Equestrian Reality

25/06/2024

Ross - who the f bought a kilo of hazelnuts?!

Eh, that would be me. I’ve no idea why but my food addiction in life is roasted hazelnuts 😂 I figure it could be a lot worse!!

25/06/2024

Have you ever seen such lovely packaging? I love discovering new Irish brands and popped up on my feed a while ago.
I’d actually clicked through and then got distracted but they followed up with an email about the business and a discount code. I checked the brand out online and reviews were good so I picked up a trial pack for a friend who loves skincare and having mini products in the car.
Delivery was very fast and the packaging was so nice 😊

23/06/2024

My two lovely boys 🥰🐴🐴

We had an evening of Irish sunshine ☀️!

After a days grooming there’s no rest for the wicked 😅 so it was time for riding!

Sammy wouldn’t be enthused in the heat so we kept it easy and popped down a little grid for fun. It’s a great way of regulating his canter without him thinking he’s doing dressage work. It’s so important for his mind and his fitness that he does a variety of work too.

Oisin is like me he likes it hot so we had some fun doing some pole work working on a simple figure of eight exercise he’s quite clever and is delighted when he works something out 😊

Baths for them both after and they are chilling out now munching away

Time for a glass of wine 🍷 and come dressage on .tv

23/06/2024

Lovely sunny day at Spruce Lodge 🐴☀️

That shine ✨ from Botanica International Ltd spray and Haas brushes 😊

23/06/2024

Thank you so much South East Region Dressage for a lovely show today at Spruce Lodge. Thanks to the organisers for being so accommodating and to the other riders.

Today was a big ask for Emerald Dressage 4 year old stallion Pompidou AF - a new venue on a warm day and two tests with a wait in between at a busy show. He was his charming self and achieved two more qualifying scores towards the national championships.

After a long break I am enjoying being back in the ring 😊

Dressage Ireland Warmblood Studbook of Ireland Equestrian Reality

23/06/2024

Don’t forget to use my sales ambassador code LK10 for your 10% discount on Equieire 💚

💚 Green is the new Black 💚

22/06/2024

When Ross offers to bring me for breakfasts and asks where - it’s always gonna be 🥰

22/06/2024

I needed some spray fly repellent for the ponies - picked up a bargain in as they have them on buy one get one free 👌🐴

Thanks Fiona for looking after us 😊

19/06/2024

If you are like me and sleep like the dead I can highly recommend a cat alarm clock ⏰ 🐱
Pumpkin is very clever she’s realised what time my alarm clock first goes off which is more than my brain is capable of (spoiler alert, the first alarm is not when I get up. Not often is the fifth nor the snoozed version of the first).

So, ahead of the first alarm, Pumpkin trots into the bedroom from the sitting room and starts piaffing on my stomach and then on my head. If this doesn’t work she will get creative. This morning she launched herself from the windowsill onto my forehead - primitive but effective 😂

19/06/2024

When you grew up on a diet of the OC and Paris Hilton you are never too old for a bit of 👌

17/06/2024

🍫 🍫

When ups the biscuit game 👌

Emma and I enjoyed an offsite training session with our horses. We both worked hard and saw some progress on goals.

My main area of work today was around the canter. While we have established a more collected canter, I struggle to keep Sammy contained in it as any request for more bend or change of balance means he scarpers and I get tipped forward.

We worked on exercises to help with this. I am someone who needs specific physical instructions sometimes to “get” things so huge thanks to Sean who also really helped me at the end as he understood that and helped me with my position and aids. We had some moments of achievement and as he put it - I know now what to go fishing for at home 😊🐴

Thanks .downey.98 for the great company 😊

16/06/2024

16/06/2024

People often ask me what Pompidou AF is like as a stallion. I don’t ride him but I handle him. Here are some photos that pretty much sum him up.

This morning he had a 5.30 wake up call. As he ate his breakfast I brushed his tail, groomed him and trimmed his feathers.

Pumpkin launched herself into the stable as she was following me around and he played away with her. I stood up on block to plait him as I’m a hobbit and he let me plait his forelock and trim his ears.

Ross held him then outside for me to plait his mane which he stood for with the cat bounding around.

He went to his First ever show today. He probably thought he was in outer space. He called a bit, he looked around but he stood with me and walked with me and I’m 5’2” on a good day and he’s 17hh.

Ross got up and in he went and won his first ever test, his four year old class. He also went back in and did his first prelim test.

We are on the way home now and he will go into his paddock and relax and when we call him at the gate he will walk over and come in for dinner.

He’s the only WSI Approved Dressage Stallion in Ireland currently and his temperament is as nice as his movement. When he first came to the yard I almost opted out of being his groom as he was young and big but I think we like and respect each other and while Ross has the hard job of doing the riding I enjoy the grooming side.

If you are interested in using Pompidou AF for your mare contact who have straws available.

16/06/2024

How cute 🥰 Pompidou the stallion with his favourite animal Pumpkin the cat 🐴🐱



Emerald Dressage

15/06/2024

I’m proud to be a sales ambassador for ☘️ Irish Brand 🇮🇪 . All products are designed with comfort in mind and are made from sustainable materials.

Sharing is caring so here is a promo code for 10% off at Equieire.com . You will also receive free shipping in Ireland!

Not sure which to buy? Here are a few of my favourites -
💚 The Emily green base layer with gold accents is a wardrobe staple for me.
🤍 I always compete in my Molly white tights at dressage - they are now available in full or half grip seat!
💛 For jumping or showing, Olivia in tan is always my go to.
💙 Aisling tights in rainy blue are my summer staple - silky soft materials, knee grip and a firm waist band
🖤 For an all round all weather basic everyday I cannot recommend the Eve enough - double lined compression material, full grip and a firm waistband - I live in them! Years of wear later mine still look great 😊

To buy, pop online and use my code.
To stock Equieire in your store or website, PM me

13/06/2024

I really love this photo taken at Ballivor by

I am so proud of the strength and muscle tone it shows in Sammy. 😍

About 6-8 weeks ago Sammy was too fat and was unfit. He had lost at least two weeks to be fair due to an awful rash of hives that came up in March and meant I couldn’t exercise him.

Anyway, he was a bit too heavy which doesn’t help his breathing. He also had graduated from the fit girth to the fat girth which is always an indicator that things need addressing.

It’s always with a bigger horse a question of is it metabolic or is it diet and routine. So I was very honest with myself. Sammy is the easy one. He’s never a problem if he isn’t ridden and he doesn’t mind if he works or not. So on the days where I’m under pressure he’s the one that’s left off.

So I decided to first see if it was diet and routine. With some nutrition advice from probably the only people I actually listen to and I started a new routine. My fitness training on the gallops wasn’t quite suiting him so David advised on a different way to do it. David and Gordon helped me figure out what to feed and what not to feed. He gets v v little hard feed - but he would eat a bale of haylage so I asked the team hear to feed him less of it and ignore him pretending to be starving (one of them is a worse sympathy feeder than me 😂). I added Agnus Castus (Chaste Berry) to his feed as it’s good for geldings of his shape. has him on the nebuliser daily for me.

He’s now the horse I make sure I always ride as he deserves that respect and effort if I expect his effort. He’s back in the fit girth. He’s slimmed down and fittened up. He works 5-6 days a week - a mixture of dressage training, pole work, jumping hacking and fittening on the gallops. He’s a chunky monkey and always will be but he is fit. He competes currently at dressage and showing and is so good to me. 🦄

I love how fit and strong he looks in this photo - using his back, gaining a bit of height and look at those knees 😍

13/06/2024

Whenever Sammy finishes a dressage test, as soon as we salute he does the EXACT same thing - he waits til I praise him and release the contact and as we go to walk out he literally gives the 📸 THE look 👀

However, at a recent show it was pretty hot and we both carried each other through the second test and were wrecked and was Devo as he didn’t flirt with the camera as he wanted grass, a drink and a p*e.

As you can see, the look was back at our last show 😂 the boy knew he had been good. Halt, salute, praise, flirt 👌 got a great shot. Louise is feeling betrayed but I have assured her she’s still Sammys favourite 🧡 she has a special place in his heart as she’s good for kisses and treats 🥰

11/06/2024

Happiness is a sun ☀️ spot 🐱

11/06/2024

Sammy enjoying himself a lot!! 🥰

11/06/2024

Pumpkin 🎃 getting a bit adventurous last night! 🐱 the funny thing is, much as Oisin can be a spooky twit when he wants to be, he actually loves cats 😂 he just wanted to get close enough for a snuffle.

10/06/2024

You asked - Equieire listened! The Molly white competition tights are now available in a full seat option!

☑️ Double lined
☑️100% NOT see through
☑️thick waistband that never rolls
☑️ Irish brand
☑️ belt loops

We have only XS, S, M and a handful of L left! I’m a sales ambassador so to get a pair at the best price, PM me 😊

10/06/2024

Thank you so very much RehEquine for a lovely day at Ballivor Horse Show 2024 yesterday 🥰🐴

I didn’t realise the show was on until Friday and only entered last minute as she kindly offered to groom for me 😊 I just wanted a fun day out with Sammy.

Things always move faster than expected so I was ready literally just before my 1st class so I just went in from the car park 😅 Sammy was just so easy it’s a far cry from when I’d worry about him pulling me round the place. I was a bit rusty and didn’t do the best trot up I could 😬 We pulled in 2nd and finished 3rd🥉

The weather had turned grim so we hit the coffee hut for some warm drinks and waited for the second class. Sammy was dozing away before it and then ….. he saw a foal. He isn’t a rig but was clearly cut late (that neck 😬) and is obsessed - he went up 5 gears, ears pricked, heart racing. Its happened before at a show when he saw foals in a field beside a warm up and lost the run of himself (Lynn Cadogan do you remember 😂😂😂).

He has good taste - it was a very pretty foal! Anyway pretty foal did me a favour as Sammy went in strutting like a Victoria’s Secret model and did a cracking gallop to be pulled in first. He finished 2nd 🥈 the judges were so lovely and explained that they loved him and only moved him down a place as he’s plaited and not presented as a cob but that they understood as he also does dressage. I’d quite a few people telling me to hog him all week but I don’t have it in me to do it 😱
The cob that won was absolutely divine 😍 I’d been eyeing him in the warm up! His owner was so lovely, we had the line up chats.

We stayed for the championship because sure why not! Thanks Chris Carter for the encouragement! So lovely to bump into people you know at shows.

The winner of both ridden championships was on two horses that were quite simply gorgeous. He’s lucky the first one didn’t end up in my horsebox 😅 I got chatting to him about their breeding which was really interesting. Congrats Brian on both wins!

We headed off home. I dropped off Rebecca and then my jeep died ten mins from home 🤦‍♀️ it frightened the life out of me as a red battery light came on outta nowhere and I turned at a cross roads and the steering completely seized up. I couldn’t park anywhere was the local village was mayhem but a nice customer has a place up the road so I limped it to there and pulled in at the car park.

Ross and Jason rescued me 🦸‍♀️ I’m very glad they were home to! I was gutted but they did bring me a club orange and a pack of king crisps to console me as I was starving and no one likes me when I’m hangry (including me 😅). Super Sammy unloaded, stood in car park while they swivelled the box around and onto the other keel and reloaded to go home - god I adore him 🧡 I’m just over a week he’s done a professional photoshoot, competed for me at dressage and then just because I asked, turned into a show pony. He travels, he stands, he waits. He’s just my own little unicorn and I’m grateful every day for him. 🦄 well earned day off and field for him today!
Thanks Mary-Ann Casey for the advice before the show x

Showing outfit-

My breeches are the Equieire Olivia in tan, I love these they are a soft non see through material with knee grip, a high waist, belt loops and lovely details on the pocket and waist 💚

My Shires Equestrian Aubrion shirt is from Berney Bros Saddlery Kilcullen

I’ve had my tie for forever I got it in Tesco Mens dept 😂

My hat is my Antares one I’ve had for a long time I love it it’s from PM Equestrian.

Rory very kindly loaned me his bridle as my double is black - isn’t it lovely? It’s a Passier one with lovely rolled leather 🥰

I bought my saddle from Maryann years ago it’s a goodwins one it has served me well! It must be a fair age now 😊 it doesn’t fit Sammy as well as it did Dolly it is a little uphill on him and much as that’s great that it makes him look up hill I’d rather not roll down his tail 😂 I picked up a an Acavallo rear gel riser from TRI Equestrian and it’s a brilliant thing - stays put and doesn’t add any bulk to the front! Very handy altogether

07/06/2024

I can’t believe this was ten years ago! 😬

Ten years ago I was going through a pretty tough time for various reasons. I was holding my sh*t together, just about. I was like that gate held together with baling twine, you know it’s gonna snap at some stage but it’s all right for now.
I’d throw myself into learning side saddle with my horse at the time Dolly and I was heading to the AIRC festival to compete and I was all set and everything was ready. I’d gonna bad news about something that week but I’d stuck some sellotape on that as well and was grand. Well I was grand until it was 5.30am and the jeep wouldn’t start. I’d all the gear ready, the jeep all packed and nope it was a dead duck. So I rang the only person I knew .jandy who got up and came and rescued me.

We got the horse, we drove down to the festival, we parked the car and …. I bawled. I detest crying so I sat there utterly mortified bawling like a toddler who has dropped an ice cream. Several months of emotional shiiiite just erupted. I mean proper red eyed snot fest. Jandy let me cry, gave me a hug and said right you gotta get on the horse.

I swear the horse knew I needed something to believe in that day. We placed in dressage. We went on to showing. She won the lightweights and she won the side saddle. I hadn’t time to change so we did the mares championship in the side saddle and won that and went on to be reserve supreme champion (also side saddle).

I realised that day that we can all have our rocky balboa moment. We can all win after we lose. Life isn’t Disney but every dog has his day and sometimes all the preparation comes across a day of opportunity.

Il proud to say I was able to do something for .jandy last week. I think after reading this post you would agree she more than deserved it 😂 That’s the thing about long term friends, you don’t have to see each other or text every day but you are there for each other when you need each other and when you meet you pick up where you left off.

Dolly is no longer with us but she had two beautiful foals who have gone on already to great things 🥰

07/06/2024

I love Facebook memories 🥰

They popped up to remind me of a few things I enjoyed this time years back

My first medium test on gentle giant Hugo - I hadn’t a scooby what I was doing but he had a great sat nav and figured most of it out for me 😂 he was huge but I didn’t care as he was very kind

Butterscotch owned by Dermot Kane and I went showing. She was such a funny mare she was a real main character and could charm the judges we had great fun in the ring.

Over a decade ago I won digital sales champion at the National Sales Champions Awards. At the time I was managing a pre sales team and looking after various digital activities it was so much fun as the people I worked with were amazing. I still work in the same company in a very different role but I really learned so much during my years working in sales and pre sales it was so valuable.

This day this year… we’ll I’ve gotten up at the crack of dawn to drive my husband somewhere and I’ve tea ☕️ and a croissant 🥐 and it’s sunny so that’s a few little wins 😊



.brennan.507

04/06/2024

We are so very rarely in Dublin City, so when we finally had the chance this evening I was dying to drop into on the way home as I’ve seen so many videos online about it that have made me hungry 😋 😂

Garlic bread, steak, bottomless chips and desert for €29.95 could it possibly go wrong? 🥘 I was about ten minutes past hangry when we arrived so I was itching to eat.

We arrive and immediately there is hot crispy garlic bread on the table. Nothing beats bread on the table when you arrive somewhere I’m such a bread addict 😅

Next up we ordered a fillet and a strip loin. They were out super quick. Not gonna lie, this place is one of few that works at the same pace as my brain and it was heaven as I’m allergic to waiting! It wasn’t rushed if you get me just brilliantly efficient - as soon as they sensed you were ready, so was the food.

The fillet was gorgeous I had a red wine sauce to go with it. Whole lot was down the hatch! The fries are bottomless and if you like skinny fries you will be in heaven. I’m a weirdo I don’t like chunky chips!

The desert was profiteroles with chocolate sauce - WARM chocolate sauce 😍🍫 bonus points for the fact that there was real actual cream inside the profiteroles too 👌

Im a passenger Princess which means I get to be a cocktail culprit so I had a bramble and it was divine. Again, actual real flavours - real blackberry flavour not synthetic stuff 🥰 I always love getting a bramble when I’m out they are my favourite - I don’t know how to make them at home and before anyone says it no I’m not learning as I’d be on my ear on a Monday night 😬

Finally, the staff really made the experience, what a friendly bunch of people it was really lovely. 🥰

04/06/2024

Equieire 💚

Emily Base layer in green - PM me if you would like your own at the best price 😊

I am so proud of my horse - what a long way we have come!

Thank you -

Bryan Equine for the only balancer I ever buy!

Botanica International Ltd just the best products for a gleaming horse I buy mine at TRI Equestrian

SD Design bridle from DSE Equestrian Outfitters

David Chawke for all the advice and support

Alan Keville for Hair thank you Kate 🥰

03/06/2024

Pompidou AF - WSI Approved Dressage Stallion

Emerald Dressage Warmblood Studbook of Ireland

03/06/2024

Pompidou AF - WSI Approved Dressage Stallion