Cross Country Stewards at the Pam American Games, Toronto 2015 Photo: © Diana De Rosa

Here is a story on how Diana de Rosa was able to hitch a ride with the Cross Country Stewards at the Pan American Games. The life of a reporter/photographer covering equestrian sport, is challenging, exhausting, exciting and sometimes glamorous. It takes perseverance, ingenuity, and sometimes connections. It doesn’t hurt to carry a big lens so people know you are serious and invested into the job. Our “On the Scene ” reporter, Olympic media veteran, longtime friend and contributor to HorsesDaily, Diana De Rosa shares some of her adventures, and lots of photos. The cross-country phase of the Pan American Games meant an early rise time for the officials, grooms, media and even the spectators. Yet, when the bus for the stewards never came it was a scramble to pull together the necessary transportation to make it to where the horses were stabled.

Our tireless photo/journaist Diana de Rosa

Since the stewards need to be around the horses all the time it was imperative they get to the stables while the horses were being loaded into trailers and shipped over to the cross-country course. So, with about five trucks and vans loaded with the officials and me (since I was also stranded with no bus) we headed over to the venue where the horses were being readied.Then when we got there since no media transportation was available, I had the luck of being part of convoy as we headed over to the cross-country part of the Caledon Horse Park with 6 horse trailers, a police escort and a couple of vans filled with stewards, grooms, riders, officials and me.It gave me the chance to take some pictures that you probably won’t see anywhere else. So, be sure to check out the photos and the picture of all the officials before we ferried our own way to the stables.