Posts

A two-day event begins long before the first horse enters the dressage arena. For me, the real competition starts when Archie steps off the lorry and I begin…

Gate questions on a cross-country course can look simple from the ground. Ride up, stop, open the gate, pass through, close it, and continue. In the saddle,…

There is a particular kind of nerves that arrives when I know I will be riding without my usual support crew. At a team event, there is often someone to…

After a long journey, a horse can step off the lorry looking perfectly normal while carrying plenty of stiffness. Hours of standing, balancing around bends,…

A dressage arena can look simple from the outside: four rails, a level surface, and a set of letters marking the movements. From the saddle, however, each…

I thought I knew what I was walking into when Archie and I arrived for the dressage phase of our eventing competition. The test was familiar enough to feel…

Braiding Archie before an event used to feel like a race against the clock. I would arrive with a tidy plan, a full grooming kit, and a horse who had other…

Competition mornings begin long before I point Archie toward the start box. Even when the venue is familiar, the combination of early alarms, loaded trailers,…

I did not start using a neck strap because I wanted another piece of equipment to think about. Archie and I already had enough to manage when preparing for a…

A drop fence asks a horse to change balance, stride, and height within a very short space. When the going is deep, that task becomes more demanding because…