Rain changes a horse trial from something polished and predictable into something honest. The arena darkens, the warm-up becomes a patchwork of puddles, and…
Posts
Why I Love Riding in the Rain at a Horse Trial
Staying With a Powerful Horse Through Core Strength
A powerful horse can make every part of eventing feel larger. The stride covers more ground, the jump arrives with greater force, and a small shift in the…
The cross-country walk that saves me time
I used to think a cross-country course walk was mainly about seeing the fences in order. I would arrive with a plan, follow the marked route, and hope that the…
The Barn Notebook: A Better Record Of Every Ride
A barn notebook can become one of the most useful pieces of equipment in your tack room. It does not need leather covers, colour-coded tabs, or perfectly…
Why I Blanket My Horse Differently in the Fall
Autumn is the season when I stop treating the temperature on the weather app as the whole story. A cool morning can become a bright, warm afternoon, while a…
The Best Advice I Got About Riding a Slippery Turn
The most useful riding advice I have received was also the simplest: make the turn smaller in your mind, but bigger with your body. When a horse loses…
How to Stay Positive When the Dressage Arena Feels Tiny
There is a particular kind of nerves that appears when a dressage arena looks smaller than it did at home. The letters seem to have moved closer together, the…
What My Horse’s Ears Tell Me When We Approach a Fence
A horse’s ears can feel like two small weather vanes, turning towards whatever matters most in the moment. As we approach a fence, they may point straight…
Why a Headlamp Lives in My Tack Trunk
There are items I pack for a horse trial because someone sensible once told me to: spare gloves, safety pins, plaiting bands, electrolytes, a first-aid kit and…
When Schooling Has To Become Showing
There is a familiar point in an eventing preparation where the work in front of us changes character. At home, I can circle, repeat, rebalance, and quietly…