Congratulations to Sian Lovatt Equestrian and Journalism - Liebster award.

There is something lovely going around the blogging world right now and I am privileged to be able to tell you about it. In a nut shell they are awarded to blogs with less than 200 followers and the word originates from the German meaning, "Beloved and valued". I was very kindly awarded this title by the lovely Marie who never fails to amaze me with her blog: Ride with no eyes. 

According to Marie, in order to accept this award I must follow the following rules:

1. Name the person who nominated you and link back to their blog
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.
5. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs.
6. Go to each bloggers page and let them know you have nominated them. 


11 random facts about me:

1. When I was younger I originally wanted to be a German interpreter. However, unfortunately when we moved to Skegness when I was 14, no local school offered German so I had to go with my second career choice - Journalism.
2. Until the age of 14 I was bullied quite heavily at school; because I had horses. I was called a horse ******, amongst other things. Since then the bullies have tried to add me on facebook etc and be friends. No chance, they made my life hell, but I am a stronger person for it. You know who you are.
3. I'm quite a sensitive person and cry at the most stupid of things. Mainly when reading books or watching films.
4. My Granddad was and always will be my best friend. He died when I was 14 and on that very day I lost the most important man in my life.
5. Everything I do in life is in an attempt to make my Granddad proud. He said I'd go to university and one day be famous. I aim to fulfil his dreams for me. One box ticked, one to go. So get sharing my blog.
6.  I love reading and can read anything from 5-7 books in one week when I have the time to.
7. From the moment I started school I hated it and vowed I would never go back into education after I left school at 16. Each year my Granddad and I would make a calendar so I could cross off the school days left until holiday time. Anyway, here I am 6 years after turning 16 and still in education. How things change!
8. Not such a random fact, but my horses are my life. I live and breath for them. Without them, I wouldn't be half the person I am today.
9. My middle name is hyphenated. Sara-Jayne.
10. I got my Pony, Sara when I was 7 and decided it'd be cool to name her after my middle name. Things kids do....
11. When I got Ceaser we didn't know his birth date. His old owner asked me when I wanted his birthday to be. Of course, I chose my birthday; 14th January.

11 Questions for me.

1. Where do you want to travel to most in the world? South-Africa again, Malta, America and Canada.
2. You are stuck on a desert Island, you can only take 3 objects or beings with you, what or who do you choose? My mobile, Ceaser and Sara.
3. What is your favourite cuisine? Italian.
4. What is your favourite domestic and wild animal and why? Domestic: Dog - I wouldn't be without my dog, Sweep. Wild: Horse - obvious.
5. What quality do you most value in yourself or others? I think in myself I most value the fact that I am always here to listen and help people with their problems. If someone needs a shoulder to cry on, I am here.
6. What is your earliest childhood memory? Going to a theme park in Belgium with my Mum, Dad and Sister. In fact that is the last memory I have of my parents as a "family".
7. Chicken or the egg? Egg.
8. Does charity begin at home? Yes, it does.
9. What is your favourite period in history? First World War.
10. Who inspires you? My Granddad and Clare Balding. They were an easy answer.
11. What is your big dream right now? To become a successful Journalist and be happy in life.

11 Question for my nominees

1. What inspired you to start your blog?
2. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be and why?
3. Who would you like to have dinner with. Apart from anyone in your family and why?
4. Who in your family do you look up to the most? Dead or alive.
5. When you were growing up, what did you want to be and did you achieve this?
6. Conservative or Labour or Ukip?
7. Worst childhood memory?
8. Mc Donalds or Burger King?
9. Favourite book and why?
10. First child's name? If not born, what will your first child's name be?
11. Your inspiration to succeed?

My nominees

1. Mark. The boy that puts up with my moods, expensive hobby, Ceaser and never complains. Mark Ferguson Music. 

2. Marie. She is a total inspiration to every horse-rider out there that thinks they can't do it but deep down knows they can. Ride with no eyes.

3. Ellie. Such a kind-hearted lady. Ellies Treasures. 

4. Irene. Another inspiration and another who defeats Doctors warnings by continuing to ride with ME. Borrowing Freedom. 

5. Laura. A fantastic equine blogger. The Horse Talker.

6. Laura. Love reading her blog. Theatregrad.

7. Johanna. Former event rider, now learning to cope with disabilities. Dream Believe Achieve. 

8. Unusual Name Girl ;) (wont post real name incase I'm not supposed to!) Outsider looking out. 

9. Elspeth. Beauty blogger. I'm not into fashion but this blog is really worth a read. Bee's Knees.

10. Cavalcade. One day my blog will be this successful. http://www.cavalcadeblog.com 

11. Jordan. Loved to read her blogs when she kept them up to date. Head in the clouds. 

I hope you enjoy these blogs, please let me know what you think!

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The importance of knowing your horse and knowing when he's just not right!

Those of you who took the time to read my latest blog (can be found here) will know I had a lady out to Ceaser on Tuesday after noticing he wasn't quite trotting right and slightly short behind with one hind leg when extending and showing medium trot strides.

Additionally I had noticed for the past couple of weeks he has been struggling with walk to canter transitions on the right rein and only going onto the correct canter lead if slightly rushing! Usually he pops into canter from halt or walk, onto the correct leg, with ease but lately he has been throwing an odd buck in or simply rushing into just a fast trot.

Because I know him so well I knew his behaviour was off and not quite right. He is usually a pleasure to own and had only just started looking slightly short on the one hind for a couple weeks.

After putting everything together and working myself into a complete panic, I decided to get an equine sports massage therapy lady out to give him a once over and hopefully advise me on if I needed a second opinion from a vet or not.

As you will read in my blog from Tuesday her initial reaction was positive and she said he wasn't showing signs of ageing or even arthritis for that matter and this was simply from the initial trot up.

Once she delved deeper she realised he was very tight through his left shoulder and on the right he was tight through the poll, shoulder and noticeably weaker. She got me to stand behind him and look at the difference in his muscle along his back. The difference in muscle tone was quite evident and as I mentioned before, I cannot believe I haven't noticed it.

As she began to treat him I asked her whether or not it would work and she told me good dressage riders always notice a difference. However, to be quite honest I have never had such an invasive massage on him and have always stuck to Bowen therapy - which I also finds gives fantastic results. So, we left the conclusion as I would wait and see if I could feel and notice a difference before I gave her my feedback.

He had the rest of the Tuesday off but under orders I was to hop on him Wednesday to give him a test drive and see what I thought.

I always noticed he was trotting oddly when I first got on as he always breaks into a trot when warming up in walk. It has been evident then that he had a slight hop with one hind leg and although slight, I could feel it.

Despite this, Wednesday when I got on I immediately noticed a difference. Gone was my stuffy free walk on a long rein I usually only get a 7 for in a dressage test and here we had a forward, free moving walk. As I shortened my reins walking past the arena mirrors he broke into a trot and instead of a choppy and slight hop with one hind, he was moving freely and quite happily!

WOW!

As not to rush things I just did a few walk and trot transitions on each rein and asked the vet that is on work experience with us to take a look. She said she could not believe the difference, even just in his walk from the day before!

Today when I got on I decided to push the boundaries a little and do my walk to canter transitions we have been struggling with since I noticed something was wrong. And, as you can probably guess...out popped four lovely walk to canter transitions on the correct lead.

I am well and truly gobsmacked - I simply cannot believe something so small as being tight through a couple of his hind muscles could cause such a problem but were also so easily fixable.

However, it really does just go to show that things so minor as this can go unnoticed and untreated. In fact when I mentioned to a couple of people on the yard he wasn't trotting up right they didn't notice - I think because I know him so well I could feel it.

After exercise I am now having to do post exercise stretches of his forelimb and hindleg stretches and he then has his massage pad on medium for half an hour. Additional to this it has been recommended I do more pessoa work than I already do.

Next time you're giving your horse a groom, just stand behind and check for things such as lack of muscle and compare one side to the other - you never know, it could be the answer to your problems!

I am rather excited about getting him out competing again now and putting our last couple of bucks in our dressage tests down to a not quite right Pony! Onwards and upwards they say.....

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Ceaser's 3 monthly MOT!

For the last couple of weeks I have noticed Ceaser has been trotting slightly short with one hind leg when working. In the beginning it didn't worry too much as it was barely noticeable, but as always once you notice something it becomes more and more apparent the more you do.

A friend advised he could just have a touch of arthritis due to his age and to feed apple cider vinegar as an additional supplement in his feed. It is known for being a good supplement to add to horses feed that are arthritic and help with suppleness. However, I noticed a slight different but not on that particular hind leg.

Me being me began to worry myself silly, that he was developing arthritis and all sorts of thoughts went through my mind about retiring him and not being able to compete him as much as I have been used to.

We have a vet on work experience with us at the yard and after a chat with her about going down the Cortisone injections route and what I should do next I decided to get a second opinion from an equine sports massage therapy lady that I had never used before, nor even met before I went into typical Sian panic mode. She had been recommended to me by a good friend who I know is picky when it comes to who touches her horses, so I knew she must be good.

After a brief chat last night about whether I could get Ceaser booked in for "as soon as possible" she surprised me by saying "tomorrow?". Of course I happily and eagerly obliged, as I was keen to see what was wrong with him sooner rather than later.

For the whole day I was on tenterhooks wondering what news I was going to get once she arrived. I can honestly say the wait was nerve-wracking!

After a quick meet and greet she asked to see him in action and moving in trot. I trotted him up and down the tie up area a few times and she said it didn't seem to be arthritis but rather a muscle causing the problem as he wasn't lame, nor barely even stiff but actually quite free moving for his age! Oh! Apparently with arthritis they won't be able to track up properly, whereas Ceaser tracks up beautifully.

Once we got him back into his stable and she began to take a closer look at him she had confirmed what was thought - he was tight through his shoulder on the left side, but then on the right he was tight through the poll, shoulder and noticeably weaker. Additionally his right hamstrings are weak, which explains him being slightly short.

She got me to stand behind him and look at the difference in muscle along his back. Admittedly as you look along his back the difference in muscle tone is quite evident and I am kicking myself as to why I haven't noticed this before. She also asked if I prefer working him on one rein more than the other or if he is easier on one rein. Of course it all clicked and he is more difficult on the right rein which ties in with it all.

After a few questions of whether it was sortable and what I could do to improve him and even him out more she made me feel more at ease by saying he could be sorted with a few simple stretches.

After exercise I have to do post exercise stretches of the forelimb and hindleg stretches so his muscles are still warm and supple. Carrot stretches need to be done to improve suppleness and a little more work on the pessoa than I already do. In fact we barely do any work on the pessoa because Ceaser is so damned difficult to lunge! It's more a case of he lunges us.... Anyway, he will have to get used to throwing his toys out the pram and just grin and bear it for now.

I must admit I do warm up and cool down on the left rein every time I ride. If I am being quite honest I do a lot more work on the left rein and I have been wondering whether this could be part of his problem. So now, I need to do my homework and ensure I do equal amounts on both reins - even if there is more monsters in the hedge when Ceaser is working on his horrible rein (yes, it's true.... when he's on the scary rein there is monsters!)

I'll let you know how we get on and whether I notice a difference! So, sorry folks - we'll still be competing against you for some time yet I hope!

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Ride Smart - always wear a helmet!

Riders4helmets is a campaign that started back in 2010 in order to encourage riders to wear a hat when riding their horses.

Since then the campaign has gone from strength to strength, with more riders joining in than ever to help boost the campaigns awareness.

The campaign offers a chance for riders of all ages to become further educated about the importance of wearing a hat when riding.

This year, International Helmet Awareness day is happening on June 22 and all over the world tack stores are offering discounted hats to encourage more riders to buy one.

It is estimated that over 300,000 sports related injuries are to the brain and sadly some are fatal.

For further information on the Riders4Helmets campaign visit their website: http://www.riders4helmets.com

I will definitely be wearing a hat - not only tomorrow but everyday.

Will you be wearing yours? It could save your life.

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Showing and Dressage madness

I cannot believe it has been over 10 days since I last blogged or even gave a second thought to blogging. To be quite honest I am mad with myself, but unfortunately as my masters degree nears to the end I am finding myself more and more busy as the weeks go on. However, the end is near and I only have another three pieces of work to hand in. I am sure once that is over there will be no stopping me - but I must prioritise.

As I am sure you are aware, whilst I have found very little time to blog over the last few weeks, I ensure I always still find time to jump in the saddle on a daily basis and compete as much as I can.

I have been out three times I think since I last blogged. To be quite honest the first outing wasn't anything huge, just a local show that I like to support every year as it raises money for Cancer Research. I lost my Grandma to lung cancer so we sponsored a class and I like to think entering the classes every year does my bit for the charity. As it wasn't much of a qualifier for anything I asked my young cousin if she would like to come along and have a ride on Ceaser in one of the classes. She can barely ride and I have been teaching her myself when she visits but she has absolutely no fear in her - which is fantastic.

We decided to do the Family Pony class together which required both an adult and child to ride the pony, in a snaffle bridle and show he is suitable for all ages. My cousin cannot even rise in trot properly yet, but Ceaser did an ace job of looking after her - so much so that she managed to walk around the ring on her own and only needed me to run at the side of her for the small show piece! Next it was my turn to do something and as the adult I was required to show a gallop and more of an extension. Put it this way, it was fun to do in a snaffle bridle but I must have grinned through it as onlookers said he went fantastic.

Isabella, my cousin was absolutely delighted when we were pulled in 2nd, behind a big 16.2hh cob! 3rd was my best friend, Katie riding our newest addition to the family, the riding school pony, Sooty. It was also Katie's first ever show and she did a grand job with Sooty.

Next up for me was the ridden veteran class, which when I booked in showed barely any entries, however when it came to walking into the class I counted about 20 odd! Ceaser was being a little testing as it was his first time competing on grass for the season so of course the head shaking began because of his pollen allergy and he felt like a ticking time bomb! Despite this he produced a fantastic show piece and I was over the moon to be pulled into 2nd place! In fact so much so, when they called me forward I did the embarrassing "What, me?!" expression to the judge. 2nd out of 20 entries was my idea of a very successful day and I thought it would set us up nicely for an afternoon of dressage.

How could I be so wrong..

I allowed Ceaser to have a lunch break, took his tack off, fed and watered him and then went to get lunch for myself. When I came back it was like someone had swapped my pony. He was difficult to warm up, not listening, bucking and quite frankly exploding everywhere! Only CP!

What was even more embarrassing was, our riding instructor for the yard was judging. I swear he did it on purpose as she has always said what a good boy he is. Anyway, put it this way, I am not sure how we ended up finishing two dressage tests whilst only on two feet. The second time the buzzer rang for my second test to start Ceaser exploded with all four feet in the air and only returned back down when I think he realised there was no way he could touch the sky. Out came my "I'm really enjoying this, my pony is such a joy to ride" smile as I grinned my way through two tests. This is why I love him.

Anyway, I was more than happy to finish on two tests of roughly 64% and a comment of "I think someone was feeling fresh today". You think? A friend of mine described him as looking like a tank and just wanting to finish those tests as quick as possible. Apparently his veins were up, nostrils flared and from the outside it was evident he was being a little difficult. Nice comments like I sat well and my hands didn't move an inch did however make me feel better and I put it down to having an off day. To be fair, how could I be mad with him when he had been so fantastic in the morning?

**

Showing.

I know, I know, I said I wasn't going showing again this summer but for some reason I find myself digging out the canary jodhpurs and show shirt all too often. No, quite honestly, I wanted to get my Royal London qualification for the end of the year and as a yard we decided to attend another local-ish show to try and get qualified.

I had decided earlier in the week to do a working hunter class and 2 showing classes, to vary Ceaser's work again. Despite my best made plans, Ceaser had other ideas again as soon as he realised we were supposed to warm up in the dreaded arena. Let me explain...

The dreaded arena is the arena I cannot blooming get this pony anywhere near. If he goes in he spends his whole time tense and won't work for toffee. So, with no where else to warm up I had no choice but to attempt to jump him a few times and practice a show piece. After a few hairy moments of tanking full speed into a few 12.2hh ponies we survived and I decided to exit the warm up before we were removed! (Oh the joys of owning CP!)

I felt confident when entering the workers class. As you all know I have been having jumping lessons and Kathryn's screams of "Sit up, look up, kick on....LEG!" was ringing in my ear and I was adamant we would get a clear round to please her. My friend Megan and I joked that if we fell off our parents would be livid. Megan is always coming off one way or another but this particular arena is dirty and would stain our jodhpurs. "Don't fall off Megan" I shouted before trotting in myself. Again, with a Ceaser Pony, don't make plans.

We went quite speedily into fence 1. Brilliant I thought, this is going well. Fence 2 - check. Fence 3....spread. Ah, we don't like spreads. I kicked. Ceaser stopped. Then as I was about to pull him round he leapt over it and I ended up very comfily on his neck. Laughing uncontrollably (you've got to laugh or what's the point) I shuffled back onto my saddle, shouted to my friend I was fine and off I shot around the rest of the course. Thankfully we were clear after that but after the rest went clear we had no hope of placings. It just shows you, don't joke about falling off.....it comes back to bite you on the bum.

In the line up the judge came up to me and said "maybe you should stick to dressage next time - haha!". Yes, maybe!

Anyway, thankfully after lunch the workers arena had been vacated so I could warm up for my afternoon classes in there. Again, I had a changed pony who was now listening to my every command. Thank goodness. We went on to have a successful afternoon of taking second in the Style & Appearance and winning the ridden veteran class! He can behave and thankfully we qualified.

**

Next up was the Area 16 Riding Club Dressage Qualifiers which I was really looking forward to. I haven't competed as part of a team since I was team captain of the equestrian team when I was at De Montfort University and I sure have missed it.

I had decided to do the Riding Club Novice test and Novice 30. Both of which I had never ridden before but I was more than confident we would be fine.

I was due to ride the Riding Club test at 9.58 and then the Novice 30 at 2.08 so I had quite a while between them - which sometimes doesn't quite work so well for me nor Ceaser.

The Riding Club test was a whole new territory for me. I didn't really have a huge idea as to what the judge was looking for - only that I would be judged more than Ceaser in this instance. After another few difficult weeks with him I just wanted him to go out and have a good day competing, with no difficult movements, nor testing times (what I really meant was spending the whole tests on two legs).

Thankfully as soon as I sat on him he felt calm and very relaxed. Of course, Mr-Mark-Know-It-All (the boyfriend) had to get a word in and tell me he was relaxed because I was relaxed. No, I'm sure it's the other way around. Anyway, he walked, trotted and cantered on both reins nicely when asked. All of his transitions were spot on as soon as I asked for them. I couldn't have been more pleased with how he warmed up to be quite honest as once again we were the smallest in the arena by about 3 hands and there was roughly 6 horses warming up at once - if not more! Ceaser wasn't fazed at all by it and did everything I asked.

Once we were in the ring he didn't change, but quite frankly got even better. His transitions were right where I wanted them and he felt like he would move the earth for me if he could. If I was to be critical I think I needed to sit up a little more as he tends to pull me forward, but that was it.

When the scores came out I was a little disappointed with 65% but such is life and I know if that had been a BD competition it would have been higher, if not 70%. The comments were fair though and I agree with the judges comments - she also agreed I needed to sit up!!

Next up was Novice 30 which looked to be a nice test. I wondered if Ceaser would be difficult after such a long break between tests but how wrong could I be - he felt better!

His medium trot felt huge and I think my grin spread from ear to ear after I had finished warming up. This pony never ceases to amaze me and I think he really knows when he needs to step up to the game. I do feel my riding was a little tense because my Dad had arrived to watch - something he never does! I know I wanted to impress him with how far we have both come over the years so I felt a little pressure. Marks mum had also come to watch, so the pressure was definitely on to do well.

I didn't need to have worried though as Ceaser was once again spot on with everything he did. Our 15 meter circles were the best they have ever been and the canter transitions were perfect. I also felt like he was really stepping underneath in the medium trot which felt fantastic.

This test is judged differently to the one earlier in the morning and I found I came out with 65% again. Again, I received some fair comments and was just really pleased with how the day had gone.

Mark stayed to find out where I had been placed for me whilst Dad and I took Ceaser home after such a long day. I was over the moon to find I had got 7th in the Riding Club test, 4th in the Novice 30 and as a team we were 2nd overall!

I will say it a million times, but Ceaser is just fantastic. He knows when it's time to step up and really tries his hardest for me. I had a fantastic day and cannot wait to get back out again in a couple of weeks for some more BD!

That's all for now.

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