I knew eating chicken for supper the night the Equine Blog Awards were announced was a good decision! I think I am still in a state of shock from seeing the tweet which said “Rising Star 2017 is How Very Horsey”. It genuinely means so much to me. I don’t have as big a following as some of the other finalists but so many people voted and cheered me on, it was really special. Plus the award means that the judges, who are respected professionals, liked my writing which is really special.

I am a big advocate for doing your best and letting that just be enough but at the same time, a little bit of recognition/validation is rather nice! Thank you to Mirror Me PR, Haynet and everyone that voted. 

A blog is such a personal thing and also quite lonely and there isn’t always a lot of feedback so these awards are a great focus.

And apart from the smile on my face and spring in my step from winning, there was an unexpected result of getting to know some of the other finalists and discoving some new blogs too. It was lovely to meet Wimpy Eventer at HOYS and now from reading her book, How to get your leg over, I feel like we should definitely be friends! I also highly recommend getting the book.

I also discovered The Equestrian Stop. Started by Aracelia, a Mexican dressage rider based in the South of France, she is not someone I would likely meet but I am really enjoying her blog! Her site has some great pieces, not only about dressage, but about shopping, book reviews, outfit ideas, really great variety. And I am really enjoying experiencing her very different equestrian life. Also, I’m not going to lie, I love the layout and style of her blog, it has made me want to give my site a little facelift.

That is the great thing about equestrian blogs – you get to be involved with such different people’s equestrian lives and it opens you up to new ideas. Plus you meet some unexpected kindred spirits along the way!

I would definitely recommend you explore some of the other finalists. And if you haven’t already, please subscribe below and also go and explore my YouTube channel, there are a few videos on their and lots to come!