This is a post I have considered writing for quite a while but struggled with how to get my message across. But after having had this same conversation with multiple people recently, I thought it was time to put pen to paper and broach this subject with the wider world.…
Earlier this week British Dressage announced that they were changing there vaccination rules from 12 months to 6 months. While this rule was already in place for the FEI and for horse racing, it has caused a bit of a stir among BD riders. Equine Flu Still Here At the…
This morning we knew the cross country phase would really shake up the rankings with the majority of the field being within 20 penalties (1 refusal) of the overnight leader Pippa Funnell. Any mistake from the leaders would be costly and likely drop them down the leaderboard. This combined with…
After a very exciting weekend at the European Championships in Germany, I am now getting ready for Burghley horse trials which kicks off later this week. I am pleased to say that I will be heading there this weekend as the press to follow the ex-racehorses competing. So keep an…
I nearly always carry a whip when I ride. It’s habit more than anything else and I find it a helpful tool. But the use of a whip is always a hot topic, especially when it comes to public perception of equestrian sport. This week I also saw a really…
This has been something I have been umming and ahhing about writing as a blog post as it is just a massive rant! I love attending Badminton, it’s always a fantastic week and I love following all the action. Everyone there is absolutely lovely. But I am really frustrated by…
So while going through some of my final Badminton details yesterday, I stumbled upon an ex racehorse I had completely missed from my coverage! This 15 year old bay gelding retired from the racing industry as a 4 year old and has been produced by Clara Loiseau for eventing. Wont…
Yesterday was the final stage of Badminton Horse Trials and with the leaders being close, with just a fence between most, every mistake mattered! Oliver Townend, who had been leading on both of his horses at one stage in the competition had a pole and 3 seconds in hand as…
Yesterdays cross country really shook the leaderboard up. This interesting course asked the horse plenty of tricky questions over some smaller fences as well as asking them to show plenty of bold scope over some of the giants. Only 5 combinations made it home inside the time. There were 47…
It has been an exciting few days of dressage here at Badminton with Oliver Townend setting a record breaking dressage score of 19.7 with Cillnabradden Evo as the 4th horse in the ring! He repeated this feat by sitting in second place on his second horse Ballaghmor Class with a…
Yesterday I walked the majority of Saturday’s cross country course to get a feel for it and try to decide which areas are going to cause problems. So if you are attending on Saturday, hopefully this little guide will help you decide what bits to watch to see the most…
Badminton kicks off today with the first horse inspection! Find out what ex racehorses are running this year.
Today’s Blogtober challenge is to talk about a discipline you would like to try. Now despite Scottie being my first horse, I have been extremely lucky to have a go at several different things. I compete in dressage and show jumping with Scottie and school cross country with the aims…
There were 3 ex racehorses competing in Eventing at this year’s World Equestrian Games at Tyron, USA. (1 more than I originally thought!) All 3 horses did a fantastic job, despite the extreme weather conditions caused by Hurricane Florence. Arctic Soul (GB) The first ex racehorse is a real favourite…
Yesterday we had the Championships for the evening Show Jumping classes we have been doing at our local equestrian center for the past 4 months. It was fantastic to go to our first proper championships ever! And while we didn’t get quite a sash, I am so pleased with what…
