For your horse (or a friends!)
A head collar!
A great, relatively inexpensive gift for your horse, a friends horse or your favourite horse at the yard!
George got his present early...What do you guys think?
Beth
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
It's (Nearly!) Christmas! Presents for everyone!
So, with Christmas just around the corner (30 days and 55 minutes to be exact!) I thought I'd start doing posts on Christmas gifts - whether it be for your horse, an equestrian friend or the yard groom, there's something for everyone!
Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Favourite Photo of The Week!
I have thousands, thousands of photos of my horses as I'm sure a lot of other horse riders do too! So I thought once a week I'd post my favourite!
This was taken back in January, the first time both of my horses were in the school together! I was warming Aragorn up while my trainer was cooling Bentley off. He thought I was 'doing some weird kind of yoga' when infact I was sorting my spurs out!
What's your favourite photo of the week?
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
Back in the (jumping) saddle!
Slowly but surely I'm getting my confidence back - it's not fear of falling off, it's fear of what happens after falling off! I am 23 going on 93 (I will write a post on riding with injuries - hopefully it'll be helpful and maybe reassure a few people too!)
Jacket - Spooks
Breeches - Spooks
Hat - Charles Owen
Thursday, 20 August 2015
OOTD!
A lot of people ask what me and the horses are wearing in our photos so I thought I'd start doing an 'Outfit of the day' post!
What I'm wearing
Shirt - H&M Divided Short Shirt - £12.99
Gloves - Mark Todd Competition gloves £18
Hat - Charles Owen Wellington Classic Velvet from £120
Breeches - Glööckler Silver Denim Royal from £80
What Aragorn's wearing
Bridle - Mark Todd Patent Dressage Bridle from £80
Browband - Gift
Reins - Stubben Slimline Rubber Grip Reins from £75
Bit - Neue Schule Starter Loose Ring Bit from £65
Competitions, Training, Tantrums!
The last few weeks have been all go for me and the boys!
We aren't fortunate to have our own transport, but we are fortunate to have some lovely friends who help us as much as they can - so we've been out and about a lot recently!
The weekend before last Aragorn competed at the LAST EVER unaffiliated show at Patchetts Equestrian Centre (A place that will be dearly missed by many, I for one am sad to see it go!) We got a 3rd in our first class and had four faults in the second class - I was so, so pleased with how we worked as a team - especially as i'm still a bit "eugh" with jumping since our accident!
We also had a dressage competition last week in which we got 3rd in the Novice 28 and had a little bit of a tantrum in the Prelim 18! (A lot of people say Aragorn is like me, when he embarrasses himself he has a tantrum and it takes a while to "cool off" - He had a little trip at C and, because he embarrassed himself, proceeded to have a little buck - the rest of the test he had a real strop on but we still managed a 7th!)
I thought as they'd done an awful lot of dressage I'd take them to a Show Jumping competition, together - It's SO stressful taking two horses to a show - kudos to those of you who take two or more and make it look so easy!
It was George's first Show Jumping competition and at a relatively busy showground he behaved incredibly well! He won his class, Aragorn WOULD have won his class if I hadn't forgotten the course - he still got a 2nd (but hasn't forgiven me yet!)
Photos to follow soon!
Take Care
Beth
We aren't fortunate to have our own transport, but we are fortunate to have some lovely friends who help us as much as they can - so we've been out and about a lot recently!
The weekend before last Aragorn competed at the LAST EVER unaffiliated show at Patchetts Equestrian Centre (A place that will be dearly missed by many, I for one am sad to see it go!) We got a 3rd in our first class and had four faults in the second class - I was so, so pleased with how we worked as a team - especially as i'm still a bit "eugh" with jumping since our accident!
We also had a dressage competition last week in which we got 3rd in the Novice 28 and had a little bit of a tantrum in the Prelim 18! (A lot of people say Aragorn is like me, when he embarrasses himself he has a tantrum and it takes a while to "cool off" - He had a little trip at C and, because he embarrassed himself, proceeded to have a little buck - the rest of the test he had a real strop on but we still managed a 7th!)
I thought as they'd done an awful lot of dressage I'd take them to a Show Jumping competition, together - It's SO stressful taking two horses to a show - kudos to those of you who take two or more and make it look so easy!
It was George's first Show Jumping competition and at a relatively busy showground he behaved incredibly well! He won his class, Aragorn WOULD have won his class if I hadn't forgotten the course - he still got a 2nd (but hasn't forgiven me yet!)
Photos to follow soon!
Take Care
Beth
Thursday, 13 August 2015
Animalife Vetrofen Healthy Antioxidant Support
The lovely team at Animalife - www.animalife.co.uk have given me a tub of Vetrofen Healthy Antioxidant Support to try!
I wanted to give it a fair trial and Aragorn has had a pretty hectic few weeks so I thought now would be a great time to give it a go!
More to follow!
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Revamp Old Boots / Fading Saddles for under £5!
There's nothing like buying a new pair of riding boots or saddle.
They often look so pretty you don't want to use them!
But, after a while, the colour fades leaving them looking...well, used!
I bought my dressage saddle second hand and the back especially was very faded, almost a greeny colour!
And my boots...I have worn them every single day for almost 3 years!
I decided to try Cherry Blossom Readywax Instant Shoe Shine Colour Enriching in Black.
It comes with a sponge on top, gently squeeze it and apply to saddle/boots - it dries within seconds too which is a bonus!
I applied one layer to the back of my saddle, let it dry and then applied another layer. I also applied two layers to the front of my knee rolls which were also faded.
I got a bit carried away and covered my boots in it - I am pleased to say it doesn't transfer and is waterproof!
(Unfortunately I got a bit carried away so didn't take a photo of my saddle before applying it, but believe me, as I said, it was a horrible greeny colour where it had got damp.)
They often look so pretty you don't want to use them!
But, after a while, the colour fades leaving them looking...well, used!
I bought my dressage saddle second hand and the back especially was very faded, almost a greeny colour!
And my boots...I have worn them every single day for almost 3 years!
I decided to try Cherry Blossom Readywax Instant Shoe Shine Colour Enriching in Black.
It comes with a sponge on top, gently squeeze it and apply to saddle/boots - it dries within seconds too which is a bonus!
I applied one layer to the back of my saddle, let it dry and then applied another layer. I also applied two layers to the front of my knee rolls which were also faded.
I got a bit carried away and covered my boots in it - I am pleased to say it doesn't transfer and is waterproof!
(Unfortunately I got a bit carried away so didn't take a photo of my saddle before applying it, but believe me, as I said, it was a horrible greeny colour where it had got damp.)
As you can see my left boot looks almost new again!
Allow the first layer to dry before applying a second
The colour of the seat was the colour of the knee rolls/back of saddle before applying
This brand retails for as little as £1! And has given my boots and saddle a new lease of life!
Happy shining!
Beth x
Monday, 20 July 2015
Retirement - Here's why I chose it!
I am lucky enough to have 4 horses - 2 of which are retired I often get asked why?
When I made the decision to retire Bentley, I was faced with the question "Why don't you just sell him? Make some money?" - Now, if I were selling horses as a business I could see this as a valid question, but I don't. The horses I own are my world, they're my universe.
Here's a little information on the two (very different horses) I have that are retired, for very different reasons.
Edd, The first of my horses I retired. A 15.2hh Irish Sports Horse gelding (in his heart, he was a stallion as he was gelded quite late.) I had the pleasure of owning him for 2 years, he's the first horse I felt I "understood." He was an avid head shaker and very "gung ho!" with the heart of a lion. Sometimes his speed got us into trouble, he would charge around a course of jumps faster than I'd like to think and despite my mum often refusing to watch me ride because it "scared her" I never felt scared because, despite his "gung ho" attitude, he took care of me and I really got to know him. Long story short, as he got older, a few injuries from his younger years surfaced - after consulting a vet, we were given a few options. 1) He'd be okay going for a plod every now and again, but nothing else. (This wasn't at all viable because plodding wasn't on of his gaits. 2) Sell him to someone that would take him for a plod. (Same as before) 3) PTS (This was never even considered) 4) Retirement
Retirement it was. I was unsure how he would "cope" with living out in a herd 24/7, 365 days a year as he was very selective of his fellow four legged friends.
Unloaded at his place of retirement, he took a deep breath with his ears pricked forward and trotted off to meet his new friends. (5 years later he is still his cheeky self!)
Bentley's story is a lot more complicated than Edd's.
He has the most incredible jump, one day we would be jumping 1.15 no problem, the next day he would see a pole and violently shake. So I thought the obvious thing would be to stop jumping him and concentrate more on dressage.
He would float round and I can't express in words the feeling he gave me, it was a feeling no other horse in the 20 years of riding has ever given me.
We were unable to take him out to competitions as travelling was another huge problem (he would often jump up and get his legs stuck!) But that didn't matter to me.
His problems would come and go, one day he would be calm and content and the next day he would be bucking and rearing.
One day I was practicing a dressage test and he reared vertically, twice. I landed on the fence on my back which resulted in a long night in hospital.
Usually i'd ignore his bucks and rears, I accepted that they happened, frequently and it was almost normal. But this wasn't, it seriously knocked my confidence and he was a horse that needed guidance and would pick up on any sort of nervousness. So I was left in a similar situation, a few choices to make about Bentley's future. 1) Sell him. (This was a hard one for me. Because of his quirkiness I was worried he'd hurt someone, and someone would hurt him.) Money didn't matter to me, despite people constantly reminding me that "he'd make a bit" - He was and still is my horse of a life time 2) Retire him (A no brainer for me. I can sleep at night knowing that, for the first time in his life he is living life as a horse. He gave me so much and it was time to give him something back. Again, the worry of "will he cope" struck (before we had him he had never been in a field)
Needless to say, in true Bentley style on his travel to his place of retirement, he got his legs over the partition.
After spending one night in a stable to make sure he was okay, the next day he met his new herd, his new family.
I am pleased to say both of them are doing incredibly well, and most importantly, are very, very happy.
I visit them as much as I can (they are a few hours away) but I get to see photos and updates everyday.
Yes, it still costs me, but I am a strong believer in giving these wonderful animals something back, after everything they have given me and it is totally worth the sacrifice of other, less important (to me) things.
Do you have a horse in retirement? Comment below! I'll upload some more photos in another post, Beth x
When I made the decision to retire Bentley, I was faced with the question "Why don't you just sell him? Make some money?" - Now, if I were selling horses as a business I could see this as a valid question, but I don't. The horses I own are my world, they're my universe.
Here's a little information on the two (very different horses) I have that are retired, for very different reasons.
Edd, The first of my horses I retired. A 15.2hh Irish Sports Horse gelding (in his heart, he was a stallion as he was gelded quite late.) I had the pleasure of owning him for 2 years, he's the first horse I felt I "understood." He was an avid head shaker and very "gung ho!" with the heart of a lion. Sometimes his speed got us into trouble, he would charge around a course of jumps faster than I'd like to think and despite my mum often refusing to watch me ride because it "scared her" I never felt scared because, despite his "gung ho" attitude, he took care of me and I really got to know him. Long story short, as he got older, a few injuries from his younger years surfaced - after consulting a vet, we were given a few options. 1) He'd be okay going for a plod every now and again, but nothing else. (This wasn't at all viable because plodding wasn't on of his gaits. 2) Sell him to someone that would take him for a plod. (Same as before) 3) PTS (This was never even considered) 4) Retirement
Retirement it was. I was unsure how he would "cope" with living out in a herd 24/7, 365 days a year as he was very selective of his fellow four legged friends.
Unloaded at his place of retirement, he took a deep breath with his ears pricked forward and trotted off to meet his new friends. (5 years later he is still his cheeky self!)
Bentley's story is a lot more complicated than Edd's.
Bentley is a 15.3 KWPN, who I got because the second I saw him, I fell in love with him. He seriously underweight with a lot of physical and emotional problems.
After sorting out his physical problems (tilted pelvis, stomach ulcers, missing teeth) I began to see how parts of his past still haunted him.He has the most incredible jump, one day we would be jumping 1.15 no problem, the next day he would see a pole and violently shake. So I thought the obvious thing would be to stop jumping him and concentrate more on dressage.
He would float round and I can't express in words the feeling he gave me, it was a feeling no other horse in the 20 years of riding has ever given me.
We were unable to take him out to competitions as travelling was another huge problem (he would often jump up and get his legs stuck!) But that didn't matter to me.
His problems would come and go, one day he would be calm and content and the next day he would be bucking and rearing.
One day I was practicing a dressage test and he reared vertically, twice. I landed on the fence on my back which resulted in a long night in hospital.
Usually i'd ignore his bucks and rears, I accepted that they happened, frequently and it was almost normal. But this wasn't, it seriously knocked my confidence and he was a horse that needed guidance and would pick up on any sort of nervousness. So I was left in a similar situation, a few choices to make about Bentley's future. 1) Sell him. (This was a hard one for me. Because of his quirkiness I was worried he'd hurt someone, and someone would hurt him.) Money didn't matter to me, despite people constantly reminding me that "he'd make a bit" - He was and still is my horse of a life time 2) Retire him (A no brainer for me. I can sleep at night knowing that, for the first time in his life he is living life as a horse. He gave me so much and it was time to give him something back. Again, the worry of "will he cope" struck (before we had him he had never been in a field)
Needless to say, in true Bentley style on his travel to his place of retirement, he got his legs over the partition.
After spending one night in a stable to make sure he was okay, the next day he met his new herd, his new family.
I am pleased to say both of them are doing incredibly well, and most importantly, are very, very happy.
I visit them as much as I can (they are a few hours away) but I get to see photos and updates everyday.
Yes, it still costs me, but I am a strong believer in giving these wonderful animals something back, after everything they have given me and it is totally worth the sacrifice of other, less important (to me) things.
Do you have a horse in retirement? Comment below! I'll upload some more photos in another post, Beth x
Monday, 6 July 2015
I have finally found replacement breeches!
My accident left me without my favourite breeches.
Well, I still have them, but they resemble something out of a horror movie...they're shredded! (I had to have them cut off, which broke my heart, but I am very thankful to be okay!)
They were my euro-star breeches which were a birthday present from my Mum, and I lived in them!
It's taken me a few months to find another pair I like (I didn't realise quite how picky I am!) But I finally have a replacement pair! (Until I can get my hands back on the pair I lost along with my favourite Spooks jumper -but that's another story!)
Here they are, Cavallo Grey Corvina Breeches with Swarovski Crystals and they are beautiful!
They are a great pair of everyday breeches and in my opinion, worth every penny!
Well, I still have them, but they resemble something out of a horror movie...they're shredded! (I had to have them cut off, which broke my heart, but I am very thankful to be okay!)
They were my euro-star breeches which were a birthday present from my Mum, and I lived in them!
It's taken me a few months to find another pair I like (I didn't realise quite how picky I am!) But I finally have a replacement pair! (Until I can get my hands back on the pair I lost along with my favourite Spooks jumper -but that's another story!)
Here they are, Cavallo Grey Corvina Breeches with Swarovski Crystals and they are beautiful!
They are a great pair of everyday breeches and in my opinion, worth every penny!
- True to fit
- Comfortable
- Full Seat
- A little extra sparkle
- Smart looking
- Available in different colours!
RRP - Around £115-£125 depending on colour & style (UK)
Available here
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Recovery - Regaining trust, confidence and getting back on!
I've been riding since I was 5, and in the 18 years I've been riding I've had my fair share of falls and confidence issues.
It's only recently I've had 3 life-threatening, serious falls which have knocked me physically and emotionally.
When I was younger, i'd fall off, laugh and get back on, no problem - and even recently when riding Aragorn when I landed on my feet, I laughed it off, got back on and in the space of 5 minutes I fell off (landing on my feet again!)
It doesn't take a serious, life threatening fall/accident to affect your confidence.
It could be anything from your horse spooking, refusing, bolting, bucking, rearing...
I was competing my horse (who is now retired) at a competition, at the penultimate fence, he was unable to get his feet under him and I ended up in the public viewing gallery with him on top of me. After hours of scans and tests I was allowed back home on the agreement that for a week I wouldn't do anything stimulating as I'd knocked my head - badly. No reading, no writing, no TV no nothing.
In my heart I knew if I didn't get back on a horse soon, I wouldn't get back on at all. So, two days after being strapped down in hospital on a spinal board, against the doctors orders and against my mum's wishes, I decided to compete at a show I'd qualified for (we won our class but that's not the point!)
People have different ways of dealing with confidence issues, for some people getting back on as soon as possible is the best way of dealing with a confidence knock, and for others taking some time off is more effective.
For years I had issues with indoor arenas, and it was only when I moved to a yard where my trainer didn't want to teach in the pouring rain outdoors that I HAD to go indoors again. The more I did it, the less of an issue it was.
Last month I had two serious accidents in the space of a week.
(Bentley vertically reared and I smashed my back on the arena fence and a week after Aragorn got a pole stuck between his legs whilst jumping and landed on me) - If you knew Bentley you'd know that, more likely than not he'd have at least 2 bucks and a rear whilst warming him up and I'd usually ignore it and carry on. The same with jumping, if I fell off, i'd get back on and do it again. But it did knock my confidence. I started to panic when I got to the part of arena Bentley reared up in, and if Aragorn knocked a pole i'd just say "that's enough jumping today" - There's no shame or embarrassment in admitting when something's knocked your confidence, don't ever feel like a problem isn't big enough to be a problem.
If your confidence has taken a real knock, don't feel like you have to rush yourself to overcome the said problem to prove to yourself and others that "I can do it" - It doesn't matter how slow you take it, because confidence is shattered in seconds but takes weeks, months even years to build.
Don't feel under any sort of pressure to get back on or do something you don't feel confident enough or ready to do, because not only will your horse sense your uncertainty, you will also not fully enjoy your achievements!
Don't look at riding as a constant competition between others, it doesn't matter how big someone else is jumping or how fantastic someone else's medium trot is, set your own, achievable goals and feel proud of them!
It's only recently I've had 3 life-threatening, serious falls which have knocked me physically and emotionally.
It doesn't take a serious, life threatening fall/accident to affect your confidence.
It could be anything from your horse spooking, refusing, bolting, bucking, rearing...
I was competing my horse (who is now retired) at a competition, at the penultimate fence, he was unable to get his feet under him and I ended up in the public viewing gallery with him on top of me. After hours of scans and tests I was allowed back home on the agreement that for a week I wouldn't do anything stimulating as I'd knocked my head - badly. No reading, no writing, no TV no nothing.
In my heart I knew if I didn't get back on a horse soon, I wouldn't get back on at all. So, two days after being strapped down in hospital on a spinal board, against the doctors orders and against my mum's wishes, I decided to compete at a show I'd qualified for (we won our class but that's not the point!)
People have different ways of dealing with confidence issues, for some people getting back on as soon as possible is the best way of dealing with a confidence knock, and for others taking some time off is more effective.
For years I had issues with indoor arenas, and it was only when I moved to a yard where my trainer didn't want to teach in the pouring rain outdoors that I HAD to go indoors again. The more I did it, the less of an issue it was.
Last month I had two serious accidents in the space of a week.
(Bentley vertically reared and I smashed my back on the arena fence and a week after Aragorn got a pole stuck between his legs whilst jumping and landed on me) - If you knew Bentley you'd know that, more likely than not he'd have at least 2 bucks and a rear whilst warming him up and I'd usually ignore it and carry on. The same with jumping, if I fell off, i'd get back on and do it again. But it did knock my confidence. I started to panic when I got to the part of arena Bentley reared up in, and if Aragorn knocked a pole i'd just say "that's enough jumping today" - There's no shame or embarrassment in admitting when something's knocked your confidence, don't ever feel like a problem isn't big enough to be a problem.
If your confidence has taken a real knock, don't feel like you have to rush yourself to overcome the said problem to prove to yourself and others that "I can do it" - It doesn't matter how slow you take it, because confidence is shattered in seconds but takes weeks, months even years to build.
Don't feel under any sort of pressure to get back on or do something you don't feel confident enough or ready to do, because not only will your horse sense your uncertainty, you will also not fully enjoy your achievements!
Don't look at riding as a constant competition between others, it doesn't matter how big someone else is jumping or how fantastic someone else's medium trot is, set your own, achievable goals and feel proud of them!
- Find a trainer you trust - one that gives you confidence and doesn't try to rush you or your horse
- Take your time! You have all the time in the world
- Go back to basics - Go back to doing what makes you and your horse confidence, regain your trust in each other before tackling problems and progressing
- Breathe - We are all guilty of not breathing when something causes us to worry!
- Set your own achievable goals - Sometimes having things to aim for gives us focus, meaning we worry less!
- Enjoy yourself - There is nothing wrong with taking a step back and thinking "this is scaring me and I'm not enjoying myself anymore"
Have fun and stay safe!
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