The other week a friend watched me finish a flatwork session, jump off, loosen the girth, loop the reins over my horse's neck, and then walk her to the far end…
Posts
Why I Never Skip a Post-Ride Trot-Up, Even at Home
How to Handle a Last-Minute Tack Adjustment Before Your Test
There is a particular kind of tension that arrives in the final minutes before a dressage test. The warm-up is busy, your horse is beginning to feel focused,…
Building Confident Balance on Hills With Your Horse
Hill work can reveal changes in a horse’s balance that remain hidden on level ground. A horse may feel steady in an arena yet rush downhill, lose rhythm…
Why I Keep a Simple Training Log for Every Ride
I used to think a training log had to be impressive to be useful. I imagined pages of carefully measured distances, elaborate schooling plans, heart-rate data…
Helping A Nervous Horse Settle Into New Stabling
A new stabling area can feel like a very big event to a horse. The unfamiliar smells, strange voices, clattering buckets and movement around neighbouring yards…
The Horse Trial Lunches I Pack to Stay Fresh and Spill-Free
A horse trial day asks a lot of a lunch. It has to survive an early start, a bumpy drive, a few hours in a float or car, and the inevitable moment when I…
Recovering Well After a Disappointing Dressage Score
A low dressage mark can affect an entire competition day. You may leave the arena replaying one tense halt, an untidy transition, or a moment when your horse…
The Moment I Realized My Horse Needed More Turnout Time
I used to think I knew what my horse needed because I knew his routine so well. I knew how much he ate, which leg he preferred to rest, the expression he made…
Why I Pack Spare Clothes for Me and My Horse
There is a particular kind of optimism involved in packing for an eventing day. I leave home with clean breeches, a tidy shirt, polished boots and a horse who…
Building an affordable eventing conditioning plan
Eventing asks a horse and rider to switch between three very different jobs: the accuracy of dressage, the quick reactions of show jumping, and the strength,…