How to Excel At Being Average

Of our 4 horses 3 of them needed a boost of some kind or another.  Beau had ulcers in his youth, Parker is a stress-head and Stella is a busybody who loses confidence in stress situations I read that once a horse has had ulcers, they either always have them or always have the risk of recurrence.  Beau has always shown irritation when being girthed up.  I always do it gradually and only as tight as it needs to be which is really important, especially if the girth has elastic inserts.  It's hard to tell whether that's just his grumpiness (he likes his own space best) or discomfort, but I decided not to take a chance and started him on Comfort Gut  Parker is a big stressy juggernaut. Most days he is fine and relaxed and settled.  However some days he worries if Beau is not in eye-shot, or if he is in eye-shot.  He worries if someone else is being exercised, or if nobody is being exercised!  His droppings have a tendency to a pat-like consistency, and he wriggles and jiggles and paces his fence line on stressy days.  I could get him scoped for ulcers, but he does not travel and finds vet visits very stressful indeed, so i thought it sensible to just assume he probably has ulcers and to treat him too In February Comfort Gut contacted me and asked me to try their enhanced range of products - Comfort Gut Pro and Comfort Gut Ultimate, and because their standard Comfort Gut has supported our horses so well I leapt at the chance! Standard Comfort Gut is a charcoal based product.  It comes in a bag within a tub and with its own scoop.  I recommend keeping the scoop outside the bag so that you don't have black fingers after mixing feeds.  It's super simple to feed and the horses like it fine.  We had great results with Comfort Gut  - it seemed especially to help Parker - the evidence being his normalised droppings and lower tendency to pace up and down after feeds; and supported Beau too who became far less girthy Comfort Gut Pro and Excel are both seaweed based, so green rather than black They also come in a bag within a tub and with their own serving scoops We introduced it to Beau and Parker, and this time Stella too, by mixing it with standard Comfort Gut over about 5-6 days until they were just on the new product.  They are both currently just on Comfort Gut Pro and it has been amazing for all 3 of them Beau is more cheerful and not girthy.  His work ethic has improved and he hasn't napped for weeks Stella was a bit of a UXB over the winter.  She was having to be lunged before riding so that it was possible to stay on!  1 week on Comfort Gut Pro however and she was back to the horse that we know.  Stands to be mounted, works willingly and if anything errs on the lazy side.  A truly remarkable improvement! Parker has remained the same as he was on Comfort Gut, less stressy and with more normal droppings After 4.5 weeks on Pro we still have some left - and I have just bought 2 more large tubs to make sure we have some in!   The behavioural changes and the obvious improved comfort of our horses on Comfort Gut products has been fantastic.  I can hardly wait to try Ultimate!   I need to give it some thought as to how I approach this.  At the moment i think Beau would be a good option - he can be very grumpy and girthy but never silly.  He is very stoic but at the same time does let you know if he is struggling anywhere so will let us know if Ultimate works as well as or better than Pro.  Parker is absolutely fine on Standard, and the change in Stella on Pro makes me reluctant to swap her over.  On the one hand, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... on the other hand if Ultimate really is the Ultimate it may make them all feel even better still! Oh and very important - the lovely people at Comfort Gut love to make their customers feel special.  Their amazing Emerald Balm was included in my parcel (small animal and horse sized tubs) and this too does what it says.  Parker and Beau both had issues in the winter mud with mudfever and swollen pasterns.  Emerald Balm liberally applied to the sore bits soon had them healed and comfy again and it has not recurred since The small animal balm has been great on my own chapped hands and I am also able to sport a toasty beanie and a comfy cotton baseball cap to help others learn about this company and its great products ;)   Conclusion?  Miracle panacea all the way! More coming soon!  TTFN, Tam, Beau, Stella and Parker xxxx... [Read more]

It may seem strange in the middle of this unprecedented World-wide pandemic, but let's use this time of lockdown to learn, and plan, and improve In tandem with super-coach Alison Kenward i have been looking at how I can plan to improve, and not just in terms of lessons which are becoming increasingly difficult to arrange right now We are all very well aware these days of the fact that our horses are athletes, and as such we need to support their well-being.  Are we as aware that we are athletes too?  Our imbalances and physical weaknesses affect our horses, and so we need to focus on our own fitness and strength just as much If, like me, you drive a desk all week it's difficult to fit in all you need to do - particularly when you know that out of the saddle exercise is just as important as in the saddle exercise Similarly, if my brain is full of the things I need to do at work, at home, and with my horses it's tough to get myself into the right mindset on demand, so I ask for help and Alison always comes up with a strategy! For me there are 3 main areas that i look for help and where I believe we need to focus to scrape that extra 1% in dressage or 1 second in a jump-off.  They are: Riding skill Mental fitness   Physical fitness  Riding Skill For riding skill we can easily deal with that - having lessons either alone or as groups.  Our Riding Club holds several sessions a week all year to help with all the disciplines.  We have our friend and coach Alison to support us as well as our friend and instructor Tracy Schofield who also trains and schools the horses for us when we can't ride ourselves during the week.  This winter has been particularly rubbish weather-wise, so whilst our horses have been out of action and/or it's been simply too hideous to ride, we've been going to Talland to try and brush up on old skills and learn new ones in preparation for the coming season - whatever year that might be in! Mental Fitness This is more of a challenge.  Studies I've read suggest that this is even more important than skill, because our minds can truly drive us to be the best versions of ourselves, or stop us from doing so even if our skill level is on top of the world.  Of course one without the other is no use to us in competition, so we need to put some effort in here too Alison coaches in a style that supports development of mindset alongside our riding.  She also runs sessions focusing on just this and there is a eureka moment every time!  Her skills are such that you think you're just chatting, and afterwards realise you've made a discovery about changing your approach or focusing on what is good In fact 4/5 of the quadrille team visited one of these sessions a couple of weeks ago.  The riders worked on the flat in the morning with Alison in individual sessions, then over lunch (the bit I joined) we all sat together and chatted.  No topic is off the table, and even in group sessions an admission that you think will make you look stupid turns out to be exactly what everyone else was thinking!  After lunch is an opportunity to put the flat lesson into practise with added fences or poles if you wish.  It's all in an indoor school and we all came away with new ideas, new approaches and new friends.  Brilliant format for learning Physical fitness It's clear that horse riding, even just hacking round the village at walk, involves some degree of physical effort.  It's important that as riders we are fit enough to be able to maintain the right level of effort so as to help our horse balance and not hinder him.  We (the quadrille team) have recently taken up Pilates to support this.  We all have varying degrees of arthritis these days, so can't run as we all used to.  We all drive desks during the week so can't ride as much or as often as we'd like to.  So this seems a good way to support strength and balance without wrecking joints! The main thing i have taken away is that it has increased my body awareness tenfold.  So much so that in my last out of the saddle coaching session with Alison I was able to articulate and demonstrate which areas were holding me back.  At my last session at Talland i identified why my horse couldn't bend around my left leg as well as round my right, and the Pilates helped me to see that.  Here's how i described it: left canter how right canter should be How i do right canter due to a very weak left side - amazing any horse ever gives it to me! Alison's coaching around stretching and poise is supporting the awareness from Pilates and helping me to even myself out and improve my position.  It's amazing what links the brain makes just chatting over coffee!  Alison is brilliant at explaining exactly how the brain makes these links, and also at hitting the nub of the issue.  So whilst I was busy having a Pilates epiphany in terms of my body weakness, Alison had already spotted it and had to point out to me that we already work on this in ridden sessions! For this piece I was planning to write about the area where I struggle most, but on reflection i think all 3 areas are tough and need work - constantly.  And i would say for me the effort needs to be applied in all areas of my life.  Don't forget too that we all need downtime to counter all the learning - although I have found that the learning somehow finally sinks in during that downtime and that's where i find my eureka moments Here's to getting better and better  Much love Tam, and Equestriman Beau and Stella xxx... [Read more]

This is a question i have been pondering a lot lately Let me set the scene: Beau is 22 and will be 23 in May.  To look at him you would never know.  In fact when he was 20 a dressage judge commented on his sheet that he would likely lose some of his exuberance/fizz as he matures ;) He has lost none of his verve and remains (touch wood) sound and clean on all 4 legs.  However..... I learned this summer from the lady who owned him as a youngster that at 11 years old he was scoped for, and diagnosed with, ulcers.  He was also showing some arthritic changes in both hocks. Given his age I decided not to put him (or my bank balance) through the diagnostic procedures, with their inherent risks, but to treat him for both His ridden work is fine, and the treatments seem to be helping him.  In fact the only reason he did not appear at Your Horse Live in the end, was because we found out 3 days prior to the event that there was a 6 month vaccination rule, and his annual vaccinations were due the day after we were due to get home.  You can't take them out within 7 days of a vaccination so he could not go. (This was good in the end because it gave Tory and I a chance to get to know Stella better, and it threw Stella in at the deep end, big style, which proved to us all that she can cope!) Also, it's winter.  I work full-time and Beau lives out.  This makes for a muddy pony and a tired Tam when I get home in the evening which is my only opportunity to ride.  We have an amazing talented work rider who keeps the horses ticking over during the week, and if the weather is clement (and I'm not busy trying to prepare for Christmas) we hack, school or sometimes compete at the weekend.  Lately though, it's either been gales or pouring rain and frankly, I haven't wanted to ride The guilt I have felt over this has been unbelievable, I am sure I will give myself ulcers too!  But on reflection, i needn't bother.  Beau has all a horse needs: food, water, shelter and company.  He is sound, healthy, fluffy and I truly believe - HAPPY! He doesn't care if I ride him or not, and on some days he would certainly rather i did not.  He doesn't care if his tail is washed, his mane pulled, or if he has the latest clip to make him look smart.  When I do ride he only cares that I take into account his fitness level and interest in what we are doing, and that his tack fits and I am not a big potato slapping about on his back If I don't ride he cares about his necessities and not much else My point is, leave the guilt behind.  Concentrate on Christmas, or parties or whatever it is you want to do.  Don't dwell on the money you spend vs the hours spent actually riding, and simply get yourself and your horse through winter and into the spring when we can all pick up where we left off last autumn Lastly, I would like to wish all my readers the very merriest of Christmases, and an amazing, happy and healthy 2020 TTFN with much love, Tam and Beau... [Read more]

Your Horse Live - Part 3 We survived.  Stella started the weekend as a UXB and ended it very glad to be back home with her buddies!  She was an absolute star every time we dragged her our of her stable, and coped admirably with the 'circus' in the final day's warm-up Tory and I were so proud of her and so grateful to Alison Kenward for the opportunity to play there.  If we have proved to only one audience member that anyone can do dressage to music then it was all worthwhile I am not sure I would do it again.  It cost us a fortune, Tory and I had to take holidays from work, and it was so so stressful for humans and horses alike.   However, it was a baptism by fire for Stella who has had a relatively quiet calm life up until now - and she stepped up to and beyond the mark doing everything asked of her (except standing still!).  What a legend We were very proud to be given the opportunity to represent Equestriman.co.uk too.  Amazingly comfy breeches which really stood out.  We received so many compliments :) They are designed for men but Tory and I both found them very comfy and flattering.  Normally after I've ridden I can't wait to put my jeans or my joggers back on, but we walked round YHL all weekend in our breeches and forgot they were there! This month, on November 11th, as every year - we remembered those who gave their lives in war to give us our freedom and peace.  The YHL team played the Last Post over the speakers, and as I stood and reflected, I was thankful that we and our horses do not have to go through what our grandparents and great grandparents did.  Never forget, always be thankful.  Be kind Talland Part 3 We are planning to go back again and again so this could get boring for you my dear readers!   This time Tory and I took our friend Rachel, who had always wanted to see Talland and to know what it's like learning there from such esteemed people.  We had a fab girly trip out with lots of nattering in the car on the way there and a lovely lunch on the way home (we'd earned it) This week I was back on the enormously tall Taco, and Tory was on a grey horse we had not met before - Ash.  The focus was on setting up for the half pass, and once my brain had caught up we found it surprisingly easy!  Easy to do, not easy to do well of course but that's for the future Hilary was complimentary about our riding to Rachel, and worked us as hard as ever.  It is all starting to make sense now and we genuinely feel we have made improvements in our understanding with these lessons.  Priceless Taco - such a sweety And yes I was as shell-shocked as I look (and impressed by the couple of tempi-changes I accidentally asked for and Taco willingly gave!) Ash - too tired now! With the current rain, mud, general darkness and misery, Stella and Beau haven't done much over the least couple of weeks.  Christmas is looming and time is at a premium because of holidays from work meaning we have to get ahead of ourselves before we go off It's the same every year.  I envy those who can make it all work and keep riding and competing over the Christmas period.  The focus for us is family so it's better just to keep the horses gently ticking over until we can get them and ourselves back into the swing properly next year (thanks Tracy!) This year will be tough.  We didn't have last Christmas but delayed it all until this July (Mum should have been better by then but so so sadly she died in June) so in reality this is the first Christmas without Mum.  This is made more challenging because she really was the beating heart of our little family unit.  We will still have fun though and Father Christmas is very busy already Mum would be cross if we were miserable or changed anything about how we celebrate because Christmas has always been a really big thing in our family (you really have NO idea!).  So, for her and for ourselves, we will be as jolly as ever and share the love TTFN and much love as always,  Tam, Tory, Beau and Stella with the marvellous Equestriman.co.uk... [Read more]

Saturday, 9th November continued... The walk up to the arena and the go round was much quieter today which Stella appreciated.  The arena had been opened on time so the ponies from the rescue village had their go round in-hand, and when they went back to their beds we went in.  Stella was very good, relaxed and quiet so Tory gave her half an hour of mostly walk which was a victory (she much prefers to trot everywhere) and left.   The stable walk round skipped us.  The lucky attendees saw the amazing Valegro, the People’s Horse Art, and had a good chat with the Ben Atkinson team about their training methods.  So we went shopping.  There is so much here and lots of very interesting people to talk to so if you’re horsey you can’t get bored between the lectures, the demos, the interviews and the shopping. We quickly tracked down our quadrille teamies, and Equestriman Simon, then went to lunch with Alison and her Mum, and two lovely ladies who Alison coaches up in Yorkshire.   The performance was looming.  Tory was getting nervous, but Stella was much calmer today. We wandered a little through the shops on the way back from lunch but aimed for the camper for some quiet time before tacking up. It’s difficult to time these things.  It takes approx 5 minutes to tidy up a clean horse, and 2 minutes to tack up.  We allowed 15 😂  It then takes about 1 minute to go up the horse walk to the arena and then there really isn’t anywhere to work in so you have to walk in circles until given the ok to enter.  We were a little early.  We have already established that Stella prefers to trot than walk, so getting her to stand rather than walk or trot is a real challenge! The audience had lots of questions for the stunt team before us,  then the arena was levelled so we were a little late getting in.  Rachel and Francesca timed it perfectly, trotting up the track just as the arena leveller left.  So we all went in. Stella was on a mission, and it is really really scary riding in there with all of those people watching.  Thank goodness Alison is miked up so she can talk to the riders.  Tory did really well.  She got into the zone quickly and was able to lose the shell shocked look!  She pushed Stella forwards and kept her concentrating on her until she settled, which she did.   She gave some nice work after a few minutes so Alison could demonstrate some prelim music moves and talk about how to calm your horse down.  Tory described Stella as feeling like a UXB!  She looked marvellous though. When Tory had done her bit, she hopped off and we took Stella straight out so there was no battle to stand quietly at the top of the arena out of the way.  It actually works better that way because the arena is not really big enough to demonstrate dressage to music properly if you can’t use the top end whilst it’s being a pony park.   I hadn’t mentioned that on Saturday it rained.  All day.  Stella is very nosey so her head was dripping wet from being over the stable door! We put her exercise sheet on to walk to the arena, and Tory had her coat on.  The idea was that they would be stripped out of waterproofs and show the Equestriman branding before going in.  Stella’s speed mission meant we couldn’t do that so they did the whole display inside with waterproofs on 🙄 Tory was petrified going in, but sage advice from Sharon Hunt in the morning - it’s OK to be nervous beforehand, but you have to get your head into the zone when you’re actually in there and all will be OK - meant she was prepared and was fine almost straight away.  Good to see.  After we had settled Stella into her pad and locked everything away we legged it back to watch Rachel and Francesca dancing with their horses.  Equestriman Simon had stayed to take photos. Hopefully some came out! It’s quite dark in the arena so the camera was struggling to focus When all was done we breathed a sigh of relief and opened the wine again!  The heating in the camper chose our return time to stop working. This was bad because everything was soaked! Luckily at midnight it woke up and by the time the 5.30 alarm went off everything was dry again.  Sunday, 10th November The work in time was 7.30 as usual so we tacked Stella up and because I had been railroaded into riding the performance tonight Tory rode the warm up. The warm up was so much more relaxed today.  We got top tips from Ben Atkinson on relaxing knees for dressage: flop like a puppet with its strings cut.  Pick up your body using only your back, and when you are upright again you will find your weight is through your seat, your knees and hips are loose, and your arms are in the right position.  If you do it standing on the floor you can feel it in your glutes. Another Ben Atkinson top tip is to ride like everything is normal around you.  Even when around you is a circus - and I mean literally! We finished the warm up after some really lovely work and took Stella back to her stable and ourselves back to the camper to process 🤔... [Read more]

Thursday, 7th November 2019.  Tory and I have been invited to support coach Alison Kenward at her dressage to music demonstration at this year’s Your Horse Live event. We are packing mountains of food (human and equine), drink, clothes, tack, safety kit and of course our super smart Equestriman breeches, gilets and base layers into the Horsebox and the camper van we have hired for the weekend. We are both nervous. Me extra nervous because we found out too late that the horses needed to have been vaccinated within 6 months and Beau is due next week.  So we are only taking Stella who I have ridden 3 times! We have agreed to share the riding so we both get to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, and get to have a lesson a day in the live coaching session.  We are also excited. Since we didn’t do quadrille this year this is our annual holiday! The camper van has a shower and central heating as well as a room each for Tory and I so we don’t argue over the one bed in the Horsebox.  We calculate that it will take an hour to get to the National Agricultural Centre at Stoneleigh, we load up Stella and head off. Tory has left the camper van at home so as I head down the road with Stella she pops back to get it. We live in Northampton, and I expect to see her in my mirror on the M1 but has still not appeared on the M45, at which point I am already wondering why I have not had hands free fitted to the truck so I can track her down! At the end of the motorway there she is, so we head across country in convoy.  Stoneleigh Park is big. And I almost turn into BHS HQ because it’s the first horsey sign I see.  We drive past, down the lane, turn left at Stoneleigh village and keep going. I wonder if I have gone too far and if I have enough diesel to get lost. Then, on the right, we see the big entrance gates and turn in. Security are super helpful and show us where to go.  We park up and go to investigate Stella’s pad for the weekend.  The temporary stables look pretty permanent, and there are 3 bales of Bliss Bedding ready to put down for her. That turns out to be more than enough, even on tarmac. We hang her haylage and put her water in, and install her.  She has food and plenty to look at so is quite happy.  The row opposite is full of ponies who are all wrapped up in body suits and bandages. Turns out they are all here for a native breeds showing championship so need to stay super clean.  Stella’s row is empty but the signs on the stables say they will contain Ben Atkinson’s stunt horses for the weekend - how exciting!  Around the corner are stables marked Jonty Evans, Sharon Hunt, Lee Pearson, Isobel Werth, morning Charlotte Dujardin and even one marked Valegro!  Even though those stables are currently empty we are star struck so open a bottle of wine. Later, after microwave dinners in the camper, we wander up to see where the route is to the arena and how spooky it is. We realise as we pass the main hall that we could have ridden, but it’s too late now as Stella is tucked up for the night (and we have had a glass of wine) so watch the show ponies for a bit, examine our Country and Stable Arena and then after we have made the security guard a cup of tea we go to bed. Friday, 8th November.   It’s my turn to ride today (how did that happen?) so I wake at 5 already petrified.  The arena go round is at 7 so Tory tacks Stella up for me and we lead her up. Disaster, the arena is not open yet and all the rescue ones who should have been walking round inside are being led up and down the horse walk.  Stella thinks this is BRILLIANT and is on a mission.  My legs are not as long as hers and so she has to slow down, which she objects to. When we reach the arena Alison is there and Tory finds someone to open the doors for us all.  The ponies go in for their leg stretch and when they leave, we go in. Trec GB and Ben Atkinson are in there, and this makes for a packed warm up. Stella finds this exciting so we go straight into trot and Alison talks me off the ceiling. After about 40 minutes we have settled down and she is working beautifully, then an announcement comes over the tannoy telling people to move vehicles and Stella tenses and starts scuttling in panic! I also panic and again Alison has to talk me down. Stella settles again and we manage to walk, then they announce again.  We have only a couple of minutes left so I decide what will be will be and I take Stella into what will be the ‘safe corner’ and dismount.  We lead her back to her box and I have a little cry because I am still so nervous.  Alison hugs me, Tory takes care of the pony and we all settle down again. A little later our fellow display riders Rachel and Francesca arrive with their horses and we all get ready to go and do our thing. I have decided that it will help to get Stella up the lane early, so we head up at 10 for the display at 10.30.  This was too long.  Stella gets bored of walking in circles fairly quickly and starts to fidget.  Soon enough the others arrive and we are called in.   I trot round, trying to stay out of everyone else’s way, and listen for Alison’s instructions.  I find out afterwards that some of my friends were watching, but right now I don’t see them.  I do as I am told, circling in and out, offering a centre line and some medium strides, showing stretch (sort of) and the basic movements required at prelim dressage to music.  Then it’s time for Rachel and Francesca to show movements to music. We take Stella to safe corner but she won’t stand. I dismount and she manages to stand for 5 minutes then it all starts to become too much so we take her out.  This was a good thing because she is quite happy to be back in her stable and munching.  Once she is settled and everything put away we go back and catch the end of the demo.  It looks like the audience is captivated and Alison is doing a great job! In the afternoon Stella has a rest and watches the activity on the yard instead.  Tory and I wander round the stalls and stands and chat to people we know.  Then it’s evening stables and bed time again.  Tonight we buy chicken and chips from one of the food stands and eat it on our walk back through the stable yard to the camper van.  There is excitement through the evening as people arrive with huge Horseboxes and settle their horses in. Then we hear the gates being locked and everybody settles down for the night. I go out to take security a brew, see Jonty Evans and almost throw myself on the floor shouting ‘not worthy’, but regain control in the nick of time and simply nod and smile.  Bed, sleep, recharge. Saturday, 9th November.  Tory and I are awake.  It’s just gone 4.30 am. Bleagh.  Tory’s turn to ride today at the 7.30 session so we feed Stella at 6.  The yard is gradually starting to come alive and all the horses are STARVING! That’s what they are telling us anyway. Stella looks like she has slept well and is ready for her grub. We head back to the camper for another brew - we’ve paid for the gas so might as well use it. Simon is coming today to see his Equestriman clothes in action. So is the rest of the quadrille team 😃Batmananna, Chief Cheerleader and Mrs Whipcracker will be cheering us on from the sidelines. At 9.30 there is a stable walk round for some of the lucky show attendees, so we had better make sure Stella’s pad is tidy! That’s a job for after the arena go round. To be continued... Much love, Tam, Tory and Stella (and Beau, happy in his field)... [Read more]

Talland Part 2 So, having been down to the glorious Cotswolds for one Talland lesson, Tory and I set off the following weekend to go do it again!   We had our physio - Ann Loach - to our horses at 7am, and abandoned them at 8am for Mrs Whipcracker to put back out.  We had to leave for our 10am lesson.  This was too tight!  We only just made it - arriving at Talland with just 5 minutes ot spare.  I will be making sure we leave earlier next time because it's so hard to get into the right open, calm frame of mind when your adrenaline is pumping from the drive down! This time I was riding a different horse, equally tall and equally well schooled. This one was called Whizz which I think is an instruction more than a description 😉 sweet mare. Tory was riding the same horse as last time. This time we brought our spurs!  The school horses are so sweet to ride, they are not whizzy or light but they are responsive and very reliable.   We aimed this time on working on contact which is my bugbear certainly.  I have got into the habit of a very light contact which turns into none at all with every step.  My instruction was thumbs on top and grip the reins whilst being elastic with the mouth.   Last time my eureka moment was seeing my right leg in the arena mirrors - trying to find my right ear.  This time it was about lateral work and the positioning of my leg and timing of the aids.  We played at half pass and leg yield and the finer differences between them. We also played at travers and shoulder in and on flexion and flexing.  All so so valuable.  The really big thing I am learning is that it is quite subtle.  Sounds daft but shoulder in should not feel like skidding sideways and half pass needs preparation, not just grab and kick! Poor Beau, I will get there buddy!  I thoroughly thoroughly recommend going here for a lesson, however experienced or good you are. Tory and I have booked in again in November as a pre-Christmas pressie to each other, and the time after that we hope to ride an elite horse too.  I am going to go down there with a list of questions to ask Hilary, and I am going to try to think of a single simple focus.  I think one eureka moment is priceless and don’t want to be greedy.  The big question is in what order should I fix things? In between times Tory and I took Beau and Stella to our first group BD. Stella won the prelim and the music and Beau was second in both! Interesting because I rode Stella in the prelim and Tory rode her in the music class.... when we get the hang of her she will be a stormer!  We just have to get her to quit being a stormer out hacking (so Beau can keep up) and she will be just about perfect! Love and hugs Tam and Beau x... [Read more]

Quadrille and Talland Quadrille I may not have mentioned that this year - for the first time since we heard of quadrille as a discipline, we will not be competing.  I won't go into details but this year the team has experienced (in no particular order): Close family bereavement which saw Tory and I unable to focus on horses at all for about six months.  Lame horse due to illness - retired.  Lame horse due to carriage crash - recovered.  Broken ribs, slipped disc, broken back (3 different people), divorce, house move.  Our targeted 'spare' horse proved not to enjoy quadrille, and our new horse has just not had enough practise with the team to be settled. However, we will be going this weekend to cheer on the other teams (especially our very good friends from Buchan RC in Aberdeen), and to actually watch the evening performances.  I am so excited, because we normally spend our time out back caring for the horses and getting ourselves ready, so I have never actually seen the quadrille as a whole! So in a dramatic shift in direction, Tory and I decided to work on becoming better riders instead Talland School of Equitation Last Saturday we went to Talland School of Equitation for an assessment lesson with Hilary Hughes.  The idea was that we would be assessed as riders then, and the following week would be mounted on a suitable schoolmaster for an advanced lesson We expected to be met with poshness at every angle and to be intimidated by even being at Talland.  We could not have been more wrong!  The signpost at the gate is small, the gate is a normal wooden gate.  The drive is not paved with gold, but hardcore as is the (huge) carpark.  The horses all live in normal sized stables and the paddocks are full of normal grass!   The first thing that strikes you at Talland is how relaxed and happy all the people and animals are, and the second thing is how friendly everyone is!  We were made very welcome at reception whilst we booked in, and by the instructor whose lesson we watched whilst waiting for our go.  In fact said instructor deserves a medal because when one of the ponies wouldn't co-operate she had to run alongside so the child got to canter! Whilst we were waiting our instructor found us and introduced herself.  We must have stood out like sore thumbs.  If we stood out because everybody else there was a regular - and people were STILL that friendly - that is a lovely reflection on the place, its ethos and its people   At the appointed time our horses were brought to the school and introduced to us.  Our stirrups were adjusted and on we hopped.  I say hopped but my mount had to have been over 18 hands so it was more of a clamber from a high step! The lesson was eye opening.  I discovered through Hilary's clear explanation that my legs need to change (which I also discovered I CAN do), but actually, in general, I can ride!  Tory had a similar revelation and so together we are ready for our next session this coming Saturday morning I will write a full account of that session - and quadrille from the viewer's perspective - after this weekend Love and hugs Tam and Beau x... [Read more]

I think it's vitally important to enjoy your horse. This is my aim all of the time - with challenges alongside to overcome.  So I am delighted to say we rock that!   In 2018 alone, Beau and me - plus my buddies from Happy Acres and Cherwell Valley Riding Club got up to all sorts! The title of this blog says it all.  The highlight of the year - Quadrille - took over and saw us displaying at Blenheim International Horse Trials as well as competing in the BRC Selection Trial at Bury Farm.  We've been interviewed for a big horsey magazine, and we were on Horse and Country TV!  We led the town carnival, tested ourselves in lessons and dressage and generally played out and had a lot of fun together. The end of 2018 and into Autumn 2019 has not been so good for me and Tory personally, but we are doing our best to bring our heads back up and get on with things.  Sardra has now retired and we have a new lady on the team - Stella.  I am sure she will be featuring lots in the coming months now I am back online... We did make a start on quadrille preparation and visited the amazing Christine Waygood for help making our oversized hats.  We made the felt from scratch and made the whole thing ourselves!  I will blog about that day on its own because it was amazing! Simon's fledgling business - Equestriman.co.uk - has gone from strength to strength and the feedback from all who have bought his clothes is wonderful and very much appreciated.  He is working on a new line of breeches to add to the already successful range, and the breeches and t-shirts are now in shops too in the Midlands.  And ... let me let you into a little secret ...I wear them and have found them to be very flattering and comfortable.  They are the only pair of breeches or riding tights i own that have a waist high enough that you don't have to hoik them up every time you bend down to pick feet out! For the rest of this year it's all about building on what we learned last year; building a new partnership with Stella; working as a team (it's all about the team) to make next year's quadrille the best ever; and keeping on trying to improve In November Tory, Beau, Stella and me will be displaying at Your Horse Live which we are very much looking forward to.  Alison will shout at me for letting the negative creep in, but although we aim to be still on the display team by Saturday let's see ;) The Team www.Equestriman.co.uk proudly displayed on the back of Buxton the truck How much fun can you have wirth YOUR horse?  :) With love, and TTFN Tam and Beau xx... [Read more]

So, Easter already.  Beau has had a very light few months because I have been so busy elsewhere in my life, so it seemed wrong to bring him into work, drop him back, bring him up etc.  He doesn't care, he is quite happy simply being a fat fluffy horse in the field.  I have ridden my friend's beautiful Friesans though and WOW!  That trot!!   Now that the lighter evenings are here though it makes sense for me to ride after work.  If only i could find the energy!  I don't know about you, but I give 100% to everything which means that at the end of a day's work I am pretty much used up.  Don't get me wrong, my job is not physical at all, but my brain sends all the messages to my body required for me to just want to snuggle up on the sofa with the cat and a glass of wine.  Time wasted?  Or time spent recharging for the next day? This weekend however, I have big plans.  I have 4 whole days off to do whatever I like!  The field shelters need painting, I have signs to fix to the horsebox, the power washer needs an outing and the patch behind the house looks like a city wasteland not a country garden.  The bedrooms need painting, and my wardrobe needs a biblical sort-out.  I have made a list.  However, I am a notorious optimist when it comes to planning and always expect myself to achieve more than i do.  This is the perfect way to set myself up for disappointment. It's important, I feel, to not do the same with horses - whatever your aims and aspirations.  Beau is 22 now and every joint in my body seems to have an old injury, so to expect us both to reach Grand Prix dressage is a stretch, but i fully expect us to be able to compete sensibly at Elementary with some work and focus.  All that said, Japanese rider Hiroshi Hoketsu competed at the London Olympics at the age of 70, so why not me? (see, i can't ever quite give myself a break!) Megacoach Alison has been talking a lot lately about mindfulness - http://alisonkenward.blogspot.com/2017/12/recipe-for-dressage-fun.html.  This is something that Mrs Whipcracker is brilliant at.  She focuses so strongly on whatever she is doing it's hard to get her attention sometimes.  I, however, am good at planning my next job, or pigeon spotting oin the hedges around the arena when riding.  Those moments I do find myself concentrating on only one thing are magical and I try to keep doing just that as much as possible.  It's one of the skills i know i need to work on.  That and sitting up, using my core, keeping my lower leg still, lifting my hands etc etc etc.  Still, there's a place in the world for all of us and whilst Mrs Whipcracker focuses so well I will be out the back multi-tasking. I haven't made my ambitions list for this year yet.  I need to see what happens in other areas of my life before I can do so, and that's OK.  It's one year where my own focus has shifted and with luck I will have time to catch up. One thing most definitely on the agenda though is Quadrille.  This year's theme will give us plenty of makeup and artistry challenges.   Step 1 is a trip down to Christine Waygood at https://www.christinewaygood.co.uk/ so we can make our hats.  One thing we learned in year 1 about Quadrille is that you cannot BUY a headdress that fits over a skull cap (nobody has a head that big so nobody sells them that big) you have to MAKE them.  I can't wait to go and play and see what monstrosities we can come up with :D We already have some good music ideas and have started coming up with a routine, so let's see if this year we can make the final..... TTFN.  Much love, Tam and Beau x... [Read more]

I have been quiet for a while, family comes first, even over sharing our escapades, and so i have been unable to ride.  However, looking back on 2018 - it was one heck of a year! - I have put this together.  I love that I can remind myself what we got up to by scanning back on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and I can relive it all from the comfort of the sofa ;) Here's a reminder of what we did, and a reminder of how much fun you can get up to with your horse - even holding down a full time job.  Go on, give it all a go!! In May, Beau turned 21.  We spent his birthday at a dressage competition and he had a lovely time The incredible Laura Mary Art drew his portrait for me - she caught the glint in his eye perfectly! We made it into YourHorse magazine - cheery and keen as ever We did lots of training - including training our brains with Supercoach Alison Kenward, helped by tea served in beautiful Laura Mary Art mugs We led the Northampton Town carnival parade! We performed last year's quadrille routine - Ride of the Valkyries - at Blenheim International Horse Trials.  Good practice for the quadrille qualifier a couple of weeks later! We launched a unique business!  www.equestriman.co.uk which makes and provides riding gear specifically designed and manufactured for men from the best fabrics at a low price for the quality I got a Faberge egg in Moscow  We toured the Moscow subway (no ponies there) Mrs Whipcracker's daughter's wedding was in July - Equestriman scrubs up pretty well eh? In October, of course it was the BRC Quadrille qualifiers.  You can see how exciting Beau finds it all We performed our Moulin Rouge routine for the quadrille qualifiers to a fabulous soundtrack put together by www.equidance.co.uk.  We didn't qualify but we were featured on Horse and Country TV's Dressage to Music programme We spent months in our quadrille coloured onesies.  LOVE THEM! Finally, just this - remember it and live by it Much love, Tam and Beau xx PS, whilst there's nothing much going on in my horsey life please let me know if there is something you want to hear about.  I will research and share if so :)... [Read more]

Putting your mind to it In the pipeline is a blog about all of the amazing things we got up to in September, including BRC Quadrille, Blenheim Horse Trials demos and Beau, Sardra and Seamus being formally thanked for their participation in the Northampton town carnival parade.  Whilst i work on that though, I really felt I had to share my thoughts about how attitude and mindset really is everything in riding - and in general life Where should we focus? It's a dog eat dog world out there, and in between holding down careers, caring for families, trying to maintain a social life, shopping, cleaning and just looking after our horses, we sometimes lose sight of why we have horses - and that is to have fun! We all start our lifelong passion with horses in different ways.  I was born with it even though my family was not horsey.  Some people take up riding later in life.  For some their dream is to have a pony and as soon as they have their own job they make it come true.  As well, many people stop riding for years, for various reasons, and then realise later it's all they want to do.  This level of passion exists because we enjoy riding, we enjoy being round our horses, we enjoy watching horses and we enjoy the company of other horsey people As a kid i loved nothing more than the adrenaline rush brought on by riding hell for leather across country, regularly having the fastest time in competitions on a welsh pony (they really can run if they want to).  After a 15 year break, as a grown-up i find just getting on to be something of a challenge some days, so my cross-country days are probably over, but there are plenty of other activities that will give me the same rush.  So how did i find out what those activities are? Rider Confidence A couple of years ago I attended a Rider Confidence course run by the Centre for Horseback Combat.  The focus of this course was on mindset and included group hypnotherapy as well as giving us strategies for dealing with situations if they do arise, such as how to fall off safely.  We were taught to imagine everything going right, and focus on the outcomes we wanted so we could achieve them.  If you focus on what could go wrong, it is pretty much guaranteed to happen!  This course was the start of my journey into trying to understand how my own mind works in relation to riding.  And it is no exaggeration to say it got me back on a horse. Happiness and our brains  I found this blog by Christopher Bergland to prove my completely un-academic theories:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201211/the-neurochemicals-happiness I have come to know all of the above gradually over my life, and now my sole aim in my free time is to increase the level of enjoyment i can have with Beau.  I understand that for me to have fun, he has to be having fun too.  Unfortunately for him, his greatest joy is galloping and jumping over fences, but at 21 and with a wet drip rider, we tend to do mostly dressage.  How can dressage possibly be fun I hear you cry?  Well, believe me it can, because it challenges you and makes the small victories so enjoyable. So how do we have fun? We do what we enjoy.  Each year, with my amazing Cherwell Valley team mates, we enter the BRC Quadrille Qualifier.  We are not dressage divas and we do everything ourselves.  It takes the whole year to come up with a theme, create costumes, build the floorplan and mix the music, and every second of that is fun (even when we all fall out!) Occasionally I take to riding aside too, and it's challenging to do well and therefore very rewarding.  Beau has taken to it very well so we hack sideways, we have done dressage competitions sideways and we have even shown (that was a little too staid for me though, lots of standing around and then the challenge of waking Beau up again for the individual show without making him too cross) In between times we attempt dressage to music.  The distraction of the music and having to concentrate to be at the right pace at the right time makes it fun.  I had a very sage piece of advise, which was to not have a floorplan but to wing it every time.  Now that is fun!   Winning at life? In all of the above, we are not setting the world alight.  I have yet to score over 70% even at prelim (though we have at novice, go figure) even though we can do all of the Elementary moves pretty well at home.  The team does not win at quadrille, I don't often come home with a ribbon and it's a hard slog to qualify for any championships.  But the journey is what's fun!  If i can come out of the arena feeling as though I had 3 strides of OMG Trot, or a smooth downwards transition, I'm happy.  On occasion i have had an appalling score, and some mean comments from judges, but have still been on top of the world because I know we have done well and our partnership has felt right in the test.  That's the key and all I ask You may think I mustn't be naturally competitive.  That could not be further from the truth!  I really really want to win every time i go out, but I have learned that attitude actually sucks the fun from the competition.  It's all in the mind set and that's what helps me to be able to hold down a difficult job in the week, and still focus on what's key for my own mental wellbeing at weekends. Learning about fun is FUN! I wrote this blog : https://beaubayou.blogspot.com/2017/07/june-2017-its-all-about-socks.html last year having attended a fantastic Centaur Biomechanics seminar at Moulton College.  One of the key speakers was sports psychologist Charlie Unwin whose methods make perfect sense.  Luckily my coaches Alison Kenward and James Burtwell agree!  Alison in particular is helping enormously in changing my mindset and supporting all of the above whilst teaching me how to ride properly too!   Beau appreciates all of this, which means I appreciate Beau and my happy hormones can flow freely... ...whatever we get up to  Much love Tam and Beau... [Read more]

Not just for men..... My partner is not flamboyant.  He does not like to dress up and owns just 2 suits for black tie do's and weddings.  But he has always been disappointed during trips to the tack shop.  If I wanted to I could come out with a pair of pink tartan breeches and a glittery gilet, but he could only ever come out with beige or black, or a muted grubby olive if very lucky He decided to do something about this, to bring a little colour into his and Parker's life - so he founded Equestriman! I am so very proud of him.  We started with a trip to BETA this January with a launch date of 1st September.  We were told by everybody that a new range of breeches in a new previously un-sourced fabric (yes never before used for breeches - even ladies) would be impossible in the timescale he set himself.  And yet here we are in September with a fully stocked webshop which did indeed launch on 1st September Not only is that an incredible achievement, but the breeches are lovely too.  I own a blue pair (despite being a girl!) and they are the most comfortable breeches i have ever ridden in - including riding tights.  And I'm not just saying that He did not want to launch with just the #nomorebeige breeches so alongside his work to identify a manufacturer, make test samples and source the fabric, he also brought in various complimentary items both from independent sellers and from the fabulous Noble Outfitters.  They create some beautiful quality riding and country wear and he wanted to support them because we own and love many of their items ourselves - including their neoprene wellies - currently on offer here:  https://equestriman.co.uk/products/muds-stay-cool-high-boots I have seen first hand the work it's taken to make these gorgeous clothes available for male riders, and I think Simon so deserves to be successful.  Tell everybody about his new venture, and check out his wares here:  www.equestriman.co.uk Equestriman #nomorebeige breeches, Churchill t-shirt and peaked hat on Equestriman's founder - the amazing Simon:... [Read more]

I don’t know about you but I always seem to be skint.  If I ever have any spare cash I spend it immediately on a lesson or a competition, or if I am feeling very flush (or have a desperate need), new tack for my beloved horse.  Tack is a tool, a fashion statement, a way to show off your horse’s best features, to show you understand the new field of equestrian science or simply to display your own good taste in saddles.  It can help or hinder your horse as much as bad riding, and if chosen well it can improve your riding too.  Always use a qualified saddle fitter to help you – they have been thoroughly trained by the Society for Master Saddlers – a list is available on their website here:  https://www.mastersaddlers.co.uk/ £ There’s no getting away from it though – it’s an investment.  Decent tack from nosebands to discipline specific saddles is expensive.  Even if you trawl eBay and pick up good quality second-hand tack it’s still not cheap to buy, or to have to replace – so I try to look after it Cleaning We are supposed to clean our tack after every ride (ahem!), but back in the real world it’s difficult to find the time or the will to do that.  I try to give it a quick clean and a soap or a treatment once a week, and to take it apart properly once a month or before a big competition For cleaning, there are myriad different soaps and cleansers and balms and potions out there.  You can buy traditional, or modern – the same brand as your saddle or as your favourite feed supplement.  Personally I find that traditional glycerine soap is the best – whichever brand.  It gets nosebands shiny, cleans grease from the insides of reins and keeps everything supple.  Important note – if you feel the need to treat the seat of your saddle either do it a few rides before beige breeches make contact with it, or use a leather milk that won’t make it look like you sat down in mud (or faced a very scary fence across country) when you dismount! The dishwasher is the perfect place to get rid of grease from stirrup irons or grass/treat fragments from bits – especially loose ring bits.  Don’t forget to take off any lip straps or other leather fittings first though Security Keeping your tack safe is always a challenge too.  You have spent a fortune acquiring it and you’ve spent hours cleaning it only to chuck it in the back of your car or lorry and scratch it, or have something drop onto your saddle in the tack room.  I keep my saddles safe with a fleecy cover, and use a locker in the tack room – double secure.  At shows it’s handy, and sensible, to have some kind of stand or trolley to move your tack from the lorry to the horse without having saddles on the floor or bridles on the ramp asking to be trodden on.  The same trolley would double up as a secure way to transport your tack – stand it in the living or the last partition and lock the wheels.  Simple! Storage Storage is key.  Your tack storage needs to be dry and secure.  We have the luxury of a secure locked tack room attached to a house, but not everybody does.  I also use a locker – with wheels so it can be moved about for cleaning.  The padlocks have number codes so if anybody else is riding Beau I can give them the number to get to his tack and it can be locked up safe for next time Handy hints After a hard cross country round or a day’s hunting - for a quick clean of sweaty bridle: fill a bucket with water, and add 2 drops of both vegetable oil and washing up liquid.  Simply dunk the complete bridle, give it a swish round, and hang it up to dry.  It will be clean enough to use the next day and because of the oil will not have hardened If the insides of your reins are greasy, instead of scrubbing with something too abrasive simply save a bit of mane from the last pulling, tie it into a firm knot and use the knot to scrub off the grease bumps.  Works a treat.  For really stubborn grease dip it into moistened saddle soap To get rid of soap blocking the holes in your bridle, simply stick a matchstick through the hole and wipe the blob off the end before drawing it back To prevent sand or dirt from your stirrups marking your saddle when put up, you can buy little socks for them – or indeed use a pair of socks! If you always mount from the left, try to swap your stirrup leathers over each time you clean tack.  This means both will stretch at the same rate, instead of the left stretching more than the right if you never swap them To get a really good shine on plastic stirrup treads – use plimsoll whitener, or black instant shoe shine liquid for black ones (obvs) – be sure to let them dry well before putting them back into your stirrups or like me you will wreck a good pair of jeans! If you ride on a synthetic saddle, use synthetic stirrup leathers to avoid rubs and stains.  Oh, and wash it after you ride, not before (as I discovered, it’s difficult to keep a towel in place during rising trot)... [Read more]

The day started with a cracking work out, must make horse clean, must make horse clean.  So she had a good brush for 45 minutes resulting in me looking like I’d been dragged through a white hair hedge backwards and slapped in the face a few times. Sardra looked fab and was very happy for the love and attention. Little did she know that we were off to day camp to improve our mindset, and see if we could better our dressage scores. Hard work was coming! On arrival at Moulton College, Alison was there to great us with a goody bag full of items from Equissimo, Equilibrium, Laura Mary Art, Dressage Perspectives and Alison herself.  A really nice touch that put a smile on my face before we even started. Thank you all!  Needless to say I was first on, so while my camp buddies Karen and Kaz put their horses in their stables (thank you both for getting Sardra’s water ready) I tacked up and hopped on. Now the real work started.  Sardra hadn’t been in full work for a couple of weeks, just lightly worked, and Alison was mindful of this and took it easy - yet pushed us. A really great balance.  I find that when I’m on my horse I’m in my happy place and I do tend to revert to nursery behaviour and become a little inattentive.  Alison recognised this and really helped me focus our training session, so we had some of the best canter work we’ve had in a long time. We focussed on quality of turns and flow in all paces, and I think I’m actually starting to get it. Alison broke things down into small chunks and as I understood each part, she pushed me to the next. At all points in the lesson I felt included in what was needed in the training, how I wanted my horse to go and what the end result should be. I think Sardra was impressed too as after 30 minutes, we walked her off as it was a really positive place to stop. Next up was Kaz and Harvey, I’ve known Kaz and Harvey a few years and they are always extremely consistent in their dressage scores and have success at unaffiliated. What I didn’t know was that Kaz was nervous and found Harvey’s canter a bit excitable.    Well, she cantered brilliantly and had the biggest smile on her face. It was fantastic to see. Well done Kaz! Karen next entered the arena with Seamus. Now, I’ve ridden Seamus and he is a character and can be either a little behind the leg or excitable! Karen has also lost a bit of confidence in the last couple of years and is starting to rebuild the ridden relationship she has with Seamus.  Alison absolutely helped Karen nail the empathy needed for Seamus and the trot work was fantastic, they almost accidentally cantered too. Karen was beaming from ear to ear! Next up was our first unmounted mind-set session, where we were joined by Tam and Christine.  In this we were given a test to read through and visualise how we would ride it.  I find myself looking through the horses ears and riding in real time (perhaps a little faster, like fast forward).  At various discussions between us, we all identified a section that we could visualise and count in real time and then feedback our thoughts. Alison then coached us as if we were riding and helped us visualise again.  I found this really helpful, and the sharing our thoughts and ‘visions’ with other riders was quite refreshing. It made me feel included and part of a team. I loved it. Before lunch, we had a group ridden session where we were to put into practice the mindset session and the first ridden session learnings. This didn’t really happen as it was about 30 degrees and none of us wanted to push the horses too much.  So brain of Britain here decided that it would be great to do 1/4 pirouettes in walk to start to put into practice the shoulder control I was starting to get more.  So well had to do shoulder fore, shoulder in and then our pirouettes. Well I felt a bit like a spider on an ice rink wearing hob nailed boots at first and Sardra objected to the confusing messages I was giving her.  Alison once again helped break it down and I think we did ok, we certainly turned with the haunches.  During lunch, we found a place that was cool and all reflected on what we had learned in the first three sessions and got our minds ready for the next mindset session. I think it’s fair to see, our lunch was accompanied by gallons of water. The horses were all snoozing in their cool day stables and really quite happy. The afternoon session was all about applying our pre-lunch learnings to our next competition and what tools we needed to use that we had learned. Again it was visualisation and also writing down what could go wrong and how we can improve that. For me I realised that I can overthink it and that is where I lose ‘flow’. So quite simply I had three things to do for the Prelim music competition the next day. Know my music, counter flexion before turns and shorten my reins!   There were some really good discussions had about how we all feel and what our focus should be. I think that we all finished the day feeling really positive and knowing that we could achieve at least one thing well and the rest would follow. A really positive and inclusive experience.  The next day was competition day and Tam was able to join us with Beau. We’d already agreed with Alison that we would only need 15 min warm up in the mid day heat at Moulton College before our test.  Upon arrival we handed our music in and went to find Alison to discuss our warm up action plan. I can honestly say, I was not nervous for the first time I can remember. I was excited, and really looking forward to us having our dancing shoes on. I kept thinking about all the things we had done on the Saturday and how I was going to apply this in our freestyle. Sardra seemed to have a bit of energy too,  so we were ready to dance. The warm up was so simple for us as I didn’t want to push her in the heat. We mainly walked on a long rein to loosen up. Then established a contact (shorten reins), asked for some bend and flexion in walk and the. Trotted a couple of circuits and asked for canter. I asked for a forwards canter in a light seat and Sardra was a little behind in the transition, so I gave her a tap with the stick to sharpen her up. Well, cheeky mare did a handstand! I found my bottom made contact with the saddle faster than I had intended. That told me. :) needless to say, I left her alone with the whip and just made sure we had gear changes in the right order and walked while Tam went to do her test.  Alison gave me instructions of just walk and then ‘make some shapes’ just before coming in. Fortunately I knew that meant get her listening and bending round your inside leg. Then came my turn. I made my usual entrance at walk. If I was on a different horse I would probably trot, but Sardra is so nosey, it’s good to let her get her noseyness out of the way and have a good look around.  I did have a little wobble with the thoughts ‘oh **** what if I can’t remember my floor plan or music’.  So I put my kind back to the day before and thought, counterflexion, shorten your reins and enjoy the music. Not quite what I formulated, but fun and enjoying the whole experience is so important to me. As someone I know always says ‘imagine something good is going to happen. Everyday can be like Christmas day’.  Ting! And we are off.  I think the girl starting the music was more nervous than me as I had to give her clear verbal instructions on where and when I would start. Turns out the PA had screeched when Tam went in and Beau objected. Up goes my hand and the music starts... the next 5 minutes were a joy to ride. I had the biggest smile on my face and I loved every moment of it. I remembered to shorten my reins, I counterflexed the tighter turns, I imagined the next bars of the music. It was great!  I would like to share a bit about my thought patterns during the test. To summarise, it was a flow of instructions from my thoughts translated into requests to Sardra and feedback again. Now this may seem normal to some people, but I normally think about what’s for dinner, did I put Versailles on to record...so a huge step forward to being in the moment in my dressage tests. So the mindset training really worked. It worked so well, we achieved our highest score to date 72.5% and a red rosette at affiliated nonetheless! In fact I was so happy, with my reflection session with Alison after the test, I forgot which parts I needed to work on for next time.  Some habits die hard!  To summarise, I found the whole weekend enlightening, inclusive and a positive experience. I started the competition day with the right mindset and the objective of just focusing on a few things. It made the process more enjoyable and I was able to lose some of the pressure I put on myself. I think this showed in the way my horse went. She appreciated the support and gave me what I asked for.  Would I recommend a camp like this to others.  Absolutely, go in with an open mind and absorb the learnings like a sponge.  You will love it. Tory and Sardra (photo credit www.VanityPix.co.uk)... [Read more]

Cherwell Valley Riding Club has this year, in addition to hosting 3-day stay-over camps at Bury Farm EC, decided to hold day camps on specific disciplines.  Genius! At the beginning of May a dressage day camp was arranged, with 3 instructors offering very different skill sets and viewpoints, across 5 sessions - 2 on foot and 3 ridden Tory and I arrived with Beau and Sardra, settled them into their stables, and went off in search of a brew.  In typical CVRC fashion there were lots of people there on their own so we all helped each other settle in, then sat and got to know each other whilst coffees were poured We were divided into 5 groups of 2, and given time slots for our activities.  Tory and i were together so followed the same sessions throughout the day.  There were rest gaps too so we could watch everybody else learning.  I don't know about you but I think that can be at least as valuable as being taught directly Jules La Garde Biomechanics - Bouncy Ball and Consistent Signals Our first unmounted session was with Jules La Garde, biomechanics instructor, who by getting us all to sit on on a Swiss ball and bounce explained how the angle of our pelvis and its relationship with our shoulders affects how we impact our horses when we sit to the trot She also had us working in pairs - one person wearing a bridle over their head and holding the bit with their two hands, and the second person behind them holding the reins.  We had to walk a simple circle, and then a figure of eight only by instructions down the bridle (and a click for 'move you lazy pony' of course!).  It was really interesting to find that all of us give slightly different signals for turns.  I found it difficult to turn because i mostly use my legs, so ended up confusing Tory who didn't understand indirect rein pressure - which she does in fact use when riding!  Fascinating stuff and a real insight into why it takes a while to build a relationship with a new horse, and how our riding signals can be confusing to our ponies.  The fact that our horses manage to work out what we want, and give it, just cements the fact that they're all legends really! Amanda Rawson - A Judge's Viewpoint Our second session was also unmounted, with CVRC Chairman and listed dressage judge Amanda, who explained what the judge is looking for through the scales of training.  She also explained that from a judge's perspective, a test that flows and is rhythmical will score higher than a stilted test with the horse in an outline.  Also it's important to demonstrate the difference between corners and circles.  That sounds obvious, but a quick look on YouTube at videos of tests will show you that circles are usually squares, and corners far too round - more on this in the ridden sessions Jules La Garde Biomechanics - Corners and Seat Bones The first mounted session was with Jules La Garde and was on the impact of our weight through our seat bones.  She had us riding round with the weight in the outside seat bone (incorrect) and then changing to the inside seat bone to help the horses balance - it was remarkable how much it affected Beau's way of going.  I need to make sure I use this - including going down the centre line to prepare Beau for the turn at C.  By putting your weight to the inside seat bone (not all of your weight, just a slight hip tilt) it helps your horse bend through the rib cage - I guess you are almost pushing his ribs outwards With our brains full, we then sat down to a hearty lunch courtesy of the Boughton Mill cafe, and filled our tummies too whilst the horses scoffed their haylage Matt Cox - Corners and Acceptance of Contact Then it was tack up and get back to it for a session with GP rider Matt Cox.  Beau decided two was too many and at this point refused to accept the contact or move away from my seat bones as learned an hour previously.  So the session was spent walking and trotting in various sizes of circle and trying to get him to accept the outside rein.  After 40 minutes of the 45 minute session he relented and we got some lovely work for the last 5 minutes ;)  I felt i'd wasted the time but Matt assured me it's so important that proper contact is established that any time spent working on it is time well spent.  Tory in the meantime was working on her canter balance in corners and on circles Amanda Rawson - Corners and Loops in a Dressage Test The final session of the day was with Amanda again.  She had us putting into practice what we had learned during the day, and improving our dressage scores with simple tweaks - like pushing (and using seat bones) with your inside leg more into corners so that when you circle it's obvious to the judge.  No more square circles or round corners!  Also we worked hard to make our centre lines straight and accurate - not as easy as it looks! It was a thoroughly useful, relaxed, informative and valuable day.  Every person there ought to be an expert on corners by now! The panel of experts gave such simple but great advice and helped us to understand fully - I plan to use all of it and can't wait for the next CVRC day camp... [Read more]

I grew up in Cheshire, and when i was very little i remember a village fete with knights and jousting horses.  I can't be sure but i think that is how horses got into my blood.  I can remember being completely awestruck (and possibly even speechless) at the sight of the brave knights and beautiful horses.  That day has stayed with me all these years, and never since that day have i seen horses at a carnival - until last week!  We had the honour of being invited by the Mayor and Mayoress of Northampton to lead the carnival procession through the town on Saturday June 9th 2018.  Of course without even thinking about it I said yes, and didn't find it particularly difficult to persuade the rest of the quadrille team to join me So it was agreed that we would go in our Ride of the Valkyries costumes, followed by Maloney pulling his decorated wagonette containing the Mayor and Mayoress As we got closer to the day we all started to wonder whether this had been a sensible choice.  With the loss of community spirit in general though we though the procession would be fairly small and quiet.  We also put certain safety measure in place to be sure all horses would be happy and humans safe.  So we drove the route before hand noting escape areas, should any of the horses become distresses.  We agreed with the parade safety manager (an ex mounted policeman) that we would hack back to base off route if need be.  We arranged parking for the horses close to the parade start and out of the way of the funfair (there's a funfair!!).  The Mayoral limousine was set to follow at a safe distance behind Maloney's carriage to a-be a buffer between us and the floats, and b- alternative transport for the Mayor and Mayoress in case we had to bail out of the parade.  Finally it was arranged that Simon and his brother Matt would dress up in keeping with our costumes and walk alongside - just in case.  They had lead reins wrapped round their waists at the ready.  Their job was to ensure nobody came too close to the horses, and to lead in hand if anybody was worried The week of the parade we had some very sad and shocking news, so one of our number was unable to join.  They were very sadly missed - we all shed a tear for them.  This left 3 Valkyries and a special space where they should have been.  We did it for you x The day dawned... We bathed the horses and got all of our makeup and costumes on at home so that when we got there all we had to do was dress the horses.  We found the lorry entrance to the Racecourse Park, and drove through the (huge) crowds to our parking area.  I cried a little bit when i saw the carnival in full swing - it was so beautiful.  I could not have been more wrong about community spirit!  It was incredible to see all of those happy shiny people together enjoying a glorious summer day.  Amazing When we drove into our parking space we saw Karen, Grant and Jenna with Maloney and Seamus and the carriage already in place.  They seemed to be relaxed and not at all phased by the loud drum and bass music blaring from different floats nearby.  Sardra was equally unperturbed, but Beau was finding it all a little too much.  He did not want to come down the ramp off the lorry, and when he did he proceeded to half rear again and again.  He was in a proper tizzy.  Luckily Tory had had the foresight to acquire some noise cancelling ear bonnets - and once Beau's was installed he put his front feet on the floor and started to calm down.  Also luckily our friends Karen, Pat and Nicola had turned up to help.  It took 3 of us to get Beau's bridle on him!  I was seriously considering bailing at this point for Beau's benefit but decided to count on the other 3 relaxed ponies to be a calming influence - we would only be walking and we had all our safety and horse welfare measures in place Once the ponies were tacked up and munching hay Tory and I set off to find the start and make contact with the officials.  Then it was time to mount up and join the parade! I think people were a little bemused by our costumes - the theme of the parade was Peace and Love!  So we became a peace keeping force for good ;)  Apparently some Northampton schools were studying Vikings because most of the younger children knew exactly what we had all come as! So we joined the front of the procession, and on the way past them many of the floats kindly turned down their music - and some of the incredibly dressed dancers stood still so their costumes wouldn't scare the horses Beau couldn't quite bring himself to stand still for long, so Simon attached the leadrope - just in case, and we walked circles.  I am so so very proud of Beau actually - considering he was nervous he still behaved like an angel - he never got out of a steady walk and was responsive the whole time.  We didn't need the leadrope - but safety comes first at all times Once the Mayor and Mayoress were installed in the wagonette we set off!  It was magical seeing the faces of the kids in the crown as we walked past - some with pure disbelief and joy.  The amazing lady who organised the carnival walked with us most of the route and she had to act as a go between answering questions about the horses at every stop point!  Her energy is endless and the job she did to put that together was outstanding After about 5 minutes Beau was back to his normal self and didn't even react when a balloon popped right next to him.  What a star The full parade went entirely without a hitch, and at the end when we got back to the lorry the ponies had their own fanclub waiting for photos - which they enjoyed as much as the people with the cameras Thank you to Karen and Nicola for your help (sorry I used up all your Rescue Remedy Nicola!) and i want to say how immensely proud I am of the ponies and the team, and how thankful I am to The Mayor and Mayoress that we got to do this.  It was a day that will go down in my personal history, and a small tear of joy has collected right now writing about it!... [Read more]

Challenges It's important to know which challenges to tackle, and then to tackle them.  There's an old prayer which I am sure you've heard of: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference Warm up I am learning (very slowly) that the warm up is key to everything.  Having said that we can produce some marvellous work in the warm up and then go into the arena and it all falls apart. It's almost as if when we stop and walk to the arena Beau thinks it's all over, and being so opinionated spends the next 5 minutes trying to persuade me of this! We've had some marvellous work using lateral moves in the warm up - small circles in walk leg yielding in and out gets him to accept the contact and work up into it.  I have to avoid the perfect accelerator check which is a walk to canter transition, because he offers them in the test if I do, and we are mainly at prelim! The key is about 15-20 mins with Beau - 5-10 of just walk up into a contact, then a bit of lateral trotting before we go in.  Ideally we should trot from the warm up to the test arena but it's usually not possible :/ I got some lovely work out of him in the warm up for the worst scoring test of the year, but we were out there an hour and then rode the test, so he was starting to get bored and a bit grumpy, which means he starts to look for trouble! Arena A sage piece of advice i received this month to explain why Beau can be a monkey at home but is almost always very good out at competitions.  At home, he is looking for his friends.  At competitions his friends are not there and it's all new - so he's looking for me Training I have found that before a competition I can't ride through the test because Beau learns it quickly.  On one occasion Tory and I were both riding Beau in the same class.  She completed her test, then I hopped on, went straight in and tried to ride the test, but because Beau had done it and figured he knew where he was going, I could not get him to the sides or ends of the arena - he did the whole test in the middle! New approaches From the minute you get on each time you ride you need a plan.  If you do the same thing you will get the same results... so if something doesn't work - change it! Judge's opinions This is a tough one - I apologise now for any controversy!   This year i have completed 3 tests in competition.  One in which my score was baaaaaaad, but the judge's comments were fair and i agreed with what she had put - in other words i had felt what she saw.  So i was happy with that, the score is the score.  But these last 2 weeks i have had some odd experiences.  In one test, Beau was tense and i was riding pretty badly, so we were inconsistent and the score was bad, BUT I felt his free walk was the best he has ever done - and we have had 8.5 in the past for that.  That was the high point of the test for me so it was the first box i looked at on the sheet - and she had given me a 6 with the comment no contact maintained.  When i checked the photos that Simon had taken however, there was no loss of contact at all!  And further when i checked the rest of the sheet the judge had scored us 6.0 for every single movement (feisty upside down trot and smooth, even, good canter) except the entry for which we got a 7.0.  Odd  The following week at the same venue but with a different judge, our test had some good moments but was't brilliant, and the score was in the low 60s, which i felt was fair - and then I saw Tory's sheet.  I watched her test which was lovely and flowing and smooth, and should have scored (in my head, and i am not usually far off) high 60s, and i beat her.  This did not make sense.  The judge seemed obsessed with rhythm, and if there is one thing Sardra is very consistent at it's rhythm - even if being a girafolopolis, which she wasn't Sometimes it's tough to keep motivated towards improvement, when you go out and the judge's opinion is either simply wrong, or doesn't reflect what you achieved.  The main thing i have taken from it is that I felt some improvement in my riding so I will hold onto that, and that it's not possible to change things to please every judge - so I will keep my goals in place and keep working towards them - whatever other people say.  My aim is for harmonious riding and a happy relaxed consistent Beau - which will come from a happy relaxed and consistent me - because he already knows his job. Remember: courtesy of www.equestriman.co.uk... [Read more]

Not much has happened lately.  With numerous BeastfromtheEast weather fronts, and snow and ice every weekend, it's been safer to stay home!  What has happened though, we have learned from Dressage - how to warm up We almost got 70% this month!  So close with 69.81%... In the warm up other riders were having issues with overly bouncy horses, and some riders were so focused there were actually a few crashes.  Beau is pretty wise though, and when two horses crashed right in front of us he simply stopped, waited and trotted right on as if nothing had happened!  The result of this chaos was a particularly useless warm up from me because i was just trying to steer round everyone else CVRC chairman Amanda was on hand, and seeing that we were just aimlessly bimbling about waiting to be called, she got me working on lateral work and transitions to get him listening - this was a complete revelation!  He was so attentive, soft and rideable in the test I truly believed we might get a 70% Until i messed up my signals during a canter transition and we had to do it again - DOH!!! The judge was very kind and gave me an 8 for my riding :D   She may have been marking highly but I am taking all the encouragement I can get.  It's just a shame that before a competition you never know who the judge is I suppose picking and choosing based on generous judges defeats the object of competing which for me is to benchmark myself against others and measure progress - even if that is simply being more consistent rather than massive scores I read online about a lady who looked up as she rode down the centre line and described how her heart sank when she saw the judge!  I went out under the same judge last weekend, scored a spectacularly bad 59% (double trouble tension issues) but when I read the sheet i actually though the scores and comments were completely fair.  Especially as we got an 8 for our entrance, though it deteriorated pretty quickly and stayed bad ;)   I'd again used lateral work in the warm up, riding small circles in walk leg yielding in and out to relax Beau.  However, this time i overdid it and the old feller was tired through his back and neck by the time we got in.  Add tension to tiredness and you get an uncomfortable horse who completed the test at 100 miles an hour with his ears up my nose, so he could go home Mother Bee - http://motherbeeonline.co.uk/ This month I wanted to include a plug for this marvellous cream - if it works let the world know I say!   I got a small tub of it at YourHorse Live last year, and luckily enough have had no cause to use it until recently Last week Parker decided that he was hungry, and Beau's neck looked tastier than his hay.  He managed to bite right through Beau's rug and gave him a sore looking weepy hickey which this cream sorted out overnight.  It also helped my sore chapped hands when i came in from the ice and wind - lovely scent to it too, very natural and clean Lunge lessons It's Beau's 21st birthday on 1st April (his official birthday - like the Queen).  I plan to celebrate by having a lunge lesson with my friend who is hurtling towards her instructor exams.  We will both be good guinea pigs ;) Actually it's proving surprisingly useful and i think is something i may wish to carry on with.  To start with it's quite difficult to let go and trust that someone else is controlling your horse.  After a while though i was able to focus more on my position and on fighting my own body which was going into default slouch position whenever i stopped actively thinking about it.  I found it much easier to sit to the trot, to use my body weight and see its impact on Beau, and to keep my hands up when not slouching, and to work all this out when not steering! More work to do yet.... Much love Team and Beau... [Read more]

Cherwell Valley Riding Club knows the value of learning. The team knows that it’s important for everybody to be up to date in their riding, horse care and knowledge to ensure we are all giving our horses the best life we can. So when the opportunity to run a course leading to a certificate in Essential Horse Care came up, we grabbed it! Day One The group met at our committee member Rachel’s house for the first session, where she had laid out chocolate treats for us all. The first thing we all did was go and see the beautiful foals she has! Then, down to business. Annette from BRC HQ came along to take some photos and introduce us all to the course (and kindly made us all a coffee) We all completed a short form to indicate our memberships (BHS, BRC, BD etc) and so that the tutor, Emma, could learn our names. The attendees were roughly half juniors and half seniors – the juniors being at somewhat of an advantage because they’ve been working their way through the Pony Club tests Emma explained that we had opted for the second stage to start with, because the introductory level would have been too basic for those of us who already own and/or care for a horse We covered various topics on the first day, some in more detail than others depending on whether the class knew the answers already: Horse health We discussed condition scoring in horses and the two systems available to use. We opted for the 5-stage Carroll and Huntington system where 0 is defined as emaciated and 5 obese. Rose shared photos of a horse she had rescued – that scored 0 in the first picture, and was looking amazing and a perfect 3 (good condition) by the time he found his forever home Next up was signs of good health: pricked ears, healthy membranes, good appetite, temperature, pulse and breathing etc., followed by signs of ill-health such as loss of appetite, staring coat and changes in behaviour. Because a horse has a strong fight or flight instinct, changes in behaviour are very important. They key is simply to know your horse Points of a horse We studied a chart indicating the main points of a horse, and learned what the examiner will be looking for when we are tested. We have to keep in mind that when the examiner points somewhere he is asking for the points of the horse name, not the skeletal system behind it – so if he points to the ribs, he wants to hear barrel Colours and markings I was amazed at how many of the colours and markings I didn’t know. How many of you know what a feint is? Or a frosted?! Feeding basics Here we discussed the necessities – clean water, clean feeding equipment, good quality forage and food, and feeding the right amount for the horse and its level of work. More detail is to come on this important topic Word games We played ‘match the described behaviour to the word’ on small cards. This was much harder that you would think! We all know our horses pretty well, but the aim of this game was to show us that we need to know what the examiner is actually looking for. A bit like a driving test I expect…. Let’s see! I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting and informative the evening was, and really looking forward to the next sessions Days Two and Three The next topics on the list were feeding and watering, worming and vaccinations, illness, wellness and quarantine, and buying a horse Feeding and watering We discussed the rules of feeding, which I think we all knew already – little and often, cleanliness is key and fresh water must be available at all time. It got much more interesting when we went deeper into the quantities your horse will need, and we learned a few handy equations to apply for the exam. In real life we feed according to work done, type of horse, and what it says on the feed bag! There was a little exercise to do for watering – we had to list the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of providing water – buckets, troughs, baths etc. Gets you thinking… Worming and vaccinations So those of us who compete for CVRC know already that flu vacs have to be kept fully up to date with annual boosters either on the same date as last year or earlier. Tetanus jabs are every other year, and other jabs such as strangles, EHV and mites would be applied as required and do not affect being able to compete for CVRC Worming was the kind of conversation you can imagine, with much googling of grim pictures! We all agreed after much debate that the most popular approach would be to worm for encysted redworm in winter, tapeworm in autumn and worm count the rest of the year with a suitable wormer given if need be Illness, wellness and quarantine None of us wants our ponies to be ill, but sometimes it happens, so we discussed how to tell, and steps to take in case of contagious diseases such as strangles. Did you know strangles can lie dormant and not affect the carrier horse for up to two years? I didn’t! Buying a horse Now for the exciting part! We came down to earth with a bump when we started thinking about the risks of buying horses, and steps you need to take to ensure you’re buying the right horse for you – such as trying it doing what you aim to, and making sure you check its history with locals – ie in Pony Club. We talked about vetting – 2 and 5 stage, and if it’s ever sensible not to (not really). We learned about the right approach to the shopping visit too, and what to make sure you see and do before even thinking about riding your potential new buddy. The key thing I took from this session was take an expert to every viewing At the start of Day 3 we had a recap of Day 2’s feeding rules and calculations to make sure we’d all understood the maths bit – I think we were mostly OK, shouldn’t be a problem. Now onwards to the next set of topics – we are hurtling towards the exam! Days 4 and 5 and 6 We moved on at the next session to talk about safety. This topic is really important and safety considerations should drive everything we do around horses. For example we need to know the right way to store tools, how to use electricity around horses and generally that we need to be tidy and organised to avoid silly accidents. We need to know what to do in the event of a fire or an incident where people or horses are injured. We need to know what kinds of clothes and shoes are suitable around horses, and make sure we wear them! We also learned how to move heavy objects safely - important when horse food bags can weigh 20 kilos Next up was hacking. I am amazed at the number of people who do not wear hi-viz. Nobody will think you're uncool for being visible to drivers. The roads are busy and people rush, wearing a simple hi-viz vest gives drivers the chance to see you in time to take evasive action to avoid an accident. Even on bridleways and fields, you will want to be seen so that if you fall off and need help you can be found. The Highway Code was covered as was the Country Code. We all like to think we already know this stuff, but it does no harm to refresh memories All horse owners know that a major cost is shoeing. We learned what to look for in a well shod foot and how to spot when we need to call our trusty farrierThe last topic on the syllabus was boots, bandages and tack. We learned how to identify different bits of kit and what their purpose is. We covered bitting in some detail - always a contentious and complex topic! For the final week we worked on some scenarios that might be seen in the exam, and had an opportunity to quiz Emma Stoba - our patient and knowledgeable coach - on topics we weren't sure of. We particularly covered what the examiners would be looking for - there are always so many 'right' answers when it comes to looking after horses The Exam! I planned to arrive early for the exam so that I could do some last minute cramming in the car and meet up with another lady so that we could quiz each other. I was surprised to get there 15 minutes early for the exam and not be first! We were all keen to get in and show what we knew Annette from BRC came along to take some photos and record the occasion, and Emma was waiting with all of the exam papers from HQ The exam was an hour and fifteen minutes long, with questions varying from those whose answers were obvious, to those which needed some thought. I actually enjoyed it - fingers crossed we all pass! My only question now is: When can we do the next one? Thanks Emma for your teaching, Rachel for your facilities, Alison for winning this course for the club in a competition, and lastly BRC for helping us all to become better owners Tam (and Beau)x... [Read more]

Sidesaddle riders have always fascinated me. As a little girl I would imagine galloping over fields and fences with my hair and skirts flowing. It's possible I was born in the wrong century! So, when our local riding club - Cherwell Valley - started to put on sidesaddle taster session with the amazing Ginny Oakley, I leapt at the chance. Before these taster sessions Ginny asks about your horse type and shape, and your own shape and height, and takes along a saddle that may suit you and your horse. To start, you ride astride to warm up. This is important for your muscles and for your pony's muscles and state of mind. You don't want to be getting on wonky for the first time on a whirling dervish. Once warmed up, Ginny takes you to one side and fits a saddle to your horse. Because sidesaddles have a balance strap coming behind the girth, it's important to make sure your horse will accept this before getting on. So, once the saddle is in place you lead your horse round in hand, in very small circles, to make sure they're comfortable and not a ticking bomb. (Can you tell I hacked there?) Then comes getting on. The most experienced and elegant lady riders can mount from a gentleman's leg up and land softly straight into the aside position. I am not among them. My way is to find a high mounting block/fence, or twist Simon's arm into legging me up, and sit down astride. This is not comfortable because the seat is flat and has a hard edge, so once my hips are square with Beau's I then swing my right leg into position over the fixed pommel. At this stage everything is pretty comfy. Your shoulders stay square with your horse's and your hips square with his. This sounds easy.  You will by now have realised that only your left leg is in contact with your horse. If you do lateral work regularly he will obligingly move off right when you put it on. The idea is that your whip or cane replaces your right leg so you have to move this onto your horse's side at the same time as applying your leg. This annoys Beau but he gets it and moves off.  I don't know the right approach being no expert here, but i have found that if Beau is a bit keen to move sideways if i lift my left leg and push with the cane he straightens up. The cane is also pretty handy applied gently to the shoulder on right handed turns, otherwise he cuts corners and falls in because there is no inside leg supporting him on the turn. It turned out on our first session that Beau took to sidesaddle pretty well. We had no fuss at all and he made the whole thing pretty easy. We had not been a partnership for long so i didn't canter, but everything we did try was fine.  After two goes I realised i was addicted. I had received my PPI claim (no word of a lie) and decided to buy a saddle with it. Talk about impulse purchasing! However I did it properly. I asked Ginny to keep her eyes peeled for one that might fit, we found one.  I very patiently carried it round for a week until I could get myself, Ginny and Beau in the same place at the same time, and we tried it.   It fit! I was so chuffed!  After a few hacks practising bringing my right shoulder back (so important to staying straight in the saddle) and a few lessons, we decided to enter our first comp, despite the difficulties I seem to have with getting off.  Beau is excellent in traffic, and i never go out alone - because he does have an occasional nap and I do not want to deal with that with only one leg Ginny held a show practise day, and we had to ride on our habits for the first time. Panic ensued as I did not actually own a habit, so I bought a cutaway jacket from eBay, and made an apron to match. That was a saga in itself, it took me 2 goes because the first version turned out to be for an offside saddle. I still cannot believe i managed that!  Anyway, eventually it was done and off we went. The class was huge and i have to say full of amazing horses and riders.  I admit to being pretty unfit so the 30 mins trot round practically did for me. This made me wobbly and in turn made Beau tired. Despite that we still pulled in 6th, which i was chuffed to bits with! Later in the year we also attempted an intro dressage test wonky. I forget the score but it was mid 60s so not so bad. I think we'd have been better off doing a prelim though, canter is the easiest pace to ride wonky by far. This year's plan is to try a prelim test aside, and keep hacking. I am not so fussed about showing - Beau is an angel in show classes but i find the prep very stressful and the class itself hard work. Plus it's difficult to get ready by yourself aside, and nobody wants to groom for me showing because it takes longer than a quick dressage test so they get bored ;)  For me sidesaddle is a childhood dream, and something i had always wanted to do but never thought I would. If you get the chance, try it. With a saddle that fits you and your horse it's easy (though very difficult to do well) and you will have fun! I love it, the feeling of temporary elegance and feeling so ladylike whilst doing what I love - playing ponies.... [Read more]

<a href="https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_equestrian_blogs/" title="UK Equestrian blogs"><img alt="UK Equestrian Blogs" src="https://blog.feedspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/uk_equestrian_216px.png"/></a>... [Read more]

Keep looking forward! Martin Luther King Jr once said:  'If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving".  He was right, though it's easy to lose sight of that in January It's currently mid-winter.  There is so much mud at the moment it's hard to imagine grass on the ground.  It's also hard to imagine a time when it's possible to ride in the evenings - or even to ride at weekends; or even to WANT to ride!  We've had strong winds, snow and ice and heavy rain lately whenever I've been able to go to Happy Acres in daylight, so my motivation to ride has been a tad lacking. So, I thought I would go through all the things that we SHOULD be doing at this time of year and try to kick start you,. dear reader, into thinking along the same lines.  Between us I am sure we can come up with a master plan for a successful transition from winter to spring and onwards to the season  In 2017 I made a couple of changes to the way I do things.  For example, I have a tendency to ride with my left elbow straight and left hand lower than my right.  So to remedy that I tried to make myself more aware of what my hand is up to - I am very very right handed.  I started to hold the steering wheel on my daily commute at exactly 10 to 2.  Also when getting a round of coffees in for me and my colleagues i carry more cups in my left hand and try to watch to make sure it's level with my right I also have a tendency to go into foetal panic mode whenever Beau is in a spooky/nappy mood so i made up a few strategies to deal with that too, which on the whole are working. There is one particular corner in the school at home that he hates, and one corner in the arena we do most of our dressage in.  I can identify scary things on both places (a mirror in one with kit piled up in front of it, and in the other a clangy noisy electric gate behind a think high hedge), but since he is not bothered every time we go pact them there must be something else.  I don't know what it is so I am working on minimising the impact instead by: Always wear a neckstrap Work on shoulder in so that i can control the bend and then if he spooks he has to move outwards towards scary area rather than inwards to hoon round the school Make those places 'nice' by being very consistent with my hands, and making no changes in the corner.  Bend is established way before it allowing the maximum time for him to see what's there whilst concentrating on what we're supposed to be doing Making him concentrate.  Doing lots of different stuff in sessions and changing flexion on the straight sides Walking him past the area in hand and completely ignoring it myself We've also installed our old band stage banner on the fence near the corner, so at competitions he ought to be able to ignore the sponsor banners.... Discoveries In 2016 I tried to rediscover my showjumping nerve, and found that it's not quick, not easy and not a sensible focus when there is so much more that me and Beau can enjoy.  He loves it though so we will do bits and bobs in training.  I did go from instant melt down to being able to complete a course without crying - but I also over-faced myself and took a few steps back later in the season As a result, my biggest discovery came about myself rather than Beau.  I discovered that I can still jump, ride to a fence and stay on without impeding him, but I am terrified of speed.  To date I have never had a bad fall at a fence related to speed, though have tumbled off a few times purely through speed itself (and the hard stop horses can do always do after a flat out panic gallop - but can't seem to manage in a test from a balanced trot).  Beau loves to jump and loves to do it at speed, so I have two choices:  either learn to like speed, or stick to dressage.  If i ever decide which is the best way forward i will let you know You've got to have a dream... I also decided that my fitness was letting Beau down both jumping and on the flat, so I have started doing something about that I am sure, dear reader, that you will agree fitness is best dealt with over the winter when riding opportunities are few and far between.  I work full-time an hour from home, and I work hard, so when I get home i often have nothing left for riding or treadmills or exercise balls!  It's pretty tough to work on personal fitness in the hours left, but I have decided to do so, and so i will Budget Yeah.  Erm...! I tried to work out what I'd spent on training, memberships, competitions etc last year.  It got quite scary but at least now i know where my salary goes! The list does not include livery fees, incidentals (repairs, rug cleaning, consumables, event tickets), so you can see there is no cheap way to keep horses, compete and stay on the road.  If you are on a budget then it's obvious why you need to plan your season so that you know how much it will cost and keep within your limits.   It is so easy to lose control of spending and find yourself too broke to buy Christmas presents at the end of the year.  Ahem... Winter to spring checklist It's hard to imagine with storm whatever it is now blowing the branches off the trees at the moment, but it's time to start getting ready for Spring!  I've chucked the below quick list together as an aide memoire, add to it or ignore as you wish :) Tack check:  stitching, fit of saddle and bridle, cleanliness, eBay or charity for the mountain of stuff you're not using Lorry:  Clean, MOT, diesel, check tyres, fluids, springs, ramp, floor etc.  Best get a professional on that one Rugs:  sort out repairs and those that need a clean, buy next year's winter rungs in the sale if you have a rug destroyer! Horse:  Final clip to allow the summer coat to come through, pull manes, tidy feathers, get teeth, back and jabs done Try not to become an alcoholic with misery over the mud, get ready for those Spring evenings! If need be, work on your personal fitness - particularly your all-important core Go and read a book or take a course or advise on improving your own mindset for competitions and training - this is so often neglected but absolutely 100% the key to it all Good luck! Much love, Tam and Beau x... [Read more]

Equissimo In October I was very lucky to win a photo competition run by Equissimo on Facebook The prize was a fab bundle of clothes, treats and horsey gear which arrived practically the next day!  Even the cat approved ;)  As soon as the weather is amenable i will take a pic of it all in action - far too many jumpers required at the moment They're doing a brilliant run up to Christmas on Facebook with special offers galore - click the link to visit their page and see what top treats are on offer Laura Mary Art Christmas cards These are a must have for Christmas.  Beautifully illustrated and top quality and only £10.50 for 12 cards!  #supportlocalbusiness - click here to see what Laura has on offer this Christmas  Air Ambulance ball Our local vets ran a Ball in aid of Air Ambulance in November - it was great fun.  We all got dolled up and trotted out to Whittlebury Hall for the evening.  Nobody was ill, nobody cried, we were all home before 1am.  Result!  It was a lovely do and for a very worthy cause - there but for the grace of God go all of us... First BD We did it - we entered and completed a grown-up dressage class.  Me and Beau, and Tory and Sardra toddled up to the wonderfully relaxed Moulton College and entered prelkim 17 - long arena!  Simon had to call for us, and did so beautifully, but we did it!  Not too shabby either both coming out with rosettes and scores of 66 and 67% (Sardra beat us, scores rounded up to make us look better ;) ) HorseDialog Worming - a topic we all ignore because of the cost, and in some cases ( Beau) the practical impossibility of getting a syringe into their moth without personal peril!  But we must.  Please click the link here and check out the video explaining the importance of clearing encysted red worm at this time of year.  Not something you'd want to wrap but a perfect Christmas present for your horse - the gift of good health and comfort https://goo.gl/zBt8sb  Check out @HorseDialog and the hashtag: #timeitright on Twitter Ambition This month I'd like to deal with ambition - chucking in a few tired but relevant cliches phrases along the way.  This was spotted on Twitter and really rang home for me:  You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. CS Lewis.  Work on making sure that drives you this Christmas - make yourself better, plan for the future and think positive I am realistic - Beau and me are a little long in the tooth now for setting our sights towards PSG, but we can do everything better and that's what we will work on.   It's tough to get the drive up to school when there's snow or rain and your horse is filthy and soggy and spooking at all the dusk shadows, but winter is the ideal time to work out the little niggles and improve our collective scores which should bring the marks in 2018 Your Horse Live Love YourHorse Live - I would love to perform our pairs DTM demo there too and encourage as many people as possible to have a go (if I can do it - you definitely can) First on the list was a lesson on the BHS mechanical horse - with Megatrainer ALison as coach.  Couldn't get the darned thing to canter and subsequently have a greater respect than ever for Beau's tolerance!  We shopped 'til we dropped of course, and entered every competition we could find!  Didn't win any but Iif you're not in you can't win. Also, I signed Carl's 50th birthday card (it will be worth something now Carl), shared a group hug with Geoff Billington and stole Valegro Demonstrations Tory and I are demonstrating pairs dressage to music at the next Moulton College Quest event on 9th Dec.  Which as I type is tomorrow!  And it's snowing *gulp* I am not a fan even of driving my car in the snow and would never ever risk the precious ponies or Buxton the truck.  Hopefully it will go away and we can play - we have special Christmas outfits for Beau and Sardra :D Here we are demonstrating at Blenheim earlier in the year, and perfecting our moves ;) Christmas Parties I managed to miss this year's work do.  Also I missed the Area 5 awards night where Tory and I won an award for pairs dressage :D  If it's what we're good at we need more comps! But it's Simon's do this weekend and we're off to play - there's gin.  I'm there :D Fridge Freezers Not horsey but I wish i had taken pictures!  Mum and Dad gave us their old fridge freezer, so Simon and I trolled up the M1 to collect it.  All went well until we attempted to get it into position at home.  It is 2m high, and our doorways are not.  The shelf it was meant to fit underneath was not either.  Cue a day of wriggling it round to get through doorways, unscrewing shelves and general faff!  And then when we turned it on again it peeped for hours!  All's well now though and it's working fine.  Plenty of space for Christmas prosecco :D  Funny how life's little challenges present - I did not get to sit on Beau at all that weekend Must go - Christmas Shopping to do (online of course) and pony play to plan for 2018.  I must get myself a Leroy and Bongo Planner - they look so useful and beautiful... TTFN.  Much love, Tam and Beau  Who let me dress him up as a reindeer this weekend ...... [Read more]