We’ve qualified for British Dressage Winter Regional Champs – YAY!

by on ·Competition Reports & Training

By the skin of our teeth we’ve just managed to pick up enough points to qualify for our first ever attempt at BD Winter Regional Champs. Until last week we had 11 points from various dressage outings through the year, but we needed 19 ‘prelim points’ to qualify. Our last attempt to pick up more points was a disaster! I took D to a local venue a few weeks ago and unbeknownst to me where I had applied some arnica cream to his back (because he had done a huge buck in the week and I wanted to make sure…

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How to make a pom pom for your riding hat silk

by on ·General

When I noticed that the button had fallen off my hat silk I decide to make a pom pom to cover the hole. Here’s a how to guide if you fancy making a pom pom for your hat silk too! You will need: Wool in a colour of your choice (If you’re feeling adventurous then you can use more than one colour wool for a marbled effect. I chose white as my XC colours are green and white) Some cardboard, an old box will do Scissors, a pen, a mug, 2p, and a large eyed needle Draw round the mug…

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Carr & Day & Martin – ‘Mane & Tail’ and ‘Dream Coat’ Product Review

by on ·#horseygirllife

The lovely bods at Carr & Day & Martin got in touch to ask me if I would be willing to do a product review for them, well who wouldn’t?! Carr & Day & Martin are one of those iconic horsey brands that I grew up with, and for me their orange and black packaging is instantly recognisable. I can remember sitting on the floor in my parent’s utility room going through the list of items I needed in my grooming kit for Pony Club Camp and carefully labelling all my brushes, and equipment, and yes I even got a…

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Interview: Margitt Appelt “Blenheim’s brightest star”

by on ·Interviews

If you saw any coverage from this year’s Blenheim then one rider probably caught your eye. Austrian eventer Margitt Appelt wowed the crowds, and cameras with her eye catching fashion. From the trot up (where she wore traditional Austrian national dress!) to the cross country course she was a girl that was hard to miss! GHE readers will know that I am an avid fan of colour coordination myself, if it’s green and white and chequered then I must have it!  Last year I spoke to Paul Tapner about his relationship with the colour red and just how far he’s…

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Crazy things come in 3’s @ Tweseldown 80cm ODE

by on ·Competition Reports & Training, General

I haven’t been to Tweseldown since 2009, so it was really nice to take a trip back there for Dustry’s 4th and final ODE of his short debut eventing season. We had afternoon times so went early with plenty of time to walk the course in the morning. It was a scorcher of a day, not what I was expecting for late September at all! As we walked further round the course the layers came off and when we finished we sat in the shade watching the show jumping for a while with a nice cold drink and bacon butty!…

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Dressage seriously? Why is it SO hard!

by on ·Competition Reports & Training, General

As long as I live I don’t think I will ever be able to accurately predict the mark of my dressage tests. What I feel, what Dustry goes like, and what the judge sees are 3 apparently unrelated elements if our recent tests and results are anything to go by! The problem with dressage is….I like it, I would go so far as to say I actively enjoy it (shock horror!) I get a real buzz out of our flatwork lessons and being able to take D out to strut his stuff in the competition arena is really fun……really fun…

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Dustry’s 3rd ODE @ Elmwood Equestrian – 6th place!

by on ·Competition Reports & Training, General

Success!!!! Yay we came 6th!!! Right now I’ve got that out of my system this is how the day panned out. We arrived at Elmwood nice and early and having walked the XC the day before all I needed to do was casually get ready and focus on phase 1. Dustry was super chilled as I had given him some Protexin Quick Fix to settle his stomach and any butterflies he might have, as a result he warmed in really well, no freak outs, no random kung fu, just attentive and focussed. Pleased with his warm up we went into…

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Collecting chest freezers, painting stables, and preparing for our third ODE

by on ·General, Stable & Horse Mangement

This time of year I go into ‘spring cleaning and winter preparation mode’. Whilst it’s still technically summer and Dustry is living out 24/7 I get cracking with all my pre-winter prep. First up his stable gets a make over, I pressure wash out all the cobwebs and am currently halfway through repainting the white walls which look decidedly grubby and poo splattered after last winter. This year I have roped my Daddyo into helping me with some stable modifications too. I want to put a clear roof panel in so that it acts as a skylight making his box…

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From racehorse to dressage diva to eventer to show pony!

by on ·Competition Reports & Training, General

I love thoroughbreds! I am pretty sure I have said this several times before but they really are my favourite breed of horse. For all their high maintenance ways, and occasional histrionics I wouldn’t swap them for anything else. They aren’t easy and Dustry has by far been the most challenging one I have owned to date, but he’s maturing into the most versatile and useful little horse now. He’s become my ‘Bird’s Eye Potato Waffle Pony’ because he’s ‘waffley versatile’ Our last few competitions have seen him making his eventing debut, strutting his stuff at BD, and attempting his…

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