Sabine
Crowe (21-years-old) is travelling head girl at Declan Carroll’s Malton based
stable. She explains the daily challenges especially in the height of the
season. “We normally start at five or six. If we have five runners here, there
and everywhere we need more than one person to go racing.”
Often the
stable staff have started at all hours in the morning so she can get the
stables done and ride out before she goes racing.
Despite
the hard physical and mental aspects of her job, Sabine loves it.
In the
summer there’s no time to rest and like the other 6,000 people that racing
employs she doesn’t have time to think until the season ends. She explains the everyday
work, her love clear in the rapid nature of her voice, a Yorkshire accent
creeping though.
“In the
winter I have time to think OMG get me out of here. You’re literally out there
20 minutes each time getting drenched multiple times a day.” These mornings
make the rows of stables seem dark and dreary with little shelter. “Even
wearing waterproofs and jodhpurs aren’t enough.
“Today I
got up about six, got ready and went to work for seven. We get in, get our tack
and get started straight away.”
There are
three horses immediately taken to the walker. Dec her boss tells Sabine what to
ride and she starts riding out. If she doesn’t ride out a lot, she mucks out
stables. Sabine normally rides out five lots of horses. The first part of her
day finished by 12.30.
Sabine
goes about all her tasks with a smile on her face and her long brown pony tail
swaying as she does her work.
By the
look of concentration on her face it’s a difficult question to answer what she
would change. After a long pause a small smirk appears as she replied: “The
outdoor ring covering. That would be amazing. The worst thing is, you can have
all the waterproofs on in the world and you can go outside and get p****ed on
and then you’re wet the for the rest of the day.”
This is
the price Sabine pays for doing the job she adores.
Finally,
for her last task of the day she returns to the yard about half past four for
the evening feed and feels lucky if that’s finished by half five. This rushing
is a normal part of her life.
Sabine
shows me the photos of the winners she’s led up that adorn the walls of her
room. The passion and pride for her job that she’s been involved is filling her
face and her blue eyes widening.
Despite
the dedication to her job, it wasn’t always the plan to get involved in racing.
As with many she started riding young about four or five but was doing a
business apprenticeship at an office. “Funny story, Di (Declan Carroll’s wife)
had Green Park up at the stables where I had my horse and she’d seen me ride
and said if you can sit him you can easily sit on ours.”
And so,
she did. First doing weekends while continuing the apprenticeship, working
seven days a week. Three years ago, where she used to work let everyone go and
she’s never looked back.
Last year
alone she did 50,000 miles… yes 50! Her forehead crumples calculating it. She
agrees: “I know it seems crazy but it’s only me that really drives the
horsebox.”
With all
this travelling Sabine’s had some amazing memories. She offers up two. There’s
a soft smile on her face. “The best is … leading Justanotherbottle up when he
was second in the Steward’s Cup just beaten a short head.
“The other
one was Music winning at York because I do everything with him. I ride him,
bring him up and it’s a surreal moment having a horse you do everything with
winning at York. It’s a big thing.”
That day
she admits bawling like a baby and in shock and overcome with emotion. Even
talking about it now her eyes glisten.
But with
these highs come the lows. The worst part of the job is the injuries and having
to put horses down.
Her tone
is sombre as she recalls the horses that have been loved and lost including the
stable stars Santry and Crazy World. Her voice wavers. “It was horrible.”
However,
Sabine has the support of the other staff and her boss Declan Carroll, who she
considers one of the most influential people on her career.
“Dec’s
quite inspirational although he is hard on you. He doesn’t hold a grudge and
knows people mess up, and as much as you put in for him, he’ll put it back.”
Another
influential person has been Carole Easton. She was travelling head lass for Tim
Easterby for 30 years and now works in transporting. All this experience means
Sabine has been able to learn from her.
These
people behind the scenes are vital to the sport.
“People
think sitting on a horse is easy, the horse does it all. Driving everywhere is
as easy as anything. But it takes a toll on you. The horses mean everything.
Every horse has a soft spot in everyone’s hearts. No one ever wants to see a
horse hurt. We don’t see them just as a business.”
Despite,
all the hard work and the ups and downs racing provides, it’s clear Sabine
wouldn’t change it for the world, just because she gets to work with the
animals she loves and people who are like her family.
