Eventing has a way of making a single weekend look simple from the outside. A horse arrives, a rider puts on a show jacket, and the pair moves through…
Posts
The real cost of eventing and how I manage it
Rebuilding Confidence After a Spooking Incident
A horse spooks in a heartbeat. A shadow shifts, a branch cracks, a plastic bag catches the wind, or a familiar object appears in a new place. The reaction may…
What my first eventing summer taught me about patience
Before that first summer of eventing, I thought patience was mostly about waiting for the right moment to ask for something. I pictured it as a quiet quality:…
Why I Write Letters to Myself Before Big Events
Before a big event, I am usually surrounded by lists. There are entries to check, tack to clean, clothes to pack, feed to organize, and a horse who has his own…
How Rider Fitness Shapes Horse Performance
A horse does not experience a rider as a passive passenger. Every shift of weight, change in breathing, tightening of the thigh, and delayed aid becomes…
How I Handle a Bad Day at the Barn
Some barn days begin with a horse that will not catch, a truck that refuses to start, or a schedule that falls apart before I have even pulled on my boots.…
The round that changed how I read the rules
There are mistakes that disappear by the time the lorry is packed, and there are mistakes that follow you home. My disqualified round belonged firmly in the…
Why watching other riders can improve your eventing
Eventing is often described as an individual sport, but no rider competes in isolation. At a horse trial, every warm-up ring, start box, arena entrance, and…
My morning rhythm before an eventing competition
Competition mornings begin long before I put a boot in a stirrup. The alarm goes off while the yard is still dark, and for a few quiet minutes I lie still,…
How to stay steady when your horse spooks at a fence
A horse spooking at a fence can turn a familiar approach into a split-second test of balance, timing, and trust. The jump itself may be ordinary, yet a shadow,…