The Skint Showjumper (2024)

15/09/2023

Autumn is here, and so are cosy lie ins🥰

06/09/2023

Springy pony enjoying plenty cuddles after being a very good pony today 🌟

23/08/2023

Golden hour with my golden boy 🌟

Thank you .daiq for the beautiful photo 🥰

19/08/2023

Cali looking happy because she gets a fully balanced, nutritional diet...meanwhile I'm living off oven chips and beans 🙃

11/08/2023

You're just turning into the loveliest (not so) little mare Cali❤️

28/07/2023

No feeling like it ❤️

09/07/2023

Finalllyyyy posting to this account again after what has been a turbulent year to say the least.

I could probably write a book on just this year, but after a lot of struggles we're finally starting to get out and have fun again.

Cali is turning into an amazing horse and Gucci is loving retired life, so hopefully I can share more of their antics in the future.

Today we went XC and I smiled and laughed like I haven't for what feels like a very long time. Here's to more days like this, and praying it is really onwards and upwards 🙏💖

21/05/2022

The cutest mare ❤️ you're going to be mega Cali, we've had our ups and downs but let's show everyone how special you really are🐎 falling back on some of the great advice I've had over the years - "prove them all wrong in the ring".

You're not there yet chicken, but I'll try my hardest to get you there 🌟

Collosal thanks to and for everything you've done/do for us, it really wouldn't be possible without our support system 💞

20/05/2022

Stomping round the countryside together since 2015🐎

09/05/2022

Instagram v reality 🤦😂

06/05/2022

Special moments with my golden boy 🌟❤️ first time round a course after a competing hiatus while we had his hock injections done and got him fit again, we're both a little rusty but it's good to be back 🥰 thank you West Moor Farm Equestrian for moving our booking, we had such a fab time playing round the course 🐎

02/05/2022

Horses have the worst timing 🤦 Gucci was supposed to be finally having a play around a course today but sadly we've had to rearrange as madam decided to give herself a nasty cut which has caused some local swelling 😰 luckily the on call vet thinks keeping it clean we can avoid antibiotics but she's going to be monitored closely for the next few days in case things get worse 😬 happy may bank holiday to us! 🤦 Though huge thanks to West Moor farm for letting us move our booking to later in the week ❤️

26/04/2022

Tell me you have a mare who's in season, without telling me you have a mare who's in season👀

16/04/2022

My golden boy😍 rising 19 this year, I don't know where the time has gone 😯 hopefully we still have many more years of cuddles and fun ahead of us🥰

15/04/2022

The two sides of owning a mare...😂 "I could remove all your fingers" to "actually I quite like nose boops, more please" within less than a minute 😅

09/04/2022

Coolquill Cobalt strutting her stuff 🤩 clever baby pony 🥰

Working well in her beautiful new saddle from Thinford Saddlery 🐎

08/04/2022

It's okay not to be okay. Something I've had to come to terms with over the last month.

I haven't been posting on this account following the loss of my Grandma, but now I feel it's time to begin again as she would want.

Horses are so intuitive, and I think Gucci and Cali have been able to tell I've been struggling these last few weeks as I've been getting extra cuddles, nudges and nibbles from both of them❤️ it's been an awful time, and every small thing that happens with either of them has me worried sick and anticipating impending disaster which is often so common with horses. I'm praying their vet check goes well next week, and that I'm just being a drama queen 🙏

27/02/2022

Hadn't quite planned on starting Cali's ridden work without a saddle, but luckily she's been good as gold🌟 Hopefully a superstar in the making 🥰❤️

25/02/2022

What a week!! From battling to ride through gale force winds to mild hypothermia last night 🥶 (not joking - it took me several hours to warm up once I got home and regain the feeling in my toes 😂) however....the lighter nights are meaning (weather permitting) golden boy and I are getting more hacks in now 🐎

Buttttt, the biggest moment of the week had to be putting my brave pants on and FINALLY having a sit on Cali for the first time since bringing her home😍 we still don't have a saddle, so we managed without, and kept things slow. She didn't put a hoof out of place though, and handled it like a pro, I'm so so proud 🥰 the hard work with her ground work is paying off, and I can't wait to get her saddle sorted hopefully next week🤞🤞 fingers crossed she's as well behaved with a saddle as she was tonight without 🤞🤞

06/02/2022

No rosettes today, but feeling less than confident after our last show, we both left the ring happy today. Gucci jumped clear, bar skipping sideways out on the approach to one fence costing us four faults. While I definitely need lessons, the biggest thing needed is more ring time.

The instructor that turned things around for Gucci and I whilst we were a new partnership and guided us up the levels, once told me there's nothing that will teach you as much as time in the ring. She wasn't wrong as whilst there's lots to work on at home, the biggest thing I need at the moment is more confidence competing again.

I miss the days when I thought anything under 1.10 was small, and I'm sure I'll feel that way again one day. But for now I need to get back out regularly, and keep getting out as much as I can and as much as Gucci is comfortable doing❤️

I left feeling proud that despite the course being tricky (hey even the pros had some trouble today!), despite high winds and a spooky pony I pulled myself together, got round and set myself up to be more confident at our next show.

When we got home, we did some trailer training with Cali. It took a while, she did eventually walk through the box multiple times. Today might not have been full of rosettes and laps of honour, but it's been a day of small victories and quietly big moments 💞 happy Sunday everyone ❤️

30/01/2022

Littlest pony has had a growth spurt since arriving, which was a perfect excuse to buy her some snazzy new rugs 😍 my only regret is not getting Gucci the matching blue sheep rug 😂
Photo creds

28/01/2022

Proof that my littlest pony does tolerate me sometimes🤣 slowly turning her into a cuddle monster like her big brother 😍 happy Friday 🥰

25/01/2022

All smiles with my golden boy last night after a great schooling session 🥰 18 years young ❤️ (no bribery was used to take this photo - just a lot of love and minty smelling cooling gel🤣)

25/01/2022

All smiles with my golden boy last night after a great schooling session 🥰 18 years young ❤️ (no bribery was used to take this photo - just a lot of love and minty smelling cooling gel🤣)

14/01/2022

When you have a stroppy youngster who is easily distracted 😂 don't know why I spent good money on stable toys as clearly my car keys are much more exciting 🤦I do love how curious she is though, has to know what everything is and be involved in all the goings on ❤️

10/01/2022

I had intended to be a lot more active on this page when I started it up, but honestly the new year so far has left me too exhausted to post anything positive, and over the last week I've realised that's okay. Maybe other people need to read some whinging too because having horses and living in such uncertain times is no picnic.

The first Sunday of the new year I had hoped would be a fun afternoon of showjumping. However after horribly misjudging the length of one of the classes poor Gucci and I ended up doing a 45 minute warm up in the cold. I wasn't feeling great, and if Gucci had performed like I was riding I probably would have pulled him from the class. It's funny as riders that when we're feeling under the weather we crack on (and usually make an arse of it like I did 🤦), whereas if it were our horse there wouldn't be (or certainly shouldn't be) any hesitation in calling it a day. I certainly didn't ride my best, and poor Gucci looked after me. But I was still gutted to be starting the new year with our first four faults in months, which could easily have been avoided if I hadn't been riding like a sack of potatoes.

It turned out however, my "feeling off" wasn't just a chill but was in fact covid, fantastic. My poor mother started the new year tending for two horses and I spent it stuck in my room. Whilst most people would probably revel in the chance to stay in bed all day watching TV, I just spent it missing my ponies. Mercifully I tested negative by the end of the week so I was able to spend Sunday with them before heading back to work today, but it still sucked.

I haven't really got a point to this post, I'm certainly not saying if you're feeling off pull out, as it's not advice I'd take myself unless I was actually endangering my horse by riding. But I am hoping if someone having a bit of a sh*tty start to the new year reads this they don't feel so alone. I'm clinging to the things I have to be thankful for (rather a lot of things really) and just trying to muddle through with the rest. I've also decided that 2022 starts properly in February, as January is a crap month anyway.

30/12/2021

Christmas kisses from my beautiful boy❤️🎄 hope everyone has enjoyed the celebrations and is looking forward to the new year! 🎉

The Skint Showjumper

15/09/2023

06/09/2023

23/08/2023

19/08/2023

11/08/2023

28/07/2023

09/07/2023

21/05/2022

20/05/2022

09/05/2022

06/05/2022

02/05/2022

26/04/2022

16/04/2022

15/04/2022

09/04/2022

08/04/2022

27/02/2022

25/02/2022

06/02/2022

30/01/2022

28/01/2022

25/01/2022

25/01/2022

14/01/2022

10/01/2022

30/12/2021

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Who needs stable toys when you can just jingle your car keys 😂

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