Working & Winning with Carly Domrow

As seen in the April 2019 issue of Horse Deals magazine.

Carly, what does a normal working week look like for you in your job as a School Principal? I leave home at approximately 6.30am and drive an hour to work, Monday to Friday. I am a teaching principal, so therefore I teach curriculum to the junior classroom, Preps to Grade 2, for two days a week, work with supported students across the whole school for a day a week, and complete administrative duties for the remaining two days.

What commitments do you have at the stables before and after work? Luckily the yards are only a short walk from the back door. I usually ride one horse before feeding up, unrugging, cleaning the yards and taking horses out to their paddocks before leaving for work. When I arrive home it is straight out to work the remaining horses in the show team. The lights on my arena and yards are well used.

How many horses do you have in work and what is their workload? I usually have four to five horses in work and show prep at any one time, outside horses as well as my own. The workload depends on what the competition schedule is for each horse. My team ranges from yearlings through to campdrafting stallions.

The pre show work of grooming and trimming takes a lot of time and effort. How do you go about making that all happen, and what do you do the night before the comp to prepare? As I have been showing and campaigning stock horses for approximately 15 years, I have mastered the art of completing the show prep over the week leading up to the competition. Clipping and trimming is done at the beginning, followed by tail dying, packing the truck and cleaning gear.

Do you do any fitness work other than riding? I play touch football in the local competition for a ladies team and a
mixed team.

What are some of your proudest moments in your riding career and in your job? My proudest moments would be winning the National Australian Stock Horse Maturity plate on my horse, Meluca Stud Dazzle, winning the highest placed Fountain of Youth Horse in the National ASH Futurity on Robert and Lisa Sylvester’s horse, Merriview Annie. My proudest moment of my career was when the regional director asked me to take on the principal role for a small school.

Do you have a strapper to help you on the morning of a competition, and what jobs do they assist with? I complete all the show preparation and attend competitions by myself. I am luckily enough to have Dave watch over my place and feed up and keep everything in line while I am away.

What do you do after a weekend comp to prepare for the next weekend’s comp? Go to work to build up the funds for the next competition.

Out of your annual leave, how much of that is used for competitions? As a principal, I don’t have annual leave that I can allocate to attend competition. The only way I can have time off is by using my long service, which I do. I use approximately 15 days of leave a year.

How many events would you do in a year? I attend approximately 30 competitions a season, ranging from agricultural shows, campdrafts, Royal shows and the National Stock Horse Championships. I travel up to six hours away from home throughout Queensland and New South Wales to attend competitions.

Do you do anything in the off season with your horses? I don’t really have an off season with my horses.

How do you balance work, family, social life and competitions? Getting the balance is very difficult. Work and competitions take up most of my time.

What sacrifices do you have to make to do it all, and do it all successfully? People that are successful and are at the top of their game make great sacrifices in all aspects in their life. I work hard and do what I need to in order show my team of horses to the best that they can be at every competition.

What words of advice can you give to other amateur riders who want success in all aspects of their life? Stay humble, work hard, focus on what you want to achieve and always do your homework at home.

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