With Estrid being off I have had quite a lot of ‘spare’ time that would ordinarily be filled with training Estrid. I have filled this time with tidying, cleaning and now decluttering all my horsey gear. I had got to a point in my ‘normal’ and horsey life that I felt like I had too much stuff. I knew where everything was but it was hard to get to, I could find the right box but then the box was rammed so full I’d have to unpack it all to find the thing I was looking for.

So I embarked on a decluttering mission and essentially a stocktake of my belongings. I am a sucker for holding onto stuff ‘just in case’ or ‘maybe the next horse will need that’. I had synthetic stirrup leathers from 23 years ago……and for approximately 5 seconds contemplated keeping them or selling them as I didn’t want them to go to waste, before my sensible brain said ‘these will probably snap the moment you put weight on them, throw them away’.

So I tried to ask myself:

1. Do you use it regularly? (If I answered yes and it was in storage, I had to have words with myself that actually if I did use it regularly it wouldn’t be in storage!)
2. Does it do a task that can’t be done otherwise? (Useful for stuff that’s not in regular use but I do need, like clippers)
3. Is it safe to use? (Goodbye 23 year old stirrup leathers)
4. Is it irreplaceable? (I’ve been hanging onto red water bottle holders, as you couldn’t get hold of new ones. But I prefer navy, white or black, so the likelihood of me using them is slim. Now they are replaceable if my current ones break so I don’t need to hold onto the red ones)

It wasn’t a groundbreaking declutter as I had 19 items to sell and threw away 8 items. But it made me feel accomplished and filled a few hours. Thankfully it looks like Estrid is ready to be ridden again so I won’t have to subject you all to the various dull ways I’ve kept myself entertained anymore.

Well, the number one thing I’ve learnt is that you WILL get it wrong and there will be EVIDENCE. Filming snippets of my life with horses means I have watched back hundreds of hours of footage of my interactions with them and that in itself is a great learning tool. I have noticed things that I do that I’d like to change and things that I didn’t realise I did that are actually quite good. People notice both, and my online community predominantly comment on the good but it’s the minority that point out what you get wrong that stick in your brain. Putting a part of my life out in the public domain has really taught me how to cope with feedback, to give as much time in my brain to the good as the bad and not take anything too personally. After all failure is the key to progression.

I have learnt to remind myself daily that social media is only part of the story, it’s never the whole truth. We put out a 20-ish minute vlog a week, as a percentage of my life that is tiny. I try to let people see the ‘reality’ by not editing out the dodgy filming, the downs or the boring, but ultimately no one would watch a video of me poo-picking 30minutes a day and not getting to ride because I left work late and I have too much life-admin-adulting to do.

It’s harder than you think. We spend approximately 3-5 hours a week just to get one 20minute vlog up on YouTube. We get paid from adverts on YouTube around £8-10 per video so that’s at best £3.33 an hour. I don’t do it for the money, obviously….I do it because I love documenting my life with horses for me to look back on in the future and because I want to promote Endurance.

Some of the videos I’ve loved have been total ‘flops’ and some I personally consider incredibly boring do great, so you never know what will do well and something that is so ingrained in you that you don’t even notice it can be a revolutionary tip to someone else. I try not to do things just to film them so sometimes the video is a bit boring because that’s genuinely what I’m doing, but for me it makes it more real and sometimes it’s those videos that bring about the best interactions with our online community.

Weirdly I feel more self-assured. I care less about what people think about me, 8,000 people watch our videos a month but ultimately it doesn’t matter if they don’t like my hair or they think I should do something differently. This is me, being an imperfect human, trying my best, failing some of the time, getting it right some of the time and just taking other people along on the journey. I don’t know if this would have happened anyway with age but I feel like putting myself out there in video format has definitely thickened my skin.

Lastly, reflection should be more widely used in all aspects of our life. Watching videos back in the editing process enforces some reflection but I have also learnt that actively reflecting, considering and adjusting my thought processes has improved my life in all areas. I feel less awkward about getting things wrong as they offer me an opportunity to improve and check in with myself on a regular basis, which makes sure my goals and current actions are in alignment.

Anyway enough of my reflection, here’s a video of me taking my favourite pony for spin!

Perhaps even more satisfying than a spring clean? I love the end of a competitive season and heading into Autumn, I know an unpopular opinion! But stay with me on this. Spring is full of hope, ambition, planning and preparing for the year ahead, which is lovely but I find it quite stressful, not in a bad way but because I want my goals so much and pour so much time and effort into them it’s tense as you never know whether it will pan out how you wanted. You can do the best prep in the world, have the fittest horse, strongest rider and perfect race conditions but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. That’s just life and definitely just horses.

Whereas Autumn is more reflective for me. I’m looking forward to what could be knowing there’s plenty of time for preparation over winter. But mainly a spring clean usually entails scraping mud off everything, washing hundreds of layers and trying to get everything dry, yet an autumn clean is much more organising, putting away and pottering around. This is purely in my head. I could change my mindset and switch it all up but I like the buzz and tension of a new competitive season and I also like the relaxed reflection at the end.

Anyway with the Swallows gone for another year it was time to give everything a clean, they poo an astonishing amount and get it over absolutely everything possible for such little birds!

Now I am fully aware that current research says that nothing beats continuous pouring of cold water for optimum cooling, but there are times when pouring water is either not practical or not an option. Equidaw of London reached out to me to product test their luxury cooling rug, no strings attached, just try it out. They also just won the new product award for Horsewear, Horsecare and Equipment at BETA.

I have seen a fair few cooling rugs hit the market over the years, one of which required a special liquid you had to buy and soak it in. So when this was just a straightforward dip in water I was pleased as it’s just not practical to have to use anything else.

The rug definitely is luxury in terms of the hardware, fabric choice and manufacturing. It is also luxury on price point, however, as a small British brand, the pricing is fair for the research and development and the work involved in making it.

I can definitely see how it would be useful for times when you can’t pour water. Such as travelling in the heat, after you’ve finished washing down but want to continue cooling, when stood for the farrier, dentist, vet etc in hot conditions (it doesn’t drip so at least your farrier won’t get wet too!). This is also a great feature for Estrid who hates the sensation of dripping water, so if we use a rug after washing her down and cooling her off with water we might be able to reduce her heart rate and keep her cool by using the rug as she won’t be annoyed by the running water.

As an Endurance rider I see me using this in vet gate holds or at the end of a ride. In holds where I want my horse to relax, eat and drink but stay cool it’s a great tool and at the end once you’ve finished crewing and want to walk your horse around but keep them cool, some people have crews that would follow pouring water over the horse for this but a lot of people don’t so this would be a good solution.

In the UK we may not have many opportunities to need a lot of cooling but when we do it’s usually dramatically different to what our horses are used to so they really feel the heat. I’m interested to see how much I reach for this rug next year and how it’s going to fit into my Endurance rider toolbox, especially as they intend to do further research into its effects vs water and how it can be best used for horse welfare.

I’m in no way complaining, I love going on adventures, being busy and staying away but sometimes it’s nice to have a weekend at home. My Friday evening started off with a demonstration from Ben Atkison, which gave me a few more ideas for my groundwork progression with Etrsid.

Followed by a Saturday taking Tissy for a hack and getting jobs done around the yard. Topped off with a Sunday bike ride, focusing on my cornering and line choice, as I’m still quite nervous of left hand berms, as this is where I crash the most often. Then I gave Estrid her twice a week medicated bath for her skin with my new gadget that has been a game changer for bath time!

Endurance GB is run by all volunteers, there’s no financial reward to ride organisers or the army of helpers needed to run a ride. So our whole sport relies an the passion, kindness and spare time of those willing to give up a day, week or months to allow us to do what we love.

With Estrid out of action due to her skin ( I keep telling myself at least she’s sound 😛 ) I thought I’d volunteer at the ride I was going to attend instead. Every time I’ve ever helped at a ride I’ve had a great time. I’ve been a gate steward, Vet gate timekeeper, vet sheet runner and now vet writer and every time I have learnt something, had great conversations and met lots of new and known faces.

If you’re new to the sport it’s a fantastic way of picking up tips and tricks, learning the rules and getting to know everyone. If you’re an endurance veteran it’s a lovely way to see everyone having a great time and give back to our sport.

My top tips as a volunteer would be take plenty of water and snacks, pack for all weathers, if you don’t know something don’t worry, just ask. Take a chair or stool for the times where you get a minute to sit down and take every opportunity for a toilet break or to get some fluid down you. It’s so easy to get caught up in the role and forget about yourself so make sure you and those around you are looked after so that you can all do your best looking after the riders and horses competing.

Collingham horse adventure park is basically an obstacle course/agility/spooky training area. I signed onto a clinic here with ROSCO Horsemanship. The morning was meant to be groundwork and the afternoon ridden. With Estrid’s back still recovering I decided that I’d still go to the clinic but continue on the ground into the afternoon, not a bad thing as we don’t really struggle with ridden obstacles but she does struggle to keep her cool on the ground.

It’s a testament to Ross that in a group of horses I came away having done something entirely different to the rest and not really quite the description of the clinic either. We did exactly what we needed to do and that was practice doing nothing.

Estrid has been getting much better with her anxiety at venues, but keeping an eye on that many horses and what they’re up to is quite stressful for her. It was made so clear in the clinic, we had 7 horses, who she’d never met and if one went out of sight she’d start whinnying and spinning, no wonder an endurance venue stresses her out.

She did all the obstacles, if not sometimes a little rushed and stressed as she was so focused on what everyone else was doing. The obstacles and her bravery aren’t our problem, but her focus definitely is. So Ross had us working on our connection and her focus, whilst everyone else carried on with the obstacles around us. At times it looked like we were just standing there doing absolutely nothing, but we went from her screaming and spinning when just one horse in the group went off to do something else to standing still quietly when everyone left her behind. Now she was still tense about it and her focus wasn’t entirely on me but it was miles better than she was at the start of the day and I’m so excited to continue that work with her.

Isn’t it always the way when you agonise over your next steps and decisions with horses that they do something to send you off to Plan G in a matter of days or even hours! But we’re all used to it, it doesn’t come as a surprise to go down to the field to lost shoes, torn rugs, random injuries or a fly mask on back to front (how they manage that one always baffles me).

Estrid managed to get what we assume was a bite right under the saddle area. Which settled down well and she had no soreness, but after her last ride, a few days later it flared up and turned into a decent area of swelling that was hot and tender. The conclusion was that it was infected and we needed to use an antimicrobial wash daily to settle it down. Luckily that has improved it and we don’t need to go down any more intense treatments yet but she is still very sensitive, warm and tender over the area. Which of course means I haven’t been riding her, which in turn means I don’t feel like we’ll have good enough preparation to go to our two day 80km ride.

I’m not worried about her fitness, it’s more the routine of getting out in the trailer, keeping her consistent and being happy with our prep that is disrupted. So Plan B is hopefully to still go to the event, practice a stay over in a corral but only ride one day.

With Estrid out of action, I decided to take Tissy for a little adventure. She’s still being ridden once a week and is as keen as ever. But she has started the wear her hind feet very differently to what’s normal for her, and excessively even over a short distance. Now we could fix the hoof wear with shoes but she’s doing it for a reason and I don’t want to mask that and the farrier agreed. She’s sound and the Physio & vet are happy with her overall, but I don’t want to ride her too much anymore, I still want to keep as much muscle on her and keep her as fit as possible, so now when we do ride I like to take her out to more scenic fun places rather than just a hack around the block on roads. It’s actually really nice to be doing these more mindful, not for fitness but just for the experience rides.

I have never seen such a commitment to making a venue work. The rain running up to the Barbrook ride made the original venue too boggy to park on so they sorted another field with a track and yard, as we were driving in they were putting down hard standing to make it easier for the lorries and trailers to get in, having to individually sort through the arriving riders to make sure the non 4×4 went in the easiest parking spots. It was a mission and it was much appreciated as the ride was well worth it.

The route was wonderful, despite the rain the going was perfect bar one very short muddy section. It was an amazing mix of open moor with bouncy grass or track to canter along and technical rocky climbs through the woods. We did 30km at 11.7kph and I would have loved to stay out on course for longer.

Estrid has upped her average trot speed from 9.7kph back in January to 14kph now, it’s great to objectively see that progress. She’s starting to choose to canter more as well, though I haven’t done any proper canter training yet, I just let her canter when she wants to.

We did have a couple of dramatic moments. She spooked sideways and half fell in a ditch scrabbling around to right herself, she managed not to fall over and then carried on like nothing had happened though she did have a little heat in her knee at the end of the day and had cut the inside of her leg she was perfectly sound, phew! She also took against a couple of chestnuts, she has never been aggressive, she’s not dominant in her herd and she’s used to horses being too close behind her. But for some reason she pinned her ears back snaked her head towards them and sent a very meaningful single leg kick in their direction, not once but on three occasions. I apologised and said she’s never kicked before, though I always think someone should never be in kicking range anyway…and I’ll definitely be putting red in her tail in the future just in case.

The views were stunning, the weather was perfect and the going was great. Estrid and Fluffy still aren’t the best together and I find it slightly frustrating riding with someone else with Estrid as she’s so much better if she’s gone to a ride by herself but we still had a great day and the end of ride sausage bap and cake stand was a definite bonus.

Thank you to everyone who made the ride happen I can’t wait to be back!

I am ashamed to say I have let our groundwork go a little awry, especially in the standing still to mount department. So I have re-introduced one session of groundwork into our weekly schedule. I do so much groundwork in winter but when it’s light the draw to go for a nice ride often supersedes a session in the school. I like to do something a bit different every time but the foundation of the session is much the same.

I love using poles, just because it gives me some sort of target and objective measure. I find it much easier to do the drills with some form of direction and guidance from poles. I usually do a 5min warm up in hand walking back and forward over some raised poles. Then a bit of weaving along a line, then halt and stands and backing up in a box or between two poles. I usually set up two at 90 degrees so I have a corner to practice turning on the forehand or moving the shoulders and then I’ll have some sort of obstacle or training objective, like standing on tarpaulin, walking around with an umbrella, mounting practice etc.

I am by no means very knowledgeable in the groundwork department and I am just doing the best I can with the information and skills I have. But it’s certainly something I’d like to progress. I feel that any horse but especially Estrid, who’s so nervous in new places, will really benefit from it and my hope is that it will make vet gates much easier next year.