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Hot Topic: Social license and horse sports – the future?
Looking at the photo illustrating this piece – do you see first a horse with a ‘harsh’ double bit and a rider with spurs or do you notice the gentle pat and the calm eye of the horse? Even from within the equestrian community, let alone those outside it – many are torn about what…
Read MoreWINDEREN BITS – A YAY OR NEIGH?
So Arianna my young horse was started as a late four year old, had a break before started more work last year as a 5 year old. I bred her out of my retired jumper Scarlett. Just like her Mum, Arianna turned out to have quite a fussy mouth. They both have quite thick, fleshy…
Read MoreMAKE PLANS WITH HORSES? YOU MAY AS WELL SCOOP SAND WITH A SIEVE
In other words, you can daydream all you like about where you and your horse will be in a month, six months, or in a year. Brilliant if it all goes well, but an alternate reality is often waiting in the wings like a tiger with big sharp teeth ready to bite you on your…
Read MoreAriat Bromont H20 Tall boots
Ariat has a reputation for making great boots that are worth the price tag- well I have totally put this to the test with my Ariat Bromont H20 tall boots over the last four years. I was lucky enough to be asked to test a pair for a magazine I design for, so I chose…
Read MoreTune in to some Brilliant Equestrian Plodcasts!
As the vast library of podcast grows there are loads of brilliant ones to tune into for an equestrian fix through your phone. Think that podcasts are the preserve of only the young? Not a bit of it. There are some brilliant equestrian podcasts out there – even if you are a digital Luddite grab…
Read MoreThe Mind is Willing, the Body? Well, it’s Dragging its Heels these days
On the way back from a regular trip to the physio this morning I started to add up all the body bits I actively look after these days in order to stay supple in the saddle – that list it getting way too long! Crack went my neck, my back accompanied with a crunch before…
Read MoreKeeping the horses sweet during corona
So trying to keep my horses sweet during Coronavirus lockdown – don’t want to endlessly drill them in the school and mine are not great to hack so have been sticking to fields and arena and having some fun with them in other ways. Tried jumping Mardi on the lunge for the first time. Built…
Read MoreDrawing the story…
I can’t remember how young I was when I first became aware of horses. Mum and Dad were completely non-horsey, although Dad had ridden once as a young lad. I, on the other hand became obsessed with them by the age of 6, much to their bewilderment. I had no chance of having a pony…
Read MoreHope swoops into the barn with the swallows
The first swallows arrived in one of our sheds this morning – it is funny how hopeful these swooping, chattering birds make me feel every year. This year, the year of Corona, the irony hit me that they have flown thousands of miles to get here, almost certainly from south of the African Sahara, while…
Read MoreHorse riding in time of Corona
So the Coronavirus is upon us. It has put the entire globe into a lockdown it seems. Equestrians are of course heavily affected by this – how much so varies from country to country. In those worst hit such as Spain and Italy – you are simply banned from riding at all – unless you…
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