Posts Written On May 2010

Mattingley is one of my favourite events and it ALWAYS seems to be a sunny one which is a real bonus. We arrived and found ourselves a nice shady spot under a tree to park in, by the time we returned from getting my number 2 more people had decided that was a good idea and we had started to create our own mini shady car park! With it being so hot I only allowed 30mins dressage warm up as I thought Soap would go off the boil quicker in the heat. Thankfully the organisers were being lenient and riders…

I received some sad news today from my sponsor Frances at Hoplands EC when she emailed to say that sadly they have had to made the hard decision to close the center. From the Hoplands website… “After much consideration, we have had to take the reluctant decision to close Hoplands Equestrian Centre from 30th June 2010. Due to opposition from local residents and subsequent enforcement action by the local planning authority, our business activities have been limited since 2009 as we have been unable to hold any competitions or shows. Despite our best efforts, the various costs associated with hiring…

Last week I received a text from my sponsor Frances at Hoplands Equestrian Centre asking if I was free to be a guinea pig rider for an Equestrian Coaching Committee training day. Having done a few guinea pig impressions for a similar thing with the BSJA last year I found the whole thing a really interesting experience so said yes. We arrived a little early so I took Soap for a quick hack round the XC course to warm up, the sun was shining, everything looked lush and green, and it was just lovely to be mooching about in such pretty…

The time has come to advertise Dustry and reduce the Team GHE horse power from3 to 2 so yesterday I poshed him up in readiness for his ‘advert pic photoshoot’ and walked him about the yard looking for some nice backdrops to stand him in front of. Because he’s such a cuddly affectionate little chap it’s very tricky to get him to stand up away from me and not walk forward and try to climb in my pocket! I think after 20minutes of  ‘click click , stand up, lifting legs, walking back, leading forwards, and waving arms to get ears…

Almost every weekend since I started training with my new instructor Amanda Brewer I have tried to take Soap for a Saturday lesson with her. This has meant that I haven’t done as much competing as normal at the start of the season as I have redirected my ‘horsey budget’ towards instruction rather than entries (a new tactic for me) but it is starting to pay off! Amanda is a total stickler for accuracy and intelligent riding, and is really helping me hone my skill to become a more knowledgeable, subtle rider. On the flat Soap is really coming on…