As it is National Farriers Week I couldn’t not give a huge shout out to my incredible Farrier Mike Burgoyne
& all the hard work he puts in for us 👏🏻
When I met Mike Molly was difficult to say the least, she had to be heavily sedated & was ending up being left with one shoe on one shoe off by a previous farrier as she was just to much.
Que nearly 3 years on & she is a different horse to shoe, she implicitly trusts Mike & loves the fact she’s spoilt with little treats whilst she is being done.
He’s worked so hard to get her feet in the best condition he can to help with all her ailments aswell as keeping Paddy and Brogan in tip top condition. Not only that he has a real investment over the years with helping me get Molly as comfortable as possible. Always checking in to see how she is and is only ever a phone call away if I need him.
When you find someone you trust like I trust Mike hold on tight as I know experienced, reliable knowledgeable professionals are hard to come by.
So thank you Mike ! I’ll see you in a few weeks with a Greggs Sausage roll for you 😉
#nationalfarriersweek #nationalfarriersweek2024 #happyriderhappylife #appriciationpost
Horses are hard 😢
Rehab is hard !
If I’m honest it’s been tough lately! How many times can one person get knocked onto their ass and keep getting up again !
My first time back on Molly 3 weeks ago resulted in her reverting back to the planting on the left rein & refusing to go forwards.
Resulting in lots of tears , self doubt & a conversation with my incredible friend Miri.
We decided to continue the rehab on the long reins & then this week on Friday 10 May head to Miris for a lesson to see what she was like away from home.
Well something in my heart this morning said be brave , find that inner strength to try again. So I did. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t perfect, she did try it a couple of times but I managed to remember the turn hind legs & it paid off. 10 mins walking around the arena, then I did my 10 mins trotting straight lines on the long reins before jumping back on and finishing with a walk down the lane to cool off.
Considering she hasn’t been sat on properly in weeks , I’m really proud of us both.
I’m under no allusion that I’ve “fixed” the issue but it’s a step in a more positive direction.
Sometimes you really do have to fake it till you make it ❤️
#horsesarehard #imarealtoughkid #hearthorse #equinearthritis #equinerehab #equinearthritismanagement #arthramidvet
Sometimes you have to do it terrified 🤢!
After spending 25 mins catching Molly who had proceeded to rear away from me , gallop around with the rope between her legs & leaping around like Bambi , I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to begin rehab this afternoon but I found some grounding in myself, a safe space in my mind & off we went.
She was absolutely perfect & if I’m honest I think she liked having a job & purpose again.
Here’s to the next 8 weeks , I think I’m going to need this place in my brain that allows me to carry on even when the nerves hit !
#equinerehab #equinearthritismanagement #equinearthritiscare #irishdraught #hearthorse
Find someone who celebrates the small things with you & makes you feel like you’ve won the bloody olympics 🩷 (sorry @mirihackett I had to keep the sound in )
If I’m 100% honest I’d been dreading my lesson especially after the dip in confidence I’ve had this week.
But we needed it. It’s a long one so good luck if you get to the end.
We started with working on creating a higher pressure in the groundwork, taking the energy up a level & bringing it back down before we go on.
Now we know C is the “safe zone” & things “going on outside the arena” terrify me.
The ridden work was about bringing the focus back into the arena. Miri used a few different analogies that really helped, the one that stuck out to me today was be the friends walking in the woods holding hands, if one of you gets a little scared the other prepares to run & fight, fight or flight mode. It felt so lovely when Miri could see how in tune we are with each other which is a huge thing to have but a little bit difficult when one of the friends is having a wobble.
In order to create this in the arena feeling/focus Miri popped some different objects out that we had to focus on, plan our route, think about the next move & not freeze when something/someone is outside. (It’s so obvious to see I do it as Molly then goes well what we ready to run from)
Now we haven’t been done the A end of the arena in months, so today trotting around I had a little cry, a cry for various different things but rather than say suck it up Miri said let it out & that is the most sobering thing. You’re allowed to cry , happy tears , scared tears, frustration tears & you know what Molly let go to.
I genuinely walked away with the biggest smile knowing that we found some inner peace today & are starting to build that trust back.
It’s going to take time but little glimpses of the old us flashed back today & I’m so ready for this new phase we are in 🩷
#equestrianjourney #irishdraught #pr
“ꜱᴜɴᴅᴀʏꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴛʀᴏʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ, ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜɴꜱʜɪɴᴇ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜰᴜʟ ꜰᴏʀ ʟɪꜰᴇ’ꜱ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜱ. ☀️”
The arena was unfortunately too hard this morning to ride in so instead of admitting defeat for not getting to go in the arena & build on our arena confidence we headed out for a little walk with Dan on foot.
Molly was so good I even felt comfortable enough to have a few little trots. This was the end of one of them where we had gone away from Dan trotting up the track and back.
Just look at the smile on my face ! The first in a long time it feels.
Brighter days are coming I can feel it 🌷
#irishdraught #happyhorsehappyrider #equestrianlove #hearthorse
Letting go of what I think we should be doing & perfection, to hopefully find our confidence again ❤️
Yesterday we loaded up & headed over to the lovely @mirihackett who I’ve known for a long time to seek help. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own anymore after a ride one Friday morning left me on floods of tears admitting I was scared to ride my own horse.
The first thing Miri asked me was what would feel like a good session to you ? My honest response walking a circle confidently on a calm horse.
Genuinely that’s how low my confidence is & we acknowledged that, we spoke about exactly where I am and how we move forwards.
Groundwork, into the ridden working, taking one step at a time, feeling the fear, dealing with it & learning the tools to help.
So today we tried at home to repeat the same session, it was harder as we have some real anxiety at home, both myself & Molly.
After 40 minutes of groundwork I finally felt as though I could mount, we did a few walk laps on each rein, a few turning the hind legs , a little trot & called it a day.
& that was a win, I’m having to let go of perfection & expectations & just ride the horse in the moment, feeling exactly where we are.
It’s not going to happen overnight, I don’t expect it to be easy. But slowly it will start to get easier & the confidence will grow.
I’ve put some clips of yesterday & today together for you all to see ❤️
#groundworkforhorses #irishdraught #equestrianconfidence #equestrianconfidencebuilding #hearthorse #lettinggoofperfection
Guess what I’m sick of lying and saying I’m fine 💔
I’m not fine at all, I’m sick of putting on a brave face hoping that I’m not burdening someone else with my problems, I’m done thinking my problems are insignificant, I’m done pretending I’m okay. Because I’m not.
We can’t catch a break , every time we are on the way up something comes & knocks us right back to the beginning.
My confidence is at a bloody all time low & unlike a few years ago where I would have braved faced it, lied to everyone, I’ve admitted it, to myself & to the people around me & now to you guys !
I’ve chosen to seek help & not try to continue on a downward path by myself because that isn’t healthy for me or Molly.
I don’t want to share too much about Mollys diagnosis because we aren’t at the bottom of what’s wrong but we have a plan for the next 3/4 weeks & then we reassess.
Horses are hard & I’m sorry if this feels like a pity party post but mental health isn’t spoken about enough in the equine world. We are all to quick to brush it off, put on a smile & lie & say I’M FINE !
But right now I’m coming to terms with I’m not fine & that’s okay but I will be one day at a time ❤️
#mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthequine #equestrianmentalhealth #equestrianlife
ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴅᴀʏ ꜱᴇᴛꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏɴᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀ. ʜᴇʀᴇ’ꜱ ʜᴏᴡ ɪ’ᴍ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴍɪɴᴇ ✨
A solo hack in the sunshine that finally graced us ☀️
The perfect way to welcome 2024 & start Mollys well earned break.
I’ve never given my horses more than a week off at a time but I truly feel Molly will benefit from a few weeks off before coming back into work ahead of spring!
#irishdraught #newyear2024 #happynewyear #hearthorse #thebestviewcomesafterthehardestclimb #hearthorse #britishdressage #happyhacking🐴
As 2023 draws to a close & people are posting all their highlights it made me realise as I went to put mine together…
Did I actually achieve any of the goals I set in January ?
The answer is no , no I didn’t achieve a single one of my goals, they just didn’t happen because well life happened.
Molly ended up rehabbing again at the beginning of this year, then I took a horrible fall onto concrete in July & then the last couple of months Molly has been having an easy time as she hasn’t been quiet right & well I lost my confidence!
Yes there have been moments of this year that I’ve loved, but there have been a lot of rubbish ones too.
But that’s life so next year I’ve vowed to set more realistic goals that I think will be achievable, the biggest being do things that make me happy & not answer to anyone else why I’m doing it !!
So this post is to say it’s okay to not have a highlight reel a mile long, it’s okay to not have achieved a single goal , it’s okay to have just survived.
Because if I’m honest that’s what I did, I survived , I smiled , I laughed, I cried & I got through it.
Next year is a whole new 365 days let’s see what it has to offer !
#2023overandout #itsokaytonotbeokay #lifehappens #irishdraught #hearthorse
ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ ʜᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ʜɪɢʜ, ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴ ꜰᴀʟʟ 👑
The last few weeks haven’t been easy but when I watch this video back it proves to me that we can do this, whatever this little blip in the road maybe we will get through it & come out the other side stronger.
Just look how incredible she is through this layout, a few years back she would have scattered the poles everywhere !
#polework #poleworkforhorses #fancyfootworkpolesandgrids #hearthorse
ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ…
ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ
ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɴᴇꜱ
ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴅᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ, ᴅᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ 💍👰🏻🥂
This weekend I’ve been away celebrating in Brighton for my wonderful friend Ness’s hen do & I honestly had the best time.
We danced, we drank, we laughed, we had great food & just enjoyed every single moment.
Because life is short & you don’t know what’s around the corner. So I’m learning to celebrate as often as I can, whenever I can with the people that matter most.
I’m now home recovering & looking back smiling at the photos, but I couldn’t have done it without Dan who did the ponies all weekend without complaint, changing rugs, filling nets , poo picking etc. He’s the reason I get to live out my dreams but still enjoy these moments.
#thebesttime #idocrew #teambride #ilovemylife
ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʙʟᴀᴍᴇ ᴍᴇ, ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ
ɪꜰ ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ’ᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɪɴ’ᴛ ᴅᴏɪɴ’ ɪᴛ ʀɪɢʜᴛ 🤭
Sorry ignore my awful play on words but I had to !
We had a fantastic lesson with Bronte this morning. Really stepping up the training game. I have a big goal in my head which means we have to train hard this winter.
So today was all about working on those medium trots / canters & making sure I am able to bring her back properly before pushing her on again. Not letting her dive onto her nose or swinging her 1/4’s in.
We also had a little look at our walk to canter & canter to walk. Upwards transitions are pretty good now we just need to work on the downwards , making sure I balance her & have her on her hind end before asking for the walk, but equally making sure the walk forwards is active.
I honestly feel like @bg_dressage really gets the best of us & leaves me feeling positive to head of with our homework.
Here’s to big dreams & working hard to achieve them 💭
#dressagelesson #dressagetraining #irishdraught #loveharryhall #britishdressage #fedontopspec #fedondengie #kentandmasters
Area Festivals 💚💙
How was this a week ago 🫣
A few clips of our Area Festival test put together for you all to have a watch.
I’m so excited to train hard this winter & see where we are this time next summer 💚💙
#petplanfestivals #irishdraught #britishdressage #dressagecompetition
POV why all equestrians have trust issues …
Because one minute you could be trotting round thinking your Charlotte & Valegro then next your face down eating the arena sand wondering if you should have took up a “easy” hobby like knitting 🧶
#equineproblems #trustissues #funnyhorsefails #funnyhorsevideos #irishdraught
I won’t lie , I’ll be glad to see the back of July 😥
I know I shouldn’t but I feel sorry for myself, the fact I’ve officially withdrawn from Areas on Saturday & I’m bloody sore I don’t bounce like I used to. Although does anyone bounce off concrete.
Now I know in the grand scheme of things it’s a minor set back & we have managed to reroute to Onley but it’s normal to be upset about it right? But actually how often do people admit it sucks & that they are upset about a situation that to others might seem minor?
But the thing is I feel a bit like a failure, horse riders are meant to bounce back aren’t they ? Just take a load of pain killers & get on with it ? I feel I’ve let my best friend (Molly) down & the people who have supported me this far. We was in a really good place with our training, we was ready.
However I can’t expect Molly to perform her best if I’m just half assing it & not able to give her my all!
It sucks & that’s the reality right now. I’ll be honest with you all because like always I will show the highs & lows !
August however I’m coming for you ☀️
