We did it!

I’m not sure I even have the words to describe today. I contemplated just not saying anything, because what do you say when you cross the finish line with tears in your eyes, blurring your vision, and all you want to do is hold onto that feeling forever more. I don’t want this feeling to end. I want to bottle it up and keep it.

2 years ago I had this stupid idea I wanted to event Ziggy. God knows why because I’m not brave AT ALL! So to test the waters I entered the 70cm ODE at Eland Lodge. He did an almighty dressage to leave him in the top 5, then went onto to have 4 down in the SJ, and XC....? We were eliminated at the first fence, then the second, then the third, THEN zig realised his job and went on to finish the rest of the course clear. 

Massively in doubts over whether he’d make me an eventer and if he was brave enough to take me over the fences I sat there like a lemon over. One of us needed to be brave! So I left it. We did one more ODE at a small local equestrian centre which was 55cms. And I put my focus back onto dressage. 

Until, on a boring day back in December 2017, I declared I was bored of BD and I signed up to the wobbleberry challenge. Stupid really, given that I’d almost decided to give up jumping after suddenly developing this habit of not breathing over fences and making myself puke. True story..... the humiliating video is still floating on fb somewhere (thanks mum and Fiona 💁🏼‍♀️). 

Anyway, I’m waffling. SO! I found my brave knickers, I found two instructors that could sort me out and well, they kind of have. To the point where a few weeks ago I declared I was by now almost definitely bored of BD and I wanted a challenge. So I looked at BE events and decided which one I would set my heart on. One instructor said “please do an unaffiliated first, so you don’t set yourself back.” 

And that’s how I ended up at Keysoe today. But I almost didn’t end up there because the forecast rain and wind was awful and after deliberating ALL night (I’m not even kidding, I learnt my dressage test at 3am this morning I couldn’t sleep that bad). I woke up to my alarm at 5am this morning. Um’d and ahh’d and then just as my other half was nodding back off I declared “nope were off, come on get up, we’re late!”. 

So we set off to Keysoe to do the 70 class. On the way the wind and rain was horrific but no changing my mind now. 

Zig warmed up beautifully for dressage. I literally did 10 mins. Leg yielding and tapping that hind leg like Tracey had said to. Dropped the whip to go in and oh my life he became lazy AND spooky. Must admit to mumbling “not this again zig, they’re dressage letter boards” as I literally pulled my outside rein and kicked with inside leg whilst smiling like I was Charlotte on valegro! Thankfully judge didn’t notice too much and gave us a whopping 31, the second highest score out of the entire 2 70 sections! Wahoo!!

Onto showjumping. It was raining SO SO heavy now, and sideways. “I’m not doing this” I said to my other half. To which he told me to man up and get in. Tried to jump a practice fence, zig flew the brakes on whilst the steward screamed “LEGGGGGGG” at me. Ok, leg and we flew. Must remember to ride!!!! Told other half if we had trouble SJ’ing I’d retire from XC.

It was piddling it down now to a point i can’t describe but it was our turn. Bell went and Jesus he flew #1, almost pulled my arms out over 2, an upright, then to 3 an oxer, over 4, and then we hit 5. Right by the tables... he stopped, lept it, then carried on over the double, over the upright, then back over the big oxer to finish with 0 time penalties. Okay, he made nothing of them! Fist pump into the air. Oh shoot, clear meant I HAD to do XC now!

Quick change of clothes and over to XC. Still raining cats and dogs and sideways. Zig refused the first warm up fence. Gave him blooming big kick, told him to man up and he flew. Then they were calling my number. 

Over to the start box. God I love this bit. 10 seconds.... and we were off! Tapped for the first fence to wake him up, he flew, and over the 2nd a feeder, over the 3rd, and then round to the 4th a blooming big step up, he took an almighty leap, tripped a bit but carried on, thank god! Over the house, the log pile. He FLEW the coffin (see photo!). He hadn’t looked at a thing up until now. Aside from whinny the whole way round. Silly pony! Up to the water and could kick myself for this. I didn’t realise you could just dip your toes, so I literally flew into the water, zig tripped again - it was deep and we went through it all. Cost us some time, but clear so far so couple of taps on his bum and woke him up again, flew the fence coming out, and we were onto the home stretch! A simple log, slight angled fence, and then I could see the last one... growled at him, tap tap and he flew the big house to storm to the finish line!

We’d only blooming gone DOUBLE CLEAR!!!!

Knew we’d had time penalties and could’ve kicked myself when I saw we were winning had we not had XC time penalties! However, double blooming clear! Crossing that finish line I couldn’t hold back the tears! I honestly can’t believe how far we’ve come. Think back to 4 years ago, when this boy was unrideable, the spooks, how tricky he is at home - BUT he comes out on a day less than ideal weather wise and jumps blooming double clear!! Thrilled to say we finished 4th and highest dressage! 

I’m sorry for the long post, but goodness I love this little lion heart horse! ❤️🐴 MASSIVE confidence boost!! 

THANK YOU to everyone that’s helped me, my instructors; Kate and Sophie who have literally kicked my bum lately, followers, those that believe in us. I definitely think I’m hooked - BD doesn’t give the feeling coming out the start box and crossing those final flags does.... WE DID IT

View Post

When a BD rider decides to change the D to an E!

Way back when I used to love jumping, I'd often be found in the workers ring on my little 12.2h Welsh Section B Sara (who should get more mentions than she does), flying round the course. She was - and still is - a machine. We'd always go clear as she never knocked a fence, and always jumped what was in front of her if she felt you were with her enough.

We were workers champions three consecutive years, rode at Moorgreen County Show where we did a nice clear round in the 75cm class and were always coming home with red ribbons.

Then, one odd day in July, some 14 years ago now (oh my life I'm officially old!!), when jumping in the field at home I cantered towards a rather huge jacobs ladder, with my friend cheering me on and BAM. Sara refused, realising her small size would struggle to get over and instead I was safely deposited over the jump alone. Only for her then to realise it's okay, mum's done it and jump it swiftly after me, crashing into my face.

I can't honestly remember much else, apart from limping down the field, onto the yard and absolutely sobbing with a very funny looking arm, bruised face and cut lip. Someone shouted for my dad, who was off walking the dog somewhere and all I remember is breaking my arm.

Fast forward 6 weeks, having begged my parents to an inch of their life to get back on, my cast was taken off, I was given the all clear and my friend and I stupidly thought I should attempt the jump AGAIN, at the SAME height. My twenty-something-self is currently cursing my teenage self at her stupidity, but hey. I'm sure you know whats coming....

We cantered as fast as we could into the jump, and once again I was deposited the other side and this time Sara thought better of joining me and stayed where she was.

Anyway, another trip to hospital occurred, non-horsey mum was livid, shouted at dad that she was taking me on holiday in 2 weeks and now i'd have to go with an arm in a sling. Thankfully not broken, but badly sprained and ordered to be in a sling for 3 weeks. Not sure I took much notice of that though.

So, since that day my confidence jumping took a bit of a knock. We returned to workers, but didn't really attempt bigger than 80cm from that day on and I always avoided any kind of spread in any form. The sight of jacobs ladders made me want to throw up a tiny bit and you'd be surprised how many times I heaved my way around a show jumping, finished and almost threw up afterwards. Dad called it an embarrassment, I said I could'nt help it.

Anyway, not long after my love for dressage began and all things show jumping was put on a back burner. I outgrew Sara and never found a pony I really enjoyed jumping again.

During university I joined the equestrian team, and jumped for them. It was during th
ese three years that I found my love for jumping once more, but still lacked the pony that had the courage to take me round bigger and more challenging tracks. I was keen to get back into it, but just didn't have the horse!

....and then, as if by magic. Some say we were meant for one another and just waiting for each other to come along. Ziggy arrived! When he arrived we had no idea what he jumped like, but soon enough after we managed to get him going it was evident he jumped like a stag! Then the rest they say is history.

We're here. Ziggy is bold, brave - everything I'd hoped. Aside from being a little spooky, he'll jump anything I put him at. and me? I sit there and hope to God we get over safely, and slowly I'm trying to put my big girl pants on and go Eventing. My hopes of making him a dressage pony are far dashed as people have told me he's too talented to prance about all day.


So, here it is! Our challenge is a BE80. We've accomplished various One Day Events and all sorts, that Eventing is really what I want to do with him now.

However, I just need to cross a tiny bridge. And that tiny bridge seems to be the fact I now throw up when I'm competing over a course of jumps and several people are watching....

Anyway, follow our journey - it might be an interesting one!

View Post

Riding equipment - Guest post by Danny Donchev

Horses are an incredibly enjoyable pass time for many around the globe and taking care of them is difficult but rewarding. That being said there are a few basics that everyone should know about horse grooming that can make the process worlds easier. Horse riding equipment, horse saddles, are just some of the things that you will need to become a proficient rider and understanding how to care for each of them is a great way to start learning more about this exciting sport. 

Saddles are the first and foremost part of any riding kit, as a rider, your saddle is perhaps the most important thing to purchase. Saddles can vary in many aspects including price, size, colour, material and more. Understanding how to care for a saddle can help elongate the life of this piece of equipment greatly. The average saddle costs about £300-£500. These prices can vary according to where you live, what brand of saddle you buy, and what type of saddle you buy. Those saddles that are specially made for things like hurdles and speed riding may cost more as they are specially designed. On average, the life of a saddle that is used frequently if properly cared for can be upwards of 20 years. 

The easiest way to keep you saddle looking great is to wash and condition it regularly. One of the most deleterious elements on a saddle is dirt, grime, and dry air. Keeping a saddle free of dirt and grime and oiling it regularly can prevent cracking, peeling, and other forms of damage that may make it unusable. Saddle pads are another important part of any riding essentials. Your saddle pad helps to secure the saddle and protect the horse from injury from the saddle. This can also help to make any ride a bit smoother. You need to first make sure that the saddle pad is the right thickness. Those that are too thick can hurt the integrity of the saddle and make it dangerous to ride and difficult to cinch your saddle tight enough. Those that are too thin can bring the saddle in contact with the horses skin which can cause chafing, skinning, and even back injury if the saddle is cinched too tight. 

Choose a saddle pad that is of medium heft so that the horse and the rider are both protected. Because the saddle pad comes in contact with the skin of the horse it is important to keep it clean and dry. When the pad becomes too sodden with sweat or grime it should be washed to help prevent irritation of the horse's skin. It should also be kept clean to help elongate the life of the pad. The pad is one of the most important pieces of equipment as it protects both the rider and the horse. If the pad becomes thread bare, torn, or overly damaged it should be replaced immediately. The average life span of a saddle pad is only a couple of years as it is made of less durable material than the saddle. 

Guest post by Danny Donchev

View Post

Yet more rain!

Very muddy legs!

I don't know about you but I am fed up of the constant rainy weather. So far it hasn't managed to ruin any of my plans but I do feel sorry for the eventers who have paid entry fees and put so much time and hard work in to preparing for their season, only to find out venues have sadly had to cancel due to wet weather and unsuitable ground.

I almost feel lucky that most of my dressage competitions are held on a surface so we only have to contend with mucky legs rather than cancelled events. You may be thinking that the showing season should be well underway for me now, but I have made the very difficult decision to take a little break from showing and Veteran qualifiers whilst I concentrate on my dressage and affiliating Ceaser. That doesn't mean to say you won't find us showing at all this season, but I have decided to give Working-Hunter another pop this year, alongside dressage. This could very well change in a few weeks but for now I am looking forward to doing something different this season!

L-R: Me, Tom Whitaker, Louise, Paula, Megan and Laura.

I had a break from competing this weekend as it was Arena UK's Riding Club Presentation Evening and a few of us from the yard had some prizes to pick up! It was a fantastic night and lovely to catch up with friends I haven't seen since September since we were last out showing. Ceaser and I took overall ridden champion in both Ridden Veteran and Riding Pony, which I was thrilled with! To say our 2012 season started off how it did, I was absolutely over the moon. Louise, our yard manager took in-hand overall champion in the Ex-racehorse class with my dad's horse, Khalisa. Two other liveries also picked up four prizes between them, which was nice as we came home with our hands full of rosettes! We were thrilled to find out the one and only Tom Whitaker was handing out the prizes of the evening so of course I took the opportunity to have lots of photos with him. Thank you to Arena UK and Carole who runs the Riding Club for organising such a lovely evening.

Showing off our winnings!

It has been a very busy few weeks for both Ceaser and I. As I am sure you have read, we have had some good dressage scores from our latest two competitions. This has meant we have had a very successful and promising start to the 2013 season which has given me quite a lot of confidence to go and succeed. Ceaser is working lovely at home and has enjoyed hacking a lot more as part of our schooling.

He had a small reaction to his flu and tetanus last week, which we fully expected. However, we were initially worried about another anaphylactic shock so a mere cold was fine! I only noticed he'd had a small reaction when I was re-clipping him and he started to shiver when rug-less, which is quite unlike him! After a quick phone call to my vet, she assured me it was to be expected, told me to rug him up well, give him a sachet of bute and not to worry. As usual, she was right and the next day he was back to banging his door wanting breakfast! Typical coloured!

Our yard is undergoing quite a few changes at the moment as well, which means I find myself not having a lot of time to update this blog as much as I would like. Between writing new livery contracts, doing freelance work, completing my masters, riding and helping on the yard I am absolutely shattered. The changes are all currently being announced on the yards facebook but they include new facilities, a name change and another new manager coming to work alongside our current manager!

My sponsor, Charles James Fox recently announced he wanted all of his sponsored riders to appear in his clothing catalogue so I took the opportunity to ask the lovely Gemma to come and take some photos of Ceaser and I wearing the Born & Bred clothing. The photos are gorgeous! If you want to check out the Born & Bred range then follow this link.  Charles James Fox offers some lovely competition clothing that is worth a look. I love my base layer which keeps me warm on the coldest of days, but also cool on the warmest of days - they are fabulous!

My next outing with Ceaser is hopefully going to another affiliated dressage outing. I am all set to join British Dressage now so we aren't just limited to Prelims when we're doing the affiliated competitions. I know I say it over and over again, but if it wasn't for Ceaser and my addicition to competing I'd be a very rich person! (well, not rich, but at least have money!). I would just like to say a huge thank you to my two very good friends, Sam and Louise for helping me complete my dressage wardrobe! Apparently I needed a nicer jacket to wear to dressage competitions than the one I had previously, so they very kindly purchased me one and some lovely white jodhpurs! I did say that surely it was better to turn up looking like you didn't know what you're doing and then go and win, but they wanted me to look professional! Thank you guys :)

I promise to try and update a little more from now. University work has slowed down as we are now close to finishing. Quite honestly I cannot believe how quickly my masters has gone. It doesn't seem two minutes ago I was starting.

Good Luck to all those competing this weekend and for all the eventers out there - I hope you get out soon!



Sian and Ceaser.

View Post

Eye on Equestrian 2013....the view so far

I have received several requests this week about allowing fellow freelancers to write a guest blog on here. 

Should you wish to submit a guest blog then please contact me at slequinejournalism@gmail.com

Vernon Holderness is a freelance writer who reviews equestrian gear from horse wear specialists like equestrianclearance.com. Here is his take on what is happening in the world of horses so far in 2013...

Eye on equestrian – what’s happening in the world of horses

Eye on equestrian – what’s happening in the world of horses

Foal play from Tesco

Probably the biggest story of the month relating to horses, the news that Tesco and other supermarkets were found to be making burgers containing up to 29% horsemeat was all over the media. Everyone was joking about it on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere on the web.

Even Bruce Haskell joined in the fun. The trainer joked on his Twitter account: ““I tried to call the PR person from Tesco. He couldn’t answer the phone as he had a sore throat – he was “feeling a little horse”!

All change in eventing

After initially re-applying for her old role, Irish Senior Eventing High Performance Manager Ginny Elliot has withdrawn her interest in keeping the job she held since 2008. She will be missed by those involved with Team Ireland Equestrian.

Henrietta Knight spoke candidly in an interview with Horse & Hound magazine about her career and a new partnership with Yogi Breisner, the Performance Manager for the British Eventing team. She also mentioned her tie-in with Chef d’Equipe.

Bruce Haskell talked about sweeping changes being made to the classification for event riders. The more experienced riders will be in A-D Level, while anyone below that standard will be classed as ‘national riders’. Bruce said this could make more sense as it helps the rider decide when they’re ready to step up.

Trotting on to TV

Viewers in Ireland and the rest of the world have something to look forward to: a brand new online equestrian TV channel! Irish Horse TV is set to launch next month, and will feature eventing, dressage, show jumping and other events. A joint initiative from Horse Racing Ireland and Horse Sport Ireland, it promises to be a must-see for all things equestrian, so be sure to tune in!

Who’s going to win at the horse Oscars?

One of the highlights of the equestrian calendar, the Equestrian Social Media Awards (ESMAs) are seen as hugely prestigious and mean the world to anyone who receives a nomination. The ESMAs are the equestrian Oscars, but unlike the Academy Awards, anyone can vote for their favourite in each category.

By clicking here, you can vote for whom you want to win, but you should make sure you take your pick by February 8^th. Various websites and publications from all over the world are hoping they can win an ESMA.

View Post

A little bit of encouragement goes a long way..

Stupidly I had an idea in 2012 that I thought would be clever and make some good reading for all of you that follow my blog.

I decided over the next few months I am going to participate in events or situations that I wouldn't usually find nor put myself in and then write about it.

For example, towards the end of 2012 I made the short journey to our local Polo Club and had the most brilliant day learning how to play Polo and what it is all about. This didn't take me too much out of my comfort zone and I found myself wanting to play more and go much faster than we had been allowed.

A few weeks before that I arranged to have a side-saddle lesson on Ceaser; something neither of us have ever tried before. What an experience that was! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and we both took to riding sideways like ducks to water. After a few canters round the arena I found we were flying over a jump sideways - something I loved!

However, both of these have been pretty calm and whilst I've tried new things I don't feel they have taken me out of my comfort zone. So...being the enthusiastic writer and rider I am I have decided to set myself a few challenges for 2013 and share them all with you.

I like to think of what I'm embarking on is slightly more than giving you something to read, but more of a bucket list. Life is so short and I am fed up of walking along at snail pace and letting life go - I wan't to make the most of what I have and take advantage of offers and how lucky I am to be involved in such a fantastic sport.

How did all this begin?


At the age of 14 I had a rather bad riding accident when show-jump practicing in our yards field and have since been absolutely petrified of spreads. I'll jump them but I'll shut my eyes before we take off (Jacky did look rather shocked when I said this!) It all started when I was practicing for a local Working-Hunter qualifier on my 12.2hh pony, Sara. Being a jumping pony she flies into jumps like there is no tomorrow and you quite literally have to sit there and hope for the best. However, I must have not hoped for the best that day as coming into a spread she threw the brakes on, chucked me over the jump then decided it wasn't scary after all as "Mummy had done it fine" and she then jumped it after me. This resulted in both of her knees hitting me in the face and that is all I remember of that! The next bit I recall is a friend running up to me screaming and me getting up sobbing rather loudly that my arm "felt funny".

Lots of x-rays later I was sent home from A&E with my arm in a cast, two black eyes, a split lip and a mother that wasn't impressed as I always seem to undergo injuries in my dads care and not hers! (probably because she doesn't believe in anything dangerous like horse-riding whereas my Dads moto is "get on and do it"). 6 weeks later I had the cast off, decided to try the same jump the following day and ended up back in hospital after Sara threw the brakes on again and off I flew! This time the wrist was sprained and I was out of action for another 3 weeks. Since then I reverted from a jumper to a dressage rider and have never looked back.

I still enjoy show jumping and have jumped on my universities equestrian team, taken Ceaser to a local ODE, won some show jumping events and found myself wanting to get back in to show jumping but I have never found myself enjoying it as much as I used to.


So...here is my slightly insane and crazy bucket list. Please bear in mind that although it may not seem a lot to you, I am a dressage rider. I like to keep all four of the ponies feet on the ground apart from when we are partaking in a flying change.

Anyway, without putting it off any longer:
- Participate in a ODE on a horse that isn't my own in a decent sized class - height wise
- Exercise a racehorse - no, not one of my own...but exercise a racehorse on the gallops
- Partake in an Amateur riders race
- Play Polo again - but this time at a lot more speed!
- Ride Ceaser on the gallops
- Complete a show jumping competition of at least a meter on a horse that isn't my own.
- Ride a famous dressage horse (Can someone put me in contact with Charlotte or Carl please????)
- Overcome my fear of spreads
And the list is ever growing.... So watch this space.

This is where the lovely Jacky Beaven comes in. Jacky and I met through my lovely sponsor, Charles James. She saw my rather brave and apprehensive post on our sponsors facebook page about trying new things and offered me a ride on her lovely 15.2h Dutch Warmblood, known as Coco.

Coco and Jacky have built an amazing partnership together after a few years back Jacky decided she wanted to get back into Eventing and purchased Coco as a 3 year old. Since then they have competed in Intermediate events, Novices, 1 stars, the Lycetts young horse event and are now aiming for 2 star event.

After clicking on to Jacky's facebook page and seeing photos of Coco flying over jumps I wouldn't even go near, I quickly accepted Jacky's invitation and this weekend found myself travelling the 90 minute journey to meet her lovely steeds!

When I arrived I was introduced to the lovely Coco who has the most adorable and kind face and Madge, a chestnut mare that reminded me so much of Sara.

Jacky said that Coco had been out of work for a few weeks as she was having some time off after the hectic season eventing so we wouldn't be able to do much but I could hop on, do some schooling and get the feel for her.

I must say, I loved her, but honestly - who couldn't. After a few initial disagreements when I first got on and Coco almost asking me what the hell I was doing up there, she was on her holidays, she worked lovely. Her trot is quite literally to die for and she has an amazing extension on her that I am sure would rack up the points if she was a dressage horse! I have also always found that horses tend to have a canter I don't like - probably because I am used to much shorter pony strides. However, Coco's is completely different and very much a nice and steady collected canter. She will go forward if you ask her and comes back immediately when you say "hang on".

If I had gone to look at this young horse to buy I would have said yes there and then - she is exactly what I imagine my next horse to be like and is the perfect size.

I thoroughly enjoyed riding her and cannot wait to have a little pop over some jumps - if Jacky still lets me!

Next up was Madge. I asked Jacky if I could stay to watch her ride this young chestnut mare as she looked like she had some potential. Jacky explained she had very low mileage on the clock but would make someone a fantastic riding club pony as she really is a great all rounder. After watching, Jacky asked if I would like to get on and of course I happily obliged.

Of course, before I knew it we were flying over jumps at speed I don't think I've been at for quite some time! This young horse is definitely one to watch for the future; she has scope to go far with a young rider I think.

I didn't tell Jacky but that was the first time I had jumped in 2 months. I find myself now not wanting nor enjoying to jump as I love schooling too much. I am a real perfectionist and spend the majority of my time getting Ceaser's dressage right. However, being given the opportunity to ride two fantastic eventers is something I loved and jumping Madge gave me the jumping bug back.

Something Jacky said or did to me on Saturday definitely worked though as on Sunday I scrapped Ceaser's schooling and in stead we had some fun jumping. He was on fire, had no knock downs or refusals but jumped everything first time. Before long we were up to hole 11 on the wings and he was flying over spreads - with me aboard!

So, maybe without realising I have started to work on my list. I am rather excited to say the least about what situations I am going to find myself in. An email this morning has confirmed that the "compete in an amateur riders race" bullet point may be closer to being crossed off than I initially thought!

Huge thank you's and carrots go to very kind Jacky and adorable Coco and Madge for a very enjoyable  day with them all. To follow Jacky and Coco's journey together click here.

View Post

How is Christmas all over and done with? Aims for 2013.

I really hate this time of the year - Christmas is done with and the New Year is fast approaching quicker than anybody likes. The weather is dull and most horses and owners are fed up with riding in the rain or having to deal with limited turn out because of trying to work around the weather.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas anyway and got thoroughly spoilt - I certainly did. The boyfriend, Mark clearly listened to all my constant hints over the past few weeks that I would love a nice pair of Hunter wellies as I was presented with a gorgeous 'Violet' pair on Christmas day. Thank you Mark! I am also all set to go Eventing now after getting a race-safe body protector from Dad, which fits like a glove. It is amazing how comfy they are compared to others I have had. My Grandma added the icing on cake by spoiling me with a lovely Charles Owen dressage and showing hat. For those that remember, I blogged about it a couple of weeks ago. Although, I think my Mum has the right idea - we agreed that in-stead of a main present for Christmas day I would get a few little bits and we would then hit the Joules sale after Boxing Day so I could get the stunning Tweed Jacket I have had my eye on for a while but not been able to afford!

This past year has definitely flown by, its scary. In 2 weeks time I'll be 22 and it doesn't seem two minutes ago we were all singing the night away on my 21st! In the New Year I'm no longer working long days on Monday and Tuesdays due to my new freelance writing job, so I am able to work my hours around Ceaser and get ridden earlier on in the day which is much better! I have always dreamed of having a job that enables me to work around my horses and competing - although this one isn't full time it is perfect for now, especially whilst I am also still studying.

Ceaser is currently working really well in his double bridle. I think he is realising now he cannot just tank me round the arena at 50MPH when I ask for a medium canter. I have been getting Mark to take photos every few days or so when I'm schooling in my dressage equipment and you can already see a huge difference in his paces.
I keep getting asked why I bother showing throughout the summer and why I don't just concentrate on all the dressage qualifiers and championships. I think I would really like to and having qualified for the Petplan Nationals it would be lovely to go - but Ceaser enjoys his showing and that would mean giving up on doing the ridden veteran classes, which he excels in. Olympia is our dream and it would be lovely to continue to try and get there. Unfortunately this year it really wasn't an option after Ceaser being poorly in April, it set us back a good couple of weeks and we missed all the local qualifiers. However, I am not one to give up and I am hoping our recent success, both in showing and dressage continues in 2013.

Although 2012 has been a testing year for me, it has also opened my eyes up to so many things and been one of the best years for me. I haven't had one bad competition result or been to any show that I have come away feeling disappointed from. If I remember rightly the only show we all came away laughing from was one back early in February when I was told I was being put Reserve Champion and not Champion because the judge "didn't want to take Ceaser home". She proceeded to tell me he "moved the best, went the best and was turned out the best, but..." she wanted "to take the other home more". I didn't realise showing was judged like a 'Which dog would you like to take home' class, but nevertheless it provided a few giggles and I still gained the qualification card I had gone for, so it wasn't a complete wasted day out.

There was also the dressage competition back in the Spring when I had done both classes, managed to stay on a very hyperactive and forward Ceaser, gain two qualifications for the PetPlan Nationals but then somehow injured my arm in the car-park by stopping Ceaser from being kicked by a liveries pony. It was quite funny and whilst I could have sobbed the whole way home from the pain, I had Mark in one ear and a livery in the other making me giggle and realise how stupid I would sound telling the doctor what I had done. Three weeks off and I was back riding - much sooner than the Doctors had ordered though. The bonus was not being able to do anything for those weeks so whilst I sat with my arm in a sling I could watch others muck out for me.

April 2012 was the worst month for me by far. I have never spoken much about what happened that awful day and to be honest I don't want to, but I owe so much to my lovely vets, Alan Heath Equine, who quite frankly saved my boys life. I was away at university handing in some final projects when I had a phone call from the yard manager telling me it looked like Ceaser had bad mud fever and probably needed the vet as his front legs were rather swollen. Without hesitation I phoned the vet and was told they would be there around 3/4ish. Sitting at university that day was absolutely awful but I knew I was being silly and he would be fine. However I had a horrible dreaded feeling that I needed to get home. At 4 I tried to phone Mum, the Yard manager, the Vet ...anyone, but none would answer. It was then I knew something was wrong and raced to get home. My fears were confirmed when Mum phoned and told me just to get home, quick.

When I arrived home - only an hour and 15 minutes after leaving Leicester I learnt that the vets had given Ceaser antibiotics intravenously for cellulitis and unbeknown to us he was allergic to that type of antibiotics which caused him to have an anaphylactic shock. For those that know much about things like this, you will know anaphylactic shocks are life threatening and unless you get a drug into them within seconds to counteract the drug they are allergic to then it is a killer. My vet was absolutely fantastic and on her last attempt managed to get the correct drug in to Ceaser. He was then put on a saline drip and given other medication such as steroids. It was touch and go for a couple of hours and I was told to expect the worst and know that he had only a 50/50 chance of survival. Thankfully though he was and is a fighter and pulled through. For three days after this he was on colic alert as a shock like that can cause all sorts of complications. The hardest for me was seeing him laying flat out in his stable simply exhausted from what had happened. My initial reaction was to get him up and off the floor but my vets told me to leave him to sleep. Me and Mark slept with him all night until at 5am the next morning he suddenly jumped up, whinnied and at that point we knew he was going to be fine.

It was very difficult for me to comprehend that after such an ordeal like that he would ever compete again. I made my vets come back and do all sorts of tests on him to check no fluid from the shock had got into his lungs or caused any secondary problems. It was such a relief when just after 10 days from that horrible day he was given a clean bill of health and just a month later we were back competing. I don't think my vets appreciated texts like "some grey snot has fallen out his nose - is this bad?" or "I've googled his symptoms and google says he has equine rabies" when I first started to ride him again but nevertheless they were absolutely fantastic with me and spent hours telling me was fine and to stop worrying! Things we do for our horses eh?

Although I don't wish this had happened, it did make me realise all over again that we can't and shouldn't take our equines for granted - or any pets for that matter. The first time I got back on him I sobbed my heart out, then laughed, then sobbed again - it was such a relief to be back where I belong.

Anyway, enough of that. He is fine and since being poorly is better than ever. We have discussed that he potentially had a virus in the weeks leading up to the shock and the cause was simply his low immune system not being able to take the antibiotics. I owe lots of thanks to all involved with Ceaser's recovery and to those who shared the hourly through the night checks with me for 10 days.

Our aims for 2013 have pretty much been discussed earlier on in this blog, but as I mentioned above it would be lovely to get to Olympia in the Veteran final. Whether or not this will happen is anyones guess but I definitely going to give it my all. I am also hoping to get another ride for dressage that will stay as my dressage ride. Who knows though? As I learnt before, one split second can change your life.  I think as well as Olympia I would love to compete at the PetPlan Nationals and maybe Trailblazers. This year I qualified for both but with graduating and my dissertation taking so much time up I decided I needed to concentrate on university. I have gained a couple more sponsors for 2013 to support my dressage and competing so I am really looking forward to what the New Year brings.

I am hoping that in September I will graduate with my Masters in Sports Journalism. It was such an achievement for me to graduate with an Honours Degree in Journalism and following the buzz the graduation ceremony gave me I decided to carry on and do my Masters. I must admit it has been much easier so far with studying much closer to home. One of the things I found difficult during my degree was how far I was away from the horses. Its nice to go to university now, come home and relax with the horses.

In terms of my blog, my aims for 2013 are pretty much the same as last year. In just 11 months my blog views have hit the 17,000 mark which is way beyond anything that I expected. I remember when I set it up back in January 2012, I didn't expect to be where I am now, nor getting job offers because of the success of it! Lots of very kind companies have allowed me to do product reviews for them which has been fantastic. On several occasions I have also been asked to guest blog for different companies which I hope to continue to do in 2013. I enjoy writing and whilst I used to think of myself as just an Equestrian Journalist I am now finding my feet in other areas which has been very different but proving to be successful.

I am now on the "list" for several magazines as a freelancer which gives me that excited feeling of not knowing where I could be going in 2013. This year I found myself at places like the Pony Club Championships which I had a great time at. In-fact at the Geoff and Oliver Edge of Glory Tour I bumped into some Pony Club Mums I had interviewed and we had a good catch up about how their children had done. It was such a lovely feeling that they instantly recognised me and took the time to ask how my career was going.

We also have some high hopes and aims for our yard in 2013. A meeting is being held soon to see how to take it further in 2013 and all the time we are thinking how to improve. We really are the best in our area for facilities, prices and more.

Our riding school is doing exceptionally well at the moment, especially with us having a brilliant new instructor. I am pestering Dad for an Indoor menage at the moment, as well as my 3.5 tonne horse box. It would make life so much easier as its rather annoying getting wet jodhpurs from riding in the rain. I am sure if I said it would benefit the riding school he would agree - watch this space!!

Well, this blog has gone on far too long now, but after reading through it I am rather excited at how much 2013 is going to bring for me. I have some fantastic new sponsors set up for the New Year and some brilliant opportunities and doors opening in both my journalism career and my riding.

Here's to a successful and happy New Year....

View Post

On the 6th day of Christmas my horse gave to me....

On the sixth day of christmas my true love gave to me....

My gorgeous whip!

My boyfriend got me this whip when we were at the Pony Club Championships reporting for a magazine back in August. I love it and use it whenever I am jumping as it is much easier to handle and more stylish looking than any other whip I have used when show jumping!

The sixth product I would like to recommend is the Eventing/Racing baton whip. 

There isn't really much to say about this whip apart from the obvious. It is made from soft leather giving it a luxury feel. It's thicker than most other traditional riding whips which also makes it more durable.

Apart from the above it also looks the part and adds the finishing touch to any competition gear. 

Retailing at about £40, these whips are well worth the money! 

Have a look at EquiPort to get yours!

View Post