Craig Stables

14/06/2024

Looking forward to getting back into the ring on the #1 🤩🦄

01/06/2024

Everyone needs to read this 🙌🏼

We love this meme!

It's rare to find an experienced jumping rider who regrets consolidating a horse at lower heights and allowing both horse and rider to build confidence before moving up the grades.

Here’s what some top riders have to say:

1. **Scott Brash** (Great Britain, Olympic gold medalist):
- “You have to give horses time to learn and develop at each level. Rushing them can lead to mistakes and loss of confidence. It’s about building a strong foundation.”

2. **Nick Skelton** (Great Britain, Olympic gold medalist):
- “It's essential to be patient and ensure your horse is solid at every stage. If you push them too quickly, they can lose confidence and it can set them back significantly.”

3. **Edwina Tops-Alexander** (Australia, Olympic competitor):
- “Horses need time to develop both physically and mentally. Making sure they are confident and capable at each level before moving up is crucial for their long-term success.”

These quotes highlight the importance of a measured, patient approach to training, ensuring horses are fully prepared and confident at each stage of their journey.

26/05/2024

Get in touch for info or to book in 🙌🏼

04/05/2024

03/05/2024

Times are up 🙌🏼

29/04/2024

Love these gorgeous head shots of these two by 🍂

17/04/2024

TRADE 📢

Interested in joining our Trade Village at our Winter Shows? Connect with a passionate equestrian community! Applications are now open:

https://www.takapoto.co.nz/trade-stand-winter-shows

Show Dates:

10 - 12 May
7 - 9 June
12 - 14 July
9 - 11 August
13 - 15 September

Note: The Trade Village will be open on the official competition days (Saturday and Sunday) of each event.

Photo Credit: Cornege Photography

09/04/2024

Lovely pic of Cruz at series finals 😎

08/04/2024

As we wind down after a very successful season, it’s a great time to reflect on the past year.

I have had a super team around me this season that has helped make everything run so smoothly 🙌🏼

Our farrier, Ryan Harris Ryan Harris-Hayes your expertise and knowledge is second to none. You treat our horses like your own and are also there for us at any given moment. Without a hoof you have no horse.

Tina Chesapeake Dr. Tina Leone, Chiropractor our chiropractor, keeping the horses and myself in top condition.

Jeff Mcvean my coach, your wise words of wisdom help immensely and I have loved learning from you!

My family and support system, without you none of this would be possible ❤️

Lastly, my wonderful team of horses. They make everyday so worth it, the persevere and hard work is so satisfying when I have lovely horses to work with. A year ago Indiana Xtreme joined my team and she has become my best buddy, I feel so lucky everyday to sit on such a quality horse like her and continue to produce her, I know I say it all the time, but thankyou Brooke Edgecombe 🦄

The team now enjoys a few quiet weeks off and then back into training for the new season! 😎

22/03/2024

🙌🏼💭

What makes a Champion?🏆

Taking aside the actual technical/psychical skills, these are some attributes that will underpin your system. Depending on your character, some will be more natural than others, and some will need developing.
Feel free to add more in the comments….

✔️Grit. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Things go wrong all the time (annoyingly), whether that be a run-out, a horse going lame or circumstances testing you, get stuck in and make it happen. Who are you when things go wrong?

✔️Open mindedness. ‘The second you think you know it all, you know nothing at all’. Always stay coachable, be willing to look at new perspectives, be open to feedback; whether you take it on or not is a different matter, but never stop trying to learn.

✔️Sweat the small stuff. Call it marginal gains, the 1%’s, world class basics, whatever you like but if you don’t care about the small details, you’re going to be leaving gaps in your training because ‘success is made up of thousands of small wins, not 1 giant one’.

✔️Train for the future. It’s all well and good to manufacture a clear round for this weekend, but without a doubt it will come undone at some point. Training long term is the fastest way to real success. Acknowledge what’s happened previously but don’t anticipate it.

✔️Accountability. Who are you when no one is watching? Holding yourself to high standards when you nobody else is watching or when you think you can ‘get away’ with a sloppy transition etc, is not going to help you long term.

✔️Logical. It’s important particularly working with animals and lots of moving parts, we stay process driven, logical, and do not become emotional. When we let emotions get in the way, we get erratic, loose control of our aids or the pressure, and nothing good comes from that. Rather than panic that the fence has gone up or when in a pressurised situation, stick to your training system. You are responsible for your horses welfare and education, and if something is going wrong, understand why, then find the solution.

✔️Expectation. Most people will speak about discipline leading to success but I prefer the idea of setting expectations for yourself and then holding yourself to account. What do you expect of yourself, your horse, that event, that transition, and don’t settle for any less. Be clear with your words to yourself, how many times have you joked about ‘just staying on’ or ‘getting round’, you’ve just set the expectation.

✔️Effort. Everyone likes the idea of improving, but will you actually go above and beyond to put the effort in? It is a coaches responsibility to teach you the technical skills to ride, it is up to you, the rider, to actually apply them, though hopefully your coach is inspiring you to want to put the effort in.

✔️No excuse culture. There is generally always a reason for something not going to plan. You can have an unfortunate pole, frustrating pole, annoying pole, but not an unlucky pole. Luck is about determination meeting opportunity. Did you give the horse every opportunity? Nobody learns anything from excuses, analyse what actually happened in a logical way and you’ll find a reason, a mistake or a gap in training, not an excuse.

✔️Self aware. ‘There is no self improvement without self awareness’. I think it’s really fun to link a mistake to a weakness, connecting all of the dots in your web, looking at X happened because of Y. Did you apply the correct aid? Was it at the right time? Was there too much pressure? This is one of the fastest ways to improve.

✔️A good loser. ‘When you’re not winning, you’re learning’. Every time something doesn’t quite go to plan, don’t label it as a bad day, use it as an opportunity to learn and make sure you don’t make the same mistake next time.

👊🏽

10/03/2024

Amanda Wilson Clinic 🙌🏼

April 23rd/24th, PM to register your interest, spaces already filling fast ✅

01/03/2024

Love your work bridie 🙌🏼

01/03/2024

The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it 🙌🏼

24/02/2024

Craig Stables Training day photos are up…so proud of all of my riders today, riding like stars and look great while they do it! ⭐️

21/02/2024

Early morning training with Indy captured by 🌫️🌫️

19/02/2024

‘Boy’ the perfect all rounder and confidence booster ⭐️

PM for more info, this horse will get snapped up quick…

18/02/2024

Lisa Coupe is back teaching at Craig Stables Thursday 28th February, get in touch now to book your spot ✅

14/02/2024

Avenger Xtreme is feeling great after coming back from injury, he produced some lovely clear rounds at Takapoto 🙌🏼

14/02/2024

Indiana Xtreme jumping super in our first 7 year old start and 4th in todays final, the best girl ❤️

Thank-you to the team behind me and my horses

09/02/2024

Bitter sweet day today as we waved goodbye to CS Millie 👑

We wish her and her new young rider all the best, and we will no doubt see her on the POY stage in the years to come…there are not many ponies this special 🙌🏼

06/02/2024

Mark those calendars ✅

25/01/2024

Thrilled to be heading back to Tauranga to teach in this incredible arena next Wednesday Jan 31. Get in touch with Craig Stables or msg 02102480226 to book in!

21/01/2024

Airlyte 💚

Our stables are equipped with the best bedding for our horses. No dust, untreated, minimal urine smell and hugely absorbent there is no better bedding on the market

Craig Stables are proud to be supported by and are stockist in the Bay of Plenty region, get in touch with us today for you info or to order some Airlyte - give it a go and you will see the benefits ! 🙌🏼

15/01/2024

Lisa Coupe clinic 31st January at Craig Stables ✅

PM to book your spot of for more info 🙌🏼

23/12/2023

That’s a wrap for 2023, as we wind down for the summer we would like to extend our gratitude and well wishes to our valued clients, new and existing🥳

It has been a successful year for the Craig Stables team, and it has been so rewarding to see the progress of our riders and horses whom we get to train 😎

We will be back in action from the 8th of January and look forward to seeing you all - Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year 🎄

CS

05/12/2023

👏🏼👏🏼

Overflowing with gratitude! 🌟 A huge thank you to Anna Craig for this incredible review! 🙌 We take pride in consistently providing effective products that not only meet but exceed expectations. That's why Poseidon products stand out as our absolute favorites! 🚀

For horses battling metabolic conditions, Poseidon Metabolize is truly a game-changer! 🐎✨

Available now from www.eq72.co.nz

23/11/2023

CS Millie ⭐️

16/11/2023

CS Millie and Lina having a play over some x-country fences, this young pony has it all ! ⭐️