursuits and when achieving your dreams has to be fitted around your working life it is never easy. 42 Leg yielding The hardest thing for Lara is finding the time to fit in all the schooling that is required to maintain her horses at a high level and someone to help with this would be her ultimate luxury and would perhaps allow her to have a healthier work, life, horse balance. If Lara could offer one piece of advice to others trying to combine a life of competing and working it’s that you need to have a boss that understands that life with horses can be unpredictable and things don’t always go to plan. “If I am late to work because something unexpected crops up I have the option to make my time up later in the day, it simply wouldn’t be possible to do what I do without the immense support from all my family and understanding friends,” said Lara. Looking to the future, Lara hopes to qualify Cadans M for the winter regionals at Advanced Medium and Prix St George which would be a career highlight as it would be the first time Lara has ridden in a tailcoat at pure dressage. Her sponsor, Alltech, the experts in equine digestive health, are the title sponsor of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy, France. For further information visit www.lifeforcehorse.com www.equestrianlifemagazine.co.uk EL-SEPT13-S3.indd 42 22/08/2013 22:43:27

Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 42