I have never been described as quiet and I am sure my mother will tell you that I am never short of something to say; I started talking quite late so maybe I am making up for lost time. However, whilst competing is not the time to be chatty. It is a time to focus […]
Role reversal – Mother takes centre stage
There is an American proverb which says “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.” Well, today I walked in my Mother’s shoes (not literally as she has tiny feet!) and was groom for the day as she competed the wonderful American Pie. And I must say it was certainly enlightening. […]
Walk the line – you can’t afford one negative thought.
At every show, as the class draws near, we get the call: “Competitors can now walk the course.” For some this is like turning a computer on, making a morning brew, tidying a desk – just a task to do before the work commences but for others it is a gut wrenching call that symbolises […]
Badminton – Pol, pickles, pants and just a few ponies.
I will admit I am not normally a fan of eventing – I like my fences to fall down, when I make a mistake I like to hear faults being called out rather than my airbag back protector going off and an ambulance siren and when I canter through some beautiful woodland I just don’t […]
The plight of the Amateur show rider
Squeezing in a quick schooling session before a 9am meeting, trudging into a field wearing a suit with wellies, discussing financial profitability on the phone while applying a poultice – can an amateur ever truly compete against a professional? An amateur, by its dictionary definition, is someone who competes for the love of something rather […]
Welcome to How Very Horsey
Why did I start a blog?
4 years ago I went for a ride around the block on a 6 year old Irish hunter. There was nothing special about the ride at all except it changed everything. One minute I was walking down a track, chatting to a friend about her new event horse and then next minute I was on […]