Animado Equine

28/12/2025

I'm hoping this is not behind a paywall.
I had completely forgotten about this from years ago.

“Because he’s very animated, his legs can go everywhere and he’s a bit cheeky at times but he’s got a heart of gold and is lots of fun to ride” Sophia Anderson tells us about the eventing Andalusian stallion Animado Azul

20/12/2025

Someone is a very good sport!

13/12/2025

Why compete?
Recently I’ve had a couple of people comment that they don’t compete. That they just like to train.
Now, of course that is a perfectly acceptable choice. Why would I even question it?
Well, aside from the suspicion I have that there was an element of bragging in their tone, (possibly just my nasty judgy self coming out), it Is a shame that they are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to improve both themselves and their training. That’s why.
Since even before Blue reached double decades, I’ve been very aware that my riding time, and training opportunities, with him are very limited. I’m always saying that with Blue, every day I get to ride him is a bonus. 💕
So I’ve been pushing myself to go beyond my competition comfort zone for a while now. I had plugged along in the lower levels of dressage for ages, hoping that Blue would one day miraculously lose the ‘tension’ that so many judges saw, and marked down, in our tests. 🤷‍♀️
But when I realised that Blue could do the movements required in higher levels, just not do them very well, I decided to put my ego aside and just have a go. 😳 So I decided to step out of the little pond, as I saw it, into the big pond of Advanced Dressage.
So, now I’ve competed at advanced EA at three comps and have not been last in every class, just most of them, 🤦‍♀️ and what have I learnt?
That my ego is a major hindrance to competing at my best! I was SOOOO nervous! I got lost in numerous tests EVEN THOUGH THE TEST WAS BEING CALLED!
FFS 🤦‍♀️
All because of nerves. And what are ‘competition nerves’ about? What other people are going to think of me!
Seriously Margaret? 🙄
Why do I let that happen? Their thoughts are not my business, nor my problem. 🤷‍♀️
So, what have I learnt from competing?
That the higher levels really are more about my riding skills and what’s happening in my head, than what Blue is doing. And I actually really appreciate that understanding. 💡I can work harder on myself, knowing how much that is going to help me to help Blue.
And I’ve learnt that other people, the ones that matter, are wonderful at helping me feel better about myself as that tiny little fish in a great big pond.

13/12/2025

How interesting. Hopefully there will be more studies to follow to verify these findings and, perhaps, investigate other easily identified indicators of stress that we can use to help our horses through stressful situations.

01/12/2025

If you always do what you always did,
You always get what you always got.

01/11/2025

I did a thing. 😳
Warning - Long rambling self indulgent post 😊
I’ve been setting riding goals for a long time now and slowly making my way through them, with the help of some wonderful coaches. 💕
But this was special. So special that I was wracked by nerves and couldn’t remember a test and got lost, even with a caller!

Yesterday I rode Advanced tests on Blue. 🎉🎉🎉

For context, I chose to ride in jodphurs for many years past the point where ten year olds were riding in breeches at pony club, 😳 because I was stubbornly bent on refusing to buy white breeches until I rode my first Medium test! (That was the previous riding goal 😁)
It’s taken so many years to reach the point where I felt ready to ride an Advanced test in public, that I wasn’t prepared to wait any longer - Blue has turned 20 after all 😝 - but I still felt so unprepared!

But that still doesn’t explain my anxiety and fear these past few days. 🙄
After talking to Sophie Anderson, I realised I was nervous because I was worried I would make a fool of myself, and, perhaps, shame my instructors. 🤷‍♀️
When I realised it was all about my own ego, I managed to calm down a little bit. 😝
And all the worry was all a waste of energy anyway. We did ok!
😁😅🎉
Blue was amazing; forward, obedient, and so relaxed!
I’m so grateful to have him.
As my strapper, gofer, therapist and all round moral support, (Sophie) pointed out, he is second generation homebred and I’ve trained him myself, (which is why it took me 16yrs to get to this point!) and that is something I should be proud of.
Before néeding to teach them to Blue, I had never ridden a medium trot, canter pirouette, piaffe, and the incredibly fun passage. 💕
So while it’s my fault he consistently has late changes, I can take credit that we nailed the 3 and 4 time changes yesterday 🎉
So, if you have a riding goal in your life, go for it. 🎉
Find someone as amazing as my daughter to help you through the really difficult days, and just go for it!
You’ll be so glad you did! 💕
Thank you Sophie 🤗😘🥰

20/09/2025

And this is why I get up at 5:30 to go to Boot Camp!
So important and so worth it. 🎠

In a lesson with Richard Weis when I was 13 years old, Richard told me “I had to use my body like a spring and bounce myself around the arena.” He talked about my posture and how the energy must flow from the ground through and out the top of my head. I must make myself a good load for the horse...

17/09/2025

Spring has sprung!

10/09/2025

Cooperative care. It’s a thing. 🤓
Giving your horse needles need not be traumatic for either horse nor handler.

08/09/2025

Congratulations to Ros Canter Eventing on her amazing win with her wonderful horse, Walter (Lordships Graffalo) at Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2025.
This video is from last year's win. I found it interesting to contrast 2024 and 2025. The growth in confidence in Walter in one year is a credit to Roz and her team. Wonderful to see.

Watch Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, CCI5* winners at Defender Burghley Horse Trials 2024.After a day of exhilarating cross country action on Saturday at...

07/09/2025

Next time you get an OTT horse, maybe you should check who trained it and how it responds to the noise of a poly pipe - before you get on!

Weir won the 2015 Melbourne Cup with 100/1 outsider Prince of Penzance after starting his racing career as a strapper.

06/09/2025

Very impressive 👏🏻