Posts
When I first started eventing, the one-day format seemed like the obvious choice. Dressage, show jumping, and cross-country all happened in a single day, which…
Eventing boots spend show days exposed to mud, sand, water, sweat, grass, and plenty of vigorous movement. Cross-country boots can come home looking as though…
The few minutes before a cross-country round can feel strangely quiet. The warm-up is finished, the number bib is pinned in place, and Archie and I are waiting…
Arriving at a competition without your horse’s passport is the kind of mistake that can turn a calm show morning into a rush of phone calls, paperwork, and…
An FEI event had always seemed like something viewed from the edge of the warm-up arena: smart lorries arriving before sunrise, riders studying schedules, and…
The first time I rode a dressage test in a double bridle, I felt as though I had arrived at the yard carrying a much more complicated version of myself. Archie…
Archie and I had been getting along well through our flatwork and show jumping sessions, but one particular cross-country question kept exposing a hole in our…
Show jumping can look straightforward from the grandstand. The fences are brightly painted, the arena is enclosed, and the course map usually offers a neat…
A number bib seems like one of the smallest details of an eventing day, yet it can create surprising stress. If it sits crookedly, catches on a jacket, or…
Hill work has become one of the most useful parts of my eventing training with Archie. It is simple, inexpensive, and easy to adapt to the stage of the season.…