Exploring Equestrian Journeys: Sarah's Adventure Revealed

Welcome to Equestrian Journeys. I'm Sandy Colling, your guide to the captivating world of European horse culture. And each episode, we'll talk about century-old traditions, a rich history, and the vibrant modern horse scene. You'll hear great stories, get insider tips, and meet wonderful guests who share our passion. So whether you're planning your next adventure or exploring from home, Equestrian Journeys offers a unique perspective.

Perspective.

Travel and equestrian, as well as monastery and culture all around Europe. So join me each week as we uncover hidden gems and stories from Europe's magnificent equestrian heritage. So hello everybody, I am so excited today to have a little extra special something for you. I've got with me a guest, Sarah Rhodes, who joined us in July on our first inaugural Equestrian Journeys trip. And we were thinking about chatting a little bit about what made the decision for her to come along and what she expected. Sarah, thank you so much for taking the time to be with me today. I really appreciate it. As a trainer, I know how busy it is and it's your day off, right? So it's the last thing you want to do, but I really appreciate it.

It's all good.

What made you decide to hop on and join us to Baden-Württemberg, to Germany?

So I'm always interested in going new places and having new cultural experiences. Um, and this trip was really special for me just because I hadn't been to this specific part of Germany, and it was absolutely incredible just to see how it's different from northern Germany as far as like the culture and the lifestyle and the architecture and everything. It just made it different. That and being able to hang out with some other girls that were just as passionate about horses as I am and being able to experience just a different cultural journey than what I'm used to. Because, you know, I try to take probably a European vacation every year, and this one was just definitely different than what I'm used to.

And Italy is one of your favorite countries, right? Which I can totally relate to. I do love Italy. I totally, totally agree with you on that one. So we had the— and we'll get to that in a minute— but Joker, the Kinesthetic Riding Simulator Joker, was of course a big part of it. And I know You really enjoyed that. I just— your face lit up there. So how big of a role did that play? And would you do Joker regardless if it's in Germany or wherever, but would you do that piece again?

Absolutely. That was a game changer for me as a trainer. Going in, I was very skeptical just of how much I would get out of it. And after the first half day, I could not believe the changes just in how I was feeling and what I was learning. So I've had some pain issues and 6 months, probably 6 months prior to this trip, I'd been in, you know, a substantial amount of pain flying over. There's nothing like doing a 12-hour flight. And then I got there and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to hurt so much and it's just going to really kind of suck. And then got in there and started working with Marcela and Stephanie. And the next thing I know, I walk out of there and I'm pain-free. It was, it was really life-changing. And then being able to bring that back to my horses, I was a little concerned, you know, the flight home, another long flight. Am I going to lose it all? I hadn't sat on Joker in 5 days, you know, massively worried. The first horse I sat on, such a transformation. So absolutely, I would do Joker again. In Germany and the States and wherever.

So having said that, you are a trainer and you ride multiple horses most days. And of course you teach and train. What about somebody that's not a trainer? Do you think they could also have a huge benefit?

Absolutely. I don't think this is something that's just for trainers. Teaching what I learned to my clients, just the basic stuff. has changed their riding so much. They get down off the horse and they're like, oh my gosh, I've never felt this before. What have we done? What have we created? And I'm like, yeah, this is pretty nifty stuff that we're working on here. So yeah, I don't think it's just necessarily for a trainer. I think anybody can benefit from this.

That's awesome. In fact, I remember when we spoke briefly or texted, whatever, the first day after you got back and were back on a horse and you were like, you were beaming from ear to ear. I could just feel the energy through the phone. So that's great. That's awesome. So before we went on the trip, did you have any specific expectations or did you just go into it like whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen?

Pretty much whatever's gonna happen. My last 2 European trips were not so great. I'd gone to Northern Germany and while there were great moments, don't get me wrong, anytime you go overseas, it's always a great moment. But there were just some things that weren't, you know, you travel by yourself and you just hit some speed bumps along the way. So I didn't really know how this was gonna work, having somebody, you know, kind of hold my hand through the entire thing. But it just made, like, this trip just made it so easy. And I was like, wow, I need to travel like this all the time. All the time. It's incredible.

So that being said, and that was actually— that leads into my, my next question. How did this trip stand out from other trips you've taken? Was it because everything was kind of like paint-by-numbers or whatever? It's like, we're going, we're doing this today, and all you had to do is get ready for the day. Or how did it— how was it different?

So, you know, when you travel by yourself and you're going overseas, you got to worry about your hotel, you got to worry about your food, you've got to worry about you know, the safety and, and all the other things that just kind of go along with traveling by yourself, whether it's overseas or here in the States or whatever. And having someone who could speak the language, who knew people over there, that just curated a lovely trip where legitimately all I had to do was put on clothes in the morning, you know, that was so nice and made it So easy. So yeah, that, that was a huge plus.

That's, that's awesome. I know I haven't been on too many of those trips, but I love to organize and plan. And I actually thought that would be kind of nice just to have to, you know, show up and be there. And what time are we meeting for breakfast? And that was pretty much it, right? So this being Equestrian Journeys, being equestrian Highlights. Of course, we want to implement Joker when we can when we're in Germany. Obviously, we're going to do trips to Ireland. And for everybody that's interested in Ireland, I'm actually going to Ireland in a couple weeks, well, 3 weeks, and Sarah's actually joining me. And we're going to suss out the itinerary for June 2025. So anybody interested in Ireland, stay tuned because we're going to have a fabulous trip, as well as I'm working on an itinerary to France. Some of you may have seen the Olympics. With the beautiful coulisse, the backdrop, I guess, of Versailles. And that's gonna be one of the things that we're gonna, we're gonna go see is the Académie de Dressage in Versailles, as well as some other off-the-beaten-track French highlights. And I do have another trip to Northern Germany planned, and we are gonna go into a herd of the wild slash feral Dömena horse. So there's gonna be some really incredible highlights as well there. So, but I like to incorporate, you know, not just horsey stuff, right? When you're overseas, it's nice to have some— there's so much history and culture that's not horsey. And I know we're all equestrians and that's why we're in this. But how did that work for you? The equestrian as well as the non-equestrian things that we did?

Oh man, that was great. Wandering around Esslingen and Tübingen and then going to the Porsche Museum over— it just, it made it diverse. So it wasn't just this. We're going over there for 10 days and it's horse, horse, horse, horse, horse. Because, you know, as a trainer we do a lot of horse things, and then sometimes it's just nice to, to get off that a little bit and see, you know, just a different side of, of another country's culture. So, um, you know, being in Esslingen and seeing those super old houses and then Walking up all the steps. Oh my God, how many steps!

And trying to find the oldest timber— timber— what is it called? Half-timbered house. There's the oldest half-timbered houses in Esslingen, and we were running around trying to find which one is it. Yes, so fun.

Um, and then you get to try all the different foods. Oh my gosh, how much gelato did we eat?

That's so good.

Run down the streets before they close.

I know, that was fun.

Made it diverse. And, you know, putting yourself kind of back in times where, you know, all they had was horse transportation. You know, you look at the streets and you're like, oh my gosh, how do they get cars down these streets and all these old buildings? And, you know, it just, it makes it different.

Yeah, that's, that's good to hear because I mean, we all love our horses and we all love horse stuff, but again, traveling abroad, you know, there's so much that Europe has to offer. So I just thought it would be fun and I'm glad that you validated that, that to have the mesh of both things. And so were there any personal reasons for you to wanna be part of this trip or were you just curious or? Joker. I know Joker was a big part for many of you that were on the trip.

Yeah.

Just curious.

I was mostly just curious because again, I, I like seeing other cultures and I like being a part of small tour groups. And that was one of the other things that was really great about this is it wasn't a massive tour group. I had a friend that was in Italy in October and he was on a trip with 40 other people and he said that they were up at 7:00 AM on a bus going to the next destination. They wouldn't get done until 9 or 10 o'clock at night. And then he's trying to get back up and he said it was not a restful vacation. So that was one of the great things about this was, you know, it was nice and easy, but just being curious overall about a different spot of Europe that I hadn't been. And yeah, definitely the joker aspect of it.

And for those of you who do love to travel and would like to travel somewhere different every month, but it's not feasible. Keep in mind, I am putting together a virtual journey through equestrian Europe that's coming up. So if you're interested, just shoot me a message or I'm gonna link in the show notes the list for the priority list to hop on. And I'm gonna be launching that in November. But if you're curious about it and wanna get on my mailing list, just hop on and you can learn about all the different countries. And got some pretty good suggestions for countries that are a little bit off the beaten track and not as well known as Germany, for example. or Ireland around the horse world. And if you want to virtually tour them first, be, be sure to hop on that list. So just to wrap it up, looking back, do you feel that the trip met or exceeded or maybe didn't at all your expectations? What would you say in wrapping it up?

This trip definitely exceeded my expectations. Again, I kind of went in a little, maybe a little more hesitant than I probably should have just because of my last 2 European trips. But no, it absolutely exceeded my expectations. Just the fun things that were curated that you have to know somebody who knows somebody over there to get in to do. That was really special. So no, this trip was awesome. And I cannot wait to do this again.

Nice. And we will be doing it. And I'm super excited to travel to Ireland with you It's only a few weeks away. It's crazy how time flies. And get some really good off-the-beaten-track things because my goal is with Equestrian Journeys, of course, like Marbach, you know, the oldest stud farm. I mean, that's not so much off the beaten track, but I mean, it's kind of a highlight that you kind of want to see. But the Altwürttemberger, the horses that are nearly extinct, that kind of thing is just really fun. So I'm so glad you could join us. Thank you, Sarah. I really appreciate you being on. And hopefully somebody will get some value out of it. And if you're on the fence, if you have any questions, again, shoot us a message. So this wraps up another episode of Equestrian Journeys. Thank you so much for joining us today, Sarah. Again, thank you so much for being here.

Of course.

And if you enjoyed our journey, then why not share it with a friend who loves horses and/or travel? And don't forget to subscribe to Equestrian Journeys on your favorite podcast platform. so you never miss an episode. And if you have questions or suggestions for future episodes, feel free to reach out to me via email or on social media. And until next time, keep your passion for horses and travel alive.