A personal blog about eventing, horses & life in the middle of it all

Posts

Reading a horse's breathing pattern for clues about his nerves

It is still half dark when I lean against the lorry at the Melbourne International Three Day Event, my hands wrapped around a thermos and my breath making…

Hydration Habits That Carry You Through a Full Day of Eventing

A full day of eventing is a marathon disguised as three separate sports. From warming up at dawn in the dressage arena to walking cross-country in the blazing…

Why I Always Walk the Show Jumping Course Twice

At a horse trial, the show jumping phase can look deceptively tidy. The arena is fenced, the jumps are brightly painted, and the route is printed clearly on…

The Day I Finally Conquered My Fear of Downhill Strides

There is a particular feeling that lives in the back of every event rider's mind when they look at a course map and see a steep descent coming after a…

Giocare a bingo con soldi veri: a measured online guide

For many people, the appeal of bingo lies in its simple rhythm: choose a ticket, follow the calls, and wait for the numbers that can change the result. Online…

Building trust with a horse that has trust issues

Most riders eventually cross paths with a horse that flinches at a brush, pins its ears when the girth tightens, or refuses to load on a float without a fight.…

Why I Pack a Personal First-Aid Kit in My Tack Trunk

There's a particular kind of silence that follows a fall at a horse trial, the kind where the wind keeps blowing through the eucalyptus along the cross-country…

Conditioning for Intermediate: the lessons I picked up the hard way

I still remember the moment I realised I was out of my depth. We had walked the cross-country course at the Melbourne International Three Day Event, and the…

A Calm, Safe Introduction to Water Jumps

Water jumps can look deceptively simple. A shallow tray, a strip of blue beneath a fence, or a wide pond may seem like a small question for an experienced…

Helping a tense horse feel settled in the dressage ring

A horse that becomes tight, distracted or reactive in the dressage arena is rarely being difficult for the sake of it. The ring can combine unfamiliar…