Sondra Rutter Equestrian

10/11/2024

LeMieux Team Quest National Championships 2024- Team Rutter’s Strutters in 6th place 🙌🙌🙌

10/11/2024

LeMieux Quest National Championships 2024!

What a few days team Rutter’s Strutters have had at Arena UK, competing at the LeMieux Quest National Championships😁
Friday kicked off the competition for us, with Rebecca and Ed 🐴, Carolyn and River 🐴, Maya and Freya 🐴, representing the team in the Open Team Quest. With only three combinations, every pair needed to post a good score, and we finished day one in 8th place.
Rebecca and Carolyn also competed on Friday in the LeMieux MyQuest National Preliminary Championship, with Rebecca placing 5th posting a score of 67.885%, and Carolyn a close 6th scoring 67.821%. There were 692 combinations in the MyQuest Prelim league, all competing for the right to qualify for the semifinals, with only 29 going through from the semifinals to the Nationals. What an achievement for those two and their gorgeous equines!
Saturday was day two of the LeMieux Team Quest competition, and Rutter’s Strutters again had a good day with every combination focused and producing some great scores- especially Carolyn with a whopping 71.026%!!
Rebecca was Mrs Consistent with another score in the high 67%, and Maya rode another solid test and placed just outside (by 0.2%!) the top 10 in a strong Open Novice class.
At the end of the competition, Team Rutter’s Strutters finished a FABULOUS 6th place! To put this in to context, there were 208 teams in the Quest league, with only 20 making it through the semifinals to the Nationals.
I feel honoured to have coached this team on their journey to the Quest Nationals, and I am immeasurably proud of how far each combination has come over the season. The whole team- Amy & Dora, Charlotte & Duchess, Maya & Freya, Rebecca & Ed, and Carolyn & River- should be so proud of this result, as they all contributed throughout the year.

05/11/2024

Yesterday Sushi and I did our first Advanced Medium freestyle together. The test felt scrappy and unpolished, but we must have hidden it well as we came away with 69.83% and second place. Sushi likes to know his test well before competing, and as I was concentrating on the test for the Associated Championships, I only went through the freestyle twice. Obviously not enough for Mr. Handsome! Our music is epic, done by the brilliant Tom Hunt. Hopefully we do it justice next time out!

30/10/2024

27/10/2024

Very  poignant

This image captures the essence of the relationship between a coach and an athlete. It shows how coaches invest pieces of themselves—knowledge, experience, passion—into their athletes, helping them grow, excel, and reach their full potential.

Behind every great athlete is a coach who believed, guided, and gave more than just instructions. They pour time, energy, and heart into molding not only the athlete’s skills but also their character, resilience, and mindset. Coaches are mentors, motivators, and sometimes even life-changers. They give so much of themselves to see others succeed.

To all the coaches out there—thank you for your selflessness, dedication, and unwavering support. You shape not just athletes but also leaders and strong individuals for the future. 🙏

26/10/2024

Swapping dressage arenas for open fields for Sushi today 🥰. It’s so important for horse’s bodies and brains to have a break from schooling ❤️

24/10/2024

Words cannot describe how incredibly proud I am of this gorgeous gelding. Today Sirocco and I came home from the Cavago Associated Championships as Advanced Medium Gold Vetran (15-19year old) Horse Champions, and overall Reserve Champions. This was our aim for the year, and to have achieved it feels amazing. He is such a fabulous dancing partner and I truly adore him.
Thank you Judy Harvey for your training over the last year, and top helper Liz for coming with me. A HUGE thank you to his wonderful owners, Helen and Mike. Your support has been amazing.
What a day!

24/10/2024

We did it!!!!

22/10/2024

Due to a couple horses being out of work, I now have two to three regular slots available for coaching. Opportunities include competition coaching, Testt rider symmetry work, clinics, and for grass routes riders, the chance to compete in a coached BD Quest Team. Please contact me directly for availability on messenger or 07891 465212.

17/10/2024

Lovely to be working with this fab pair!

17/10/2024

Congratulations to client Zoe and her lovely Pablo for their event at Tweseldown last week. They achieved a 7 for their free walk (previously they’ve received 4/5’s as an over excited Pablo tends to jog). This combination had a long winter of rehab, and it’s wonderful to see them out doing what they love 😊👏😊

13/10/2024

Holidays are wonderful, but I do miss my dancing partners 🐴🥰. Back with a bang, with seven hours in the saddle, coaching eight lessons, and fifteen hours working at the vets.. all in five days!

24/09/2024

Out of office! I am taking a break for a couple weeks, so I will not be replying to any messages until week commencing October 7. I will get back to everyone as soon as possible😁

22/09/2024

wow, Wow, WOW! Team Quest Semi -Final today, and Rutter’s Strutters WON 🏆!! We are off to the Quest National Championships in November!!!
I can not express how proud I am of this fabulous team. For most of the riders, this year has been their first time competing affiliated dressage; for one of them their first time entering a dressage arena.
Every combination on the team won today, whether they were competing or part of the team in the qualifying rounds; we would not have gotten on the top step of the podium without them all.
Every rider and their beautiful horse produced solid tests, and they 💯 deserved this win.
Well done Team Rutter’s Strutters!!!

21/09/2024

Quest Semifinals day 1!
A huge congratulations to Rutter’s Strutters riders Carolyn and Rebecca, who competed in the MyQuest semifinals today at Codham Park. Both qualified for the individual Open Preliminary MyQuest with the gorgeous horses Newmills Deep River and Garvin Ed.
I’m very proud of both combinations, who each produced solid tests in their first championship competition together. They were both in the top 10, with Rebecca and Ed finishing 8th with a +67% score, and Carolyn and River 2nd with a score over 70%, and qualifying for the MyQuest National Championships!
Good luck to the Rutter’s Strutters in their team competition tomorrow!