Last week, we mentioned that EventionTV had teased its new “reality” series, Along for the Ride. The brief teaser video showed snippets of life on the farm at Schramm Equestrian, and the show is dedicated to giving an inside glimpse into the lives of riders who run an equestrian business and compete at the upper levels. This week, the pilot episode was released, and the episode is a promising lead in to what Dom and Jimmie hope will be a way to further exposure for the sport.
Dom and Jimmie and their producers have done a wonderful job of making viewers really feel like they truly are “along for the ride” as they deal with everyday issues and everyday people. The pilot does not feel staged or scripted, and it’s great for giving people a real-life look at what it’s like to run a farm and a business in this sport.
“When I said ‘reality show,’ I think the end product sort of turned out to have more like a documentary or behind-the-scenes feel,” Dom said. “I think that it would be an easy trap to fall into to make it feel tacky and staged, and we’re trying really hard not to let it fall into that.”
The Schramms wanted to lend another dynamic to their weekly show, which ranges from instructional tutorials to humorous music videos. “We wanted to show that we aren’t a one-trick pony; we can do something else,” Dom said. “Another thing we wanted to do was let people know that you don’t have to have a fancy truck or an expensive horse to do what we do. I don’t like the ‘elitist, rich man game’ that is associated with the sport, and a lot of the public gets that impression. This is different than a lot of other horse-related shows that really have to sell something to the audience.”
In order to strike a chord with viewers, Dom and Jimmie focus on the horses in Along for the Ride. “I wanted people to invest in the horses. I want them to feel what it’s like to get to know them and understand the relationship we have with them. This serves two purposes: One, so they can appreciate how involved it is and how emotionally invested we get, and two, if something goes really well, such as Jimmie and (Bellamy) do well (at Bromont) this weekend, they can celebrate with us; or if something goes wrong, they can be genuinely upset because they’ve been following along with us the whole time. I want them to see how great this sport really is, and my hope is that we can get it to a wider audience.”
Dom and Jimmie use Right Start Photography, a one-man team, for their filming. One camera follows the Schramms around on a filming day, and they try to film on days when there is something going on aside from teaching lessons all day. “Some people don’t want to have their lessons filmed and put on the internet, and we wanted to try to get things that were more interesting to an average viewer like going to shows,” Dom said.
The pilot episode has so far received great view numbers and feedback. If the episode meets some metrics that the Schramms have set to measure success, they plan to continue the series for six episodes to start. The episodes will be released every other week, with the weeks in between being reserved for other EventionTV videos.
“We are really trying to represent the sport and the way we’re trying to become professional riders as respectfully and accurately as possible without making it too cheesy and fake,” Dom said. “We’re excited to see where it goes, and after last night’s episode, things are looking pretty good.”
For more on EventionTV, visit their website.
