The Equestrienne

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The Equestrienne

The Equestrienne Taking a holistic approach to aligning horse and rider in body and mind.

29/03/2025

My walking weather station has confirmed it has rained overnight with good moisture in the topsoil. 🤪🐖

We’ve had just under 10mls in the gauge overnight so here’s hoping there’s a bit more in this system this afternoon. The pastures and my poor transplanted agapanthus could definitely do with a decent drink.

28/03/2025

What started as a different way to cool Friday off has turned into a smile inducing giggle fest, apart from today after my poor weak glutes got a good tune up in pilates this morning. Weeks of walking and slow trots are beginning to open up into bigger trots and a tinker with some lateral work.

Ba****ck keeps me honest, my balance has taken a hit with the issue to my back so I can’t ask for much and Friday gets an easier ride without me constantly picking on her demanding perfection. The fact my seat and balance is improving makes it a win, win, win.

I so love this pony. Its these moments on our journey I will treasure forever. 🥰

27/03/2025

Kat’s not so sure about saddling and I’d like her to be more ok with it before I really start thinking about riding her.

Being a competitive rider with a lot going on elsewhere I am really conscious that often me showing up means I am asking something of them. I don’t want Kat to add to her concern by thinking every time something goes around her it means more work.

To help out, I’ve started using the Equissage on her. She was a bit concerned about it to begin with but starting slow she soon got the feel of it. After another big week, I’m sure it was a welcome relief. 💆🏻‍♀️💆🏻‍♀️

24/03/2025

2 out of 3 are related, can you tell which 2? 😆🫣😆

I’ve been really grateful to have North Yarra Agistment just around the corner and all the bays have been enjoying big paddocks and lots of feed. Michelle and Sophia have looked after them beautifully over summer to give our place a spell and the horses some well earned paddock time.

While Eowyn is already home ahead of YDA’s dressage in the bush, Olympia will come home to continue life under saddle after the Easter Show is over and events slow down a little. She’s a super sweet girl, the first to have been with me for her whole life so I am looking forward to sharing the journey as we continue on.

Photo: Michelle Coombes

23/03/2025

When the name Kim Daley came up multiple times in unconnected situations, I took it as a sign, I am so grateful I did and we went.

The weekend turned out to be such an awesome weekend, the whole vibe of the clinic was next level and things I’ve been circling around for a long time finally came together and clicked.

Kat is proving she is an absolute rock star, as we are building towards my first rides with an amazing connection and a solid foundation of relaxation. We were both able to let go of so much and play with only intentions. Such a cool experience to think something and watch it happen in front of me.

As always I take my hat off to Meagan Harrison who not only takes much time to organise these clinics but as a coach, mentor and friend of many there also steps into the arena as a student herself. There’s something really special when everyone shows up as they are, authentic and open to the experience and I am so thankful for these opportunities.

21/03/2025

What a gorgeous evening it has been settling in at Kookaburra Park ahead of a clinic with Kim Daley. 😍

19/03/2025

Somehow despite the horrendous start to the year Friday and I finished the HRCAV MAD Dressage Series.

It was a huge effort to get all 5 competitions in but running through the same tests multiple days in a row in a competition has been really beneficial experience.

While consistency hasn’t been there and she isn’t as strong as she has been after colic so she’s spending a lot of time back behind the vertical, its great to see and feel the beginnings of more lift and engagement, particularly in her canter.

18/03/2025

I always imagine a hose off and a fresh rug would feel about as amazing as clean sheets after a shower. The speed at which fresh rugs get defiled tells me I am wrong. 🛁🫧🧽

17/03/2025

Today was the day I reminded myself there are others apart from Friday. Its been a hot minute, Kat went out after being a total gem for the week of Equitana, went to Warwick’s January clinic before I blinked and now its March. Seems my turtle pace of starting horses remains true but in the end the turtle wins so I guess I am ahead.

In true Kat fashion, she reminded me nothing has changed except the calendar… and the pivo battery. So while thats charging and I’m looking forward to my first rides on her, I’ll post a throw back to her being amazing as a demo horse for Matt Horsehelp.

09/03/2025

Huge day today reclaiming my roundyard and replanting some of the agapanthas that haven’t made it, hopefully ahead of some rain.

In our half renovated house, like with our horses, I have found I am more focused on what hasn’t been finished rather than what has which can make for rather sour horses and humans.

Standing back was a refreshing change to see the impact we had in just a short time. Definitely time to smell a few more roses in training and in life.

08/03/2025

Its time we started again. I’m not quite sure I’m over Canberra Royal. Its been nearly a month. It was such a huge ask of both of us. The biggest show we’ve been to and I was out sick and injured most of December and January. I haven’t posted about it, mainly because I didn’t know if she’d be ok and now she is I have very few nice photos, the ones I purchased have now been caught up in tropical cyclone Alfred. Seems ironical really.

I have some answers and some thyroid medication, Friday is a picture of health and feeling good, perhaps a little too good and so its time to regroup, reassess and move forward. She’s literally rearing to go, bless her. I’ve learnt a lot. In so many ways, the hardest thing is to throw is to throw yourself in the deep end but your chance of swimming is so much better when a few good people throw you some floaties. I don’t know how I have landed here in the midst of an awesome community but every day I am thankful. There’s those here physically and those who I know are there, a message and a zoom away and I wouldn’t have gotten through without any of them.

Finding your people is hard. It can mean being strong with boundaries, saying no, walking away and being uncomfortable. But the end result, people who come through when you need them, even if they aren’t there on a daily basis, that makes it worth it. I’m beyond grateful to know no matter what we move towards no matter what is next, I know who is in the arena with me cheering me on.

27/01/2025

How special does a horse have to be to loosen off the bailing twine and clip their face to a haybag? Sadly the haybag has not survived this ordeal, may it rest in peices.

26/01/2025

Early start to load up and head home, hopefully beat the worst of the heat. 🥵🥵

26/01/2025

“Out of all the horses I’ve helped you with this one is the nicest”. A huge vote of confidence I really needed. I’ve wavered a lot with Kat, good days are often followed by days where I end up thinking who am I to buy an unstarted warmblood. Well meaning comments often get to me, poking and prodding the parts tainted with self doubt.

Kat is the fourth horse in 9 years who has come with me to clinics. Arwen, Friday, Eowyn and Kat. Maybe its because I’ve learnt more. Maybe I’ve found myself a horse with less issues. Maybe she has a better temperament or her conformation supports the job I am asking for her. Think its a combination of all of the above, none of which are purely by chance. I carry each lesson I’ve learnt forward even the mistakes. The horses I wish I hadn’t started. The horses who were too much. Those I kept going with for far too long.

When Friday and I were here, starting our horsemanship clinics her behaviour was entirely different. She bucked and reared and spun and wouldn’t stop. She was a hot mess. A few years later she is entirely different. I carry this journey with me now giving me hope and faith that I can work this out. I’ve done it before with worse, so with time, patience and my mentors I can do it all again.

25/01/2025

Exhausted after a huge day and on my way to bed but some massive achievements with today adding to our bank of training rather than withdrawing. Kat had some anxiety we were able to work through before Warwick helped me to get her more responsive.

Today showed my journey has deepened again and its become more about how they do things and how they feel when they do. As usual for now I felt a bit like I am a step behind the horse, today showing I definitely need to keep working on my fluidity in training to be quicker to adapt to whats in front of me but we are definitely seeing change.

24/01/2025

Today Kat and I made the trek down to Tominbuck Victoria for a clinic with Warwick Schiller. It was an epic journey made longer by my complete lack of preparation once again being out for most of the week in the lead up to it.

Over the years I have become used to being the furthest traveled person for most of these clinics and somewhere on the Hume highway my mind wandered to ask myself why. Why do I keep doing such long journeys, often feeling under prepared and at such a great cost of resources?

While my mind wandered again and I never really did answer myself, my musings became clear that I keep coming back because these clinics have fundamentally changed me. They have changed how I view horses. Changed my relationship with my horses and myself. So much so horsemanship clinics are almost a right of passage for all my performance horses. There’s just something in helping a horse find relaxation in movement within the pressure of being away from home, among other unknown horses while people watch your every move.

I’m somewhat nervous and apprehensive about what the days to come will bring. I put Kat out for a break after Equitana and somewhere between the heat and life happenings lost all motivation and capacity for the greener members of the herd. But we are here, just as we are and I have no doubt that what ever follows will be just what we need.

20/01/2025

Its been a tough end to 2024 and an equally tough start to 2025. Sick and heartbroken I’ve spent some time away and some time reflecting on what I’d like to invest my time and energy in and what I’d like to let go of and spend less time and resources on.

A lot of what I have done in the past has been driven by the desire to share what I have learnt, a more harmonious peaceful path. A path that can feel good to both horse and rider. I felt shaken. My confidence and motivation took a big hit and its been a hard road to find my way recently. Starting two more horses has also been looming a bit over my head and I just haven’t had the capacity.

Slowly things are beginning to change again. Light is beginning to peak between the dark clouds that have been hanging around. What you focus on you attract more of, so for now I am chasing the light. The little peaks of joy and glimmerings that are present in my day. The little rush of endorphins after pilates. The pure look of delight on Dobby’s face as he lays purring like a chainsaw in my lap. The pride in creating an artwork, even on crappy paper that peels with crappy cheap pencils. The love for the small chestnut pony, an underdog in a world of performance horses and above all things the knowledge that if I can survive this, if I can find joy in this, I have the resilience and grit to do anything.

18/11/2024

First horses on site. Last to leave.

That’s a wrap on EQUITANA Australia 2024. Looking forward to being home and I have no doubt the girls will be too. Its been a big week and a half but overall its been another fabulous experience for us all.

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Barrs Road
Cowra, NSW
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Friday’s off and flying! 💥💥 Not to be out done by Clint and Bonnie in lessons with Heath, Friday pulled out a flying change so the first one is done and dusted. Now we’ve got something there we can shape it. I’m so thrilled with how far we’ve come. For years its been slowly ticking along, working hard at the basics and trying to not be down or deflated by comments and scores along the way. Now she’s really building some strength and getting into gymnastic exercises it becoming so fun to train and see what we can do. Every ride is an adventure into unknown territory, half pass, shoulder in, canter pirouettes. So much fun to be had. What she lacks in movement she certainly makes up for with heart. So much love for the pocket rocket red head ❤️❤️

Nothing like a pony ride after work 🦄 First ride for Olympia ✅✅ Cool as a cucumber 😎

The number one lesson I’ve learnt doing dressage on horses and ponies that aren’t naturally balanced and collected is to reward the try. We don’t teach kindergarten kids the alphabet then immediately pass around War and Peace or Pride and Prejudice, expecting them to become literary geniuses before Grade 1. Yet with our horses as soon as we teach them something new we expect them to be balanced, round, through and with correct bend. Just as it takes time to learn to read, it takes time to develop understanding of the aids, strength and balance. Give them and yourself the grace of time to develop. Proud of how far this little pocket rocket has come no matter how far we still have to go. I’ve got all the time in the world for her.

Happy holidays my wee friends. #pony #dressagepony #equestrian #holidayfun #summervibes

Gold stars to Eowyn today. 🤩🥇 She’s a been out on grass and is feeling good, as well as being known for lugging me around a bit and being either super dull or super speedy. 🫣 It was great to see her today settle in to a beautiful rhythm without dragging me about the place and finding relaxation as she went. The secret sauce was to correct the balance, doing as sharp a corner to the inside as I could get when she fell out through the outside shoulder. A couple of many lessons from last weekend’s Dressage Naturally with Karen Rohlf-Training, Clinics, Educational Material clinic, don’t be afraid to overshoot the target and alignment is in the middle- they’ll find it themselves when you allow them the choice. 🎯🎯

Sometimes progress feels so slow you need to look back to see just how far you’ve come. 🦄🥰

When you are a smart girl you bring yourself in from the storms for dinner. #horses #dressagepony #showpony #loveher #goodgirl #summer

The Equestrienne

29/03/2025

28/03/2025

27/03/2025

24/03/2025

23/03/2025

21/03/2025

19/03/2025

18/03/2025

17/03/2025

09/03/2025

08/03/2025

27/01/2025

26/01/2025

26/01/2025

25/01/2025

24/01/2025

20/01/2025

18/11/2024

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