It struck me the other day as I reached for my trusty tub of Sudocrem that I have been using this stuff for years and it was long overdue a plug on the blog, seeing as it is such a super handy product to have around. Dustry managed to graze a large patch of hair off his leg the other day and the bare skin looked very sore and red. After washing off with warm water and Hibiscrub (another fab first aid product to have in your care kit!) I dried it and smothered the bald area in Sudocrem. Less…
The other day I looked up Dustry’s BD record and was pretty shocked by what I found! I guess unless you really stop and take stock of what you are doing and where you have come from it’s very easy to lose sight of your progress and what’s been achieved along the way. I’ve never really considered myself as being very good at dressage, I’ve always thought of myself as more of ‘a cross country rider’. I’ve spent hours studying my BE record, and I’m proud of the fact that I’ve only ever incurred 2x stops XC throughout 6x seasons,…
Katie’s fab photo has been approved by Vogue Italia‘s picture editors and has made the cut to be published on their website. Gobsmacked is an understatement. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be in Vogue, especially not wearing breeches and an orange fleece!!! hahhha Kudos to Katie for taking and submitting the pic.
So there I was schooling away in the dark tonight, when I hear *click click click* uh oh! it’s the nocturnal paparazzi, they’ve found us! No doubt tomorrow we will be all over the ‘column of shame’ in the Daily Mail for our frankly feeble Monday night flatwork efforts. I’l be forced to go on some sort of body transformation boot camp, and lose 2/3rds of my body mass and Dustry will be exposed as a love rat, stringing along two mares who just happen to be in adjacent fields! But thankfully out of the gloom came Katie Mortimore our…
Dressage, love it or hate it, its importance in all equestrian activities can’t be denied. If you are anything like me you probably have a vague fuzzy idea that dressage has its origins in the military but didn’t know much more than that. So here’s a little potted history of the evolution of dressage for those who are interested… 430-c.354 BCE The earliest record of dressage training is a work published by a Greek cavalry officer and historian Xenophon called ‘Hippike’ which translates as ‘On Horsemanship’. His approach was that horses should be trained by gaining their trust and allowing the…
This recent wet weather makes being a horse owner less and less desirable, and collecting stamps instead more and more appealing! I think I reached my limit with the constant rain when I arrived at the yard one weekday morning to find Dustry’s stable flooded and him stood on top of his floating rubber matting! Anyhow we try and battle on despite the weather, and even though it has been atrocious having the lorry and a local indoor to hire has been a godsend and helped us keep training going through the winter months. I know all horse owners are…
HOLD YOUR HORSES, THE #GHEGIVEAWAY JUST GOT EVEN BETTER! (15/12/13) We now have an additional prize! The 4th name pulled out of the hat will now win… 3x TUBES OF DR D’S TASTY TREATS Get your entry in quick, competition closes December 20th!!! Big thanks to Dr D’s Tasty Treats for the prize. (all previous entries are still valid and eligible to win 1 f the 4 prizes on offer) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Roll up, roll up it’s a Christmas #gifthorsegiveaway! YOU COULD WIN 1 OF 3 FAB PRIZES….. A PROTEXIN EQUINE PREMIUM STARER PACK AND SADDLE CLOTH MOUNTAIN HORSE WINTER WARMERS…
Throughout the winter months it is so hard to keep up regular jumping sessions, when it’s so wet and windy that the fences fall down and float away before you even have the chance to jump them you know it’s time to admit defeat! Thankfully I have discovered a new indoor venue right on my doorstep and it’s available to hire midweek after work, fantastic!!! So I tacked up and set off in the lorry (with mummy groom) for some flatwork and grid-work in the comfort of an indoor arena, luxury! I worked on the flat for 30 mins and…
I feel like it’s time for a plan. So here it is! These are my 5 aims for Dustry and myself over the next 6(ish) months… 1/ Break that illusive 70% score barrier in an affiliated BD Prelim test (68.6% our best score to date! argh so close!) 2/ Begin work on medium paces, improve transitions and accuracy so that we can attempt our first Novice level dressage test (either affiliated or unaffiliated, not fussy for the first few) 3/ Get Dustry confident and competent in his job when show jumping around 90cms – 1m (build on his training so far…
With the help of a friend with a sewing machine I have been getting crafty with some green and white checked fabric. I bought this fabric from eBay ages ago with the intention of making a matching stock for my cross country colours and have only now got round to making it!!! Stocks are relatively easy to make as they are essentially just a flat shape to cut out and sew. I didn’t do a button hole like many stocks have A/ because I can’t sew button holes! and B/ because even…