Riverstown Farm Stables

01/01/2026

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲. 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀.

New year. New goals.
Same horse. Same mud. Same bank balance already crying.

And if you’re a horse owner, let’s be honest most of us don’t need bigger goals.
We need better ones… and possibly a lie down.

Not higher fences.
Not shinier tack.
Not a six week transformation that exists only on Instagram and fairy dust.

Real goal setting starts much closer to home.

Does my horse sigh when I put the headcollar on… or pin their ears like I’ve personally ruined their life?
Do they finish work loose and swinging or plotting my downfall?
Are they actually comfortable… or just very polite and well trained at suffering quietly?

Because welfare isn’t the “nice extra.”
It’s the whole point.

Good goals might look like:
• Fewer “he’s just being awkward” moments
• More “oh… that was my fault” realisations
• A horse that comes sounder, softer, and happier even if still allergic to standing still
• One management change that improves their day (and yours)

Progress doesn’t have to involve applause.
Sometimes it looks like slowing down.
Sometimes it looks like cancelling plans.
Sometimes it looks like saying, “Do you know what? That can wait.”

So this year, before we ask
“What do I want my horse to do?”

Maybe we ask
“What does my horse need… and can I stop rushing it?”

If this is their year, let it show in how they live, not just how they perform.

I have my goals for the both girls are work on liberty training in freedom of choice to build our partnership and maybe few in hand shows if they are confident in themselves but also to move to live on a track system all fingers crossed and maybe add to the herd 🥺

Have you goals set?

31/12/2025

Only a horse person would understand this and probably drive us all mad 🙃🫣

31/12/2025

The year of the horse 2026 ❤️

30/12/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐭

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s only really dawned on me through teaching beginners again and again.

When someone first starts riding, they are not learning position. They are learning how to stay on. How to feel safe. How to stop their body panicking when a 600kg animal moves underneath them. That’s it. Everything else comes later.

And whatever position allows them to survive those first lessons becomes their default.

They don’t choose it.
They don’t analyse it.
Their body just learns it.

That’s why I’m starting to wonder whether the type of saddle beginners learn in matters more than we’ve ever given credit for.

In a dressage saddle, beginners often end up sitting better without trying. The leg drops more naturally underneath them. The pelvis sits closer to neutral. They’re less inclined to tip forward or brace because the saddle doesn’t really let them. It quietly puts them in the right place.

In a GP saddle which I’m not knocking, because they are practical and necessary it’s much easier for a beginner to end up in a chair seat. The stirrup bar is more forward, the seat is flatter, and if you’re nervous, that tipped-back, braced position feels secure. So the body learns that instead.

Neither is about right or wrong. It’s about what becomes habit.

Anyone who teaches will know this: once a rider has learned to sit a certain way, it sticks. The gripping knee. The hollow back. The hands holding balance instead of reins. These aren’t bad riders they’re learned survival strategies. And unpicking them later can take years.

So no, I’m not saying beginners should never ride in GP saddles. And I’m certainly not saying we throw out riding school systems that work. What I am asking is whether we should be more intentional in those early months.

If posture and balance are learned before riders even understand what they’re doing, does it make sense to start them in equipment that makes good alignment easier rather than harder?

We talk a lot about welfare, and rightly so. But rider balance is part of welfare, whether we like it or not. An unbalanced rider creates uneven pressure and unclear aids. A balanced rider, even a beginner, is automatically kinder.

There isn’t a neat study that proves this one way or the other. But there doesn’t need to be to ask the question. We already know how muscle memory works. We already know how hard bad habits are to undo. And we already know that equipment influences position.

So maybe it’s time we stopped seeing saddle choice for beginners as purely practical, and started seeing it as part of education.

Because good habits are far easier to build at the start than they are to fix ten years down the line.

And if we’re serious about producing better riders and happier horses then this feels like a conversation worth having.

30/12/2025

2026 year of the horse ❤️

29/12/2025

28/12/2025

Rosie 35 year old horse coming back into work.

So my lovely friend in Ireland 🇮🇪 went through this and it’s a gentle reminder that when a horse hasn’t been in work, they’re allowed to be rusty. Not naughty. Not wrong. Just finding their rhythm again.

For anyone who doesn’t know Rosie 35 year old Irish Draught, ex riding school saint, owned by Michaela for ten years, and one of the horses who taught me to ride.

No expectations. Just patience, kindness, and letting her be a horse.

If you want to follow Michaela and Rosie journey coming back into work
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/?_r=1&_t=ZN-92bq32bdUne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roogalicious?igsh=MWZ4ajR4ZzBrYjhtbQ==

28/12/2025

The world is changing faster than we realise. Faster, maybe, than some people are comfortable with. And yes, in the way I’ve wanted to see for a long time… but it does beg the question: are we ready to come with it, or will we fight it all the way?

In three days it’s the Year of the Horse. The 3Fs freedom, forage, friends are more talked about than ever. Not as a trend, not as a buzzword, but as the basics they should always have been.

So the question is simple:
will you be part of the change or keep hoping horses will keep coping?

27/12/2025

Quick question for those who’ve done a bit of travelling,

The horses are heading to Ireland from Uk in a couple of weeks. Neither are clipped.
Sunny travelled from Cornwall before without a rug and was absolutely fine, but Missy hasn’t done a journey this long yet.

Would you travel them in a cooler rug, or leave them unrugged?
Interested to hear what others would do out of curiosity as each person is different.

27/12/2025

Can things change for the breed in 2026?

26/12/2025

A friend asked me a question this evening, and the more I thought about it, the harder it was to ignore.

If charities are prepared to take strong public positions against certain equestrian sports on welfare grounds, how can those same charities then accept funding, sponsorship, or public association with competitions that still operate under outdated, pressure based systems?

Because that isn’t nuance.
That’s inconsistency.

Welfare does not change with discipline, prestige, or prize money. A horse does not experience less restriction because the class is international or the show supports a good cause. If something raises welfare concerns in one setting, it should raise them in all settings.

Now, to be clear i'm not talking about this to ban sport but improve it, and it is not about attacking riders. Competition can be a brilliant showcase of good training, good horsemanship, and horses that are confident, comfortable, and genuinely willing. Many riders are already trying to do better, learn more, and evolve.

But charities don’t get to sit on the fence.

You cannot publicly condemn welfare issues in some areas of the industry while quietly benefiting from others because they are respectable, or financially convenient for you. You cannot call out harm when it is easy, and look away when it is polished.

Charities exist to lead, not to follow the safest path.

Horses do not understand charity logos, sponsorship boards, or long standing traditions. They understand pressure, restriction, balance, and relief. They live in the reality we create for them, not the narrative we publish.

If charities want credibility in the welfare conversation, consistency matters. Otherwise, it stops being about horses and starts being about comfort, image, and income.

And that is a conversation worth having, If a charity condemns harm in one arena and profits from it in another, that’s not nuance it’s a double standard

26/12/2025

Something for over the Xmas holidays 😊

Do in walk first and then trot….

Lay out all the 7 poles on the ground the straight ones and the black line ones in the drawing. They’re all poles. Nothing is jumped. Everyone stays friends.

When you ride this exercise, imagine you’re drawing a smiley face with your horse.

On the left rein, you ride the curve of the smile, like the bottom of a smiley mouth. It’s a soft, squishy shape, not a sharp turn. As you follow that smile, you ride over the poles, keeping the same speed and rhythm. No rushing like you’re late for tea, and no slamming the brakes on either.

Then you ride straight down the middle over the poles and change rein. This is the nose of the smiley face. Straight, calm, and no wobbling if possible.

Then you ride the other side of the smile on the right rein. Same shape, same idea, just the other cheek. It will feel different that’s okay. Smiley faces aren’t always perfectly even, and neither are horses.

All the poles help the horse work out where to put their feet. Your job is to steer the smile, sit quietly as a light guide, and let the horse think. If it gets a bit wobbly or gives a tiny hop, they’re not being silly they’re just concentrating.

While riding the exercise, you should be looking for a horse that remains relaxed, maintains a consistent rhythm, and steps evenly over the poles without rushing or losing balance. The bend should come through the whole body, from poll to tail, rather than just the head turning. Minor wobbles are part of the learning process; if the exercise starts to feel untidy, reduce the size of the curve and re-establish balance and rhythm.

By the end of the exercise, the aim is for the horse to feel looser through the body, softer in the contact, and easier to steer. The poles should feel unremarkable, the turns smoother, and the difference between left and right rein less noticeable. If the horse feels more relaxed and moves more freely than at the start, the exercise has achieved its purpose.

If it feels nicer than when you started, you’ve drawn a very good smiley face.

Simple poles.
Smiley shape.
Happy horse.

😊