It’s been a while since my last blog, and lots has happened in the meantime.

Our series of evening presentations, ‘The Horse Talks’, were kicked off by bitting expert, Gill Batt, and we’re looking forward to welcoming top performance psychologist, Charlie Unwin in a couple of week’s time. Our amazing new function room, ‘The Barn’, is perfect for these events, and it has also transformed our camps; it’s a great place for everyone to get together for meals and chats.

It was just over a fortnight ago that we ran our autumn three-day camp, where we hosted 15 riders and horses for a range of activities from jumping to farm hacks and mounted games. However, the main focus was on negotiating obstacles; from poles on the ground, to tarpaulins and bridges, with our water jump as the ‘finale’! Before we embarked on training our horses, I went through the processes that horses go through when they encounter a spooky object, and what the rider needs to do to ensure they don’t exacerbate the flight instinct, while encouraging the horse forward without resorting to bullying or force — the horse should always choose to do it, but it’s up to the rider to direct them towards the right choice. All the campers achieved more than they thought possible, with them all happily splashing about in the water by the end of the three days.

Helping a rider on our recent camp

It’s not just recreational riders that need help with these issues. I have been working with some lovely event horses that are having problems with ditches and water, and some dressage horses that baulk at ‘monsters’ in the arena. The processes are the same whatever level the rider and horse are working at, and all require the rider to be adaptable in their seat and rein contact, which can be difficult after years of cultivating the perfect dressage seat!

On the yard, we really have been spoilt this year by the quality of young horses that have been in for starting, but every now and again, one comes in that we all fall in love with. Pasha (pictured below) was bred by Classic Top Stud, and he was bought by Gemma, who has just had her first baby. Pasha was with us for our six-week starting programme, and he didn’t put a foot out of place for the grooms or for Hamish and I training him. He is the whole package with a great temperament, beautiful paces, a scopey, easy jump and stunning looks. Even though Gemma hadn’t ridden for a year, she felt totally at home on him during the handover process, and we can’t wait to follow their progress out eventing in the future.

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Usually at this time of year, we start to slow down a little, but looking ahead we have lots of events leading up to Christmas, and a full training yard of horses. I am due to demonstrate at The Horsemanship Showcase and Horses in Motion at the end of November, and we open our doors on 7 December for our Christmas coffee (or mulled wine!) morning, which is always a fun way to kick off the festive period. I have closed the yard for a couple of weeks over Christmas to recharge the batteries, but I’ll use the time to work with my own horses and my daughter and her new pony. In particular, I am looking forward to competing my own JJ (pictured top), who is now working at medium level, and bringing on my awesome young Australian Stock Horse stallion, Haydon Oracle; they’re like chalk and cheese, but both make me grin from ear to ear!

Jason

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

You may have covered the basics when it comes to his winter management, yet a horse who leads a largely indoor life during these colder, darker months can be left lacking in certain areas.

From promoting your horse’s skin health to making sure he is satisfied and stress-free, our veterinary and behavioural experts have outlined some points worth considering to keep a horse at his mental and physical best.

An appropriate diet

As humans, we’re encouraged to eat a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. A stabled horse on a diet of dried forage and concentrates may see little in the way of fresh food. Does he need to eat his “greens”?

“A horse’s ancestors, roaming the plains, would be eating grass in winter that was effectively dead,” says Professor Caroline McGregor-Argo MRCVS. “Yet these animals would still have an appropriate nutritional intake and would almost self-medicate by selecting certain plant species.

“Domesticated horses can run into problems in winter when they run low on vitamins and minerals,” she adds. “It’s important to feed a good forage balancer, to top these levels up.”

Caroline explains that horses don’t share our desire for different foods.

“I would hate to eat only nutritionally balanced porridge every day, but there’s no suggestion that horses need constant variety,” she says. “Hand grazing can add interest to the diet, as can carrots and apples, but these also introduce a choke risk and a lot of sugar.

“The key thing is to feed an appropriate and largely forage-based diet, monitor your horse’s body condition constantly and tweak his diet accordingly,” says Caroline, who adds that the winter months are a good time to correct any summer weight gain.

Companionship

A horse is a prey animal and not suited to long hours spent alone. His natural instinct is to move and forage as part of a group, so isolation in a stable can quickly turn into anxiety and stress.

Ideas for enriching an indoor environment include stable toys and mirrors, but can these ever be a substitute for real-life company?

“There’s not much evidence from a scientific point of view that toys help,” says Dr Debbie Marsden of the Society of Equine Behaviour Consultants, adding that some horses may experience frustration with feed dispensing balls.

“Toys can be a hazard in the stable, so use them with caution — and avoid leaving anything with the horse overnight while he is unattended.

“A safety mirror may be beneficial,” says Debbie, who explains that seeing another equine face can be soothing. “Test your horse’s reaction first, in the school rather than the stable, to make sure he likes what he sees.

“Some bossy, confident types take badly to a horse looking back at them with attitude, but most get used it. These horses may be happier with a mirror placed outside the stable.”

Sound can help, adds Debbie, so a yard radio can prove a useful distraction.

“Nothing really replaces social interaction with real horses,” she concludes. “Humans and other animals do seem to provide company, however. A horse will enjoy the comings and goings of a busy yard, where people pop in to his stable regularly to skip out or give him a quick scratch or a pat.”

Decent footing

Artificial surfaces are typically the terrain of choice in winter, when bad weather and lack of daylight can make hacking out a challenge. Will this lack of variety underfoot cause problems?

“I do not believe that working a horse only on a well-cared-for artificial surface over winter will have any detrimental effects on long-term soundness,” says Dr Liz Barr of Barr Equine Veterinary. “The horse’s cardiovascular fitness may decline if he is confined to a 20x40m school and does less hillwork, for example, but if that is a concern there are plenty of all-weather gallops available for hire.

“Overly hard ground has far more damaging effects on a horse’s soundness than overly soft ground, with regards to concussion and overall forces on the limbs,” explains Liz. “Horses working on soft ground over the winter — most commonly hunters — will tend to fatigue more easily, which may lead to a bad step and resultant injury, but with sympathetic riding this can possibly be avoided. Hard, rutted ground in the middle of summer is much less forgiving.”

If working on one surface or in an arena is the mainstay of winter exercise, Liz advises alternating the type of schooling.

“Putting the same stresses on the same structures every day can cause injury as a result of wear and tear,” she says. “Winter exercise must also take turnout into account. While time outside is essential for general wellbeing, turnout on heavily poached, deep, muddy ground or very hard icy ground is likely to be detrimental and result in injury if the horse cannot be trusted not to gallop about on such an unsuitable surface.”

Regular coat care

A clipped horse will need those layers replaced with a rug. Is it fair to keep him wrapped up all winter, or will he benefit from time unrugged to let his skin breathe?

“Horses roll primarily to shed hair and have a good scratch,” says Katie Preston MRCVS of Milbourn Equine Vets. “A horse might enjoy some time without his rug, on a warm, dry day, but he can still roll and scratch himself with it on. The key thing is that he is groomed regularly to remove grease and old hair from his coat and maintain skin health.

“One of the causes of winter skin problems is rugging a horse while he is still damp or sweaty, which provides the perfect environment for bacteria and infection,” she adds. “After working or washing him, put him in a fleece in his stable, in a solarium or under heat lamps. Brush him and replace his rug only once he is fully dry.”

Light in his life

The short, dark winter days can cause humans to suffer with a recognised medical condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which brings about depressive symptoms and lethargy. Are horses susceptible to this condition, sometimes dubbed the winter blues?

“SAD in humans is linked to a disruption in our circadian rhythms,” says Gil Riley MRCVS, of Pool House Equine Clinic, referring to the internal process that regulates our sleep-wake cycles over 24hrs. “Rather than being able to follow their natural circadian rhythms, as they would in the wild, our stabled horses are subjected to a human-driven routine. Additionally, prolonged periods of dark lead to increased levels of sleep-inducing melatonin, which, in humans, triggers a reduction in serotonin — a lack of which can cause depression.

“We don’t know for sure that the exact same process occurs in horses, but it would seem logical to suggest that stabling horses for long periods in low light or darkness may well have the effect of producing SAD like symptoms,” adds Gil. “Artificial light has proven benefits but must be used carefully, as strong lighting has the potential to cause discomfort to equine eyes. Allow your horse access to natural light for a generous part of each day — turning him out where possible, or opening a stable window.”

Ref Horse & Hound; 31 October 2019

firework inquiry

The inconsiderate and irresponsible use of fireworks should be as socially unacceptable as drink-driving, according to MPs, as almost 750,000 people have called for change.

The petitions committee has released a “landmark” report calling on the government to act on irresponsible firework use, and improve regulation of the industry.

Over the past three years, petitions asking for tighter restrictions on sales and use of fireworks have been signed more than 750,000 times by UK citizens, resulting in three House of Commons debates.

“But the government’s responses to these petitions, and ministers’ replies to the debates, left petitioners feeling frustrated and ignored,” a spokesman for the petitions committee said. “We undertook this inquiry to hear their concerns and propose changes in response to them.”

More than 307,000 people signed one petition calling for the sale of fireworks to the public to be banned, and for all venues holding displays to be licensed.

But the committee found a ban would have “unintended consequences for community groups and the good causes they support, the wider economy, and may even lead to a dangerous black market”.

It added: “While the petitions committee doesn’t support calls for an outright ban, the inquiry found clear evidence that action is needed to protect animals and some groups of people from serious adverse effects.”

The committee consulted people with a range of health conditions and disabilities, charities that support them, police, fire officers and veterans and animal welfare charities .

“The recommendations were made after listening to all sides of the debate through formal evidence from a number of interest groups during the inquiry and in public consultation events, and it was clear to see these petitions have been motivated by genuine concerns,” the spokesman said.

“Fireworks can be detrimental to animal welfare, can impact the wellbeing of those with disabilities or health conditions such as PTSD or autism, and could pose a risk to small children.”

Key recommendations include the consistent government collation and publication of data on problems associated with fireworks, laws to empower councils to tackle the issue, such as introducing permits in areas where irresponsible firework use is a problem, a review of online sales of fireworks and a strategy to tackle illegal sales.

The report added: “The government needs to review the decibel level limit of consumer fireworks, with animal welfare in mind, with a view to setting a workable reduced decibel limit that would diminish the risks to animals’ health.”

Major national awareness campaigns should also be conducted.

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Petitions committee chairman Helen Jones MP said: “Our inquiry has shone a light on the troubling impact of failing to regulate the fireworks industry effectively. From affecting the mental health of veterans, to harming animal welfare, and even threatening the health of young children, the consequences are widespread.

“It is not good enough for the government to repeatedly claim that the law protects these people and animals from harm. It does not. Now is the time for action, not apathy.

“While we do not support a ban on public sales and use of fireworks, further failure to act from the government and agencies could mean that a ban becomes the only option.”

The petitions committee has submitted the report for consideration, and expects to receive a response from the government in the new parliament.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Yikes. Today is the day of my total hip replacement.  (Left)

So, I probably won’t be on here for a few days…  Because of that, I wanted to remind you all of the November Bucket Fund horse, Rooster, and his amazing, ground breaking new protocol for wounds that won’t heal!

You can read his story here – (and the new protocol)

Please donate, if you can, your Starbucks money to help purchase all the bandages, wraps, vet visits, Xrays and other necessities one needs to keep a very wounded horse – I know from wrapping Mama Tess twice a day every day for 3 years, how very expensive it can become...

This is Rooster in his stall… with his friend, Stu, visiting him.

ALSO, to help Rooster…

EVERY DONATION COUNTS!

Click here to visit sales page! All jewelry sold benefits the Drop in the Bucket Fund. To follow us on our beautiful FB page, click here! fb-icon

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A horse suffered a horrifying 10cm deep wound when he impaled himself on a fence post in a blind panic while he tried to flee from nearby fireworks.

Laura Riding’s six-year-old Irish sports gelding Harry was found at 8am on Saturday (2 November) impaled on a fence post within a hedge.

**Warning: very graphic image**

Laura told H&H it is thought Harry had tried to escape fireworks going off at a nearby housing estate in Holywell, North Wales.

“We assume he tried to jump out of the field in a blind panic over a five-foot hedge,” she said. “He impaled his back leg on a post and we believe he was lying in the ditch all night.

“The yard owner, Lily Roberts, immediately phoned the RSPCA, a farmer, and vet for help. Lily knew I was at work and didn’t want to panic me so they tried to get him out first but she phoned me at 10am and when I arrived they were still trying to get him out.”

Laura said she was in shock when she saw Harry’s wound.

“The wound was awful, it was disgusting. The vet sedated him and gave him painkillers. The post was no longer in his leg but it was difficult trying to get the straps around his leg and not aggravate the wound more,” she said.

“Everyone who helped was amazing, the whole thing took almost five hours. We got him pulled out with a tractor and he was taken to R D Owen Equine Clinic. The vets said they were amazed Harry was still here as he was so close to hitting an artery.”

Laura said it is not known if Harry, who is still in hospital, will return to ridden work.

“The main thing is he’s still here,” she said. “It wasn’t a clean cut and he has torn his hamstring. The back half of his leg was ripped open with a 10cm deep wound all the way round. The vet stitched it but once he was in the recovery stable the sitches burst so they are having to treat it as an open wound,” she said.

“Harry has got such a such a wise head on his shoulders, everyone loves him. He’s so sensible and chilled out – he’s not the type of horse to try and jump out of a field. I’ve been visiting him at the hospital and he seems brighter, he can be very food-orientated so bringing him carrots has cheered him up.”

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Laura would like to see a ban on the sale of fireworks to the public.

“I think fireworks should be for organised displays only and on set dates. Once a firework is let off the damage is done and you can’t prove who did it,” she said.

“I hope by sharing what happened to Harry something good can come out of ths by raising awareness. It’s not fair that this can happen.”

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You may think you blend seamlessly into your current life as an astrophysicist/CEO/airline pilot, but there will always be those little telltale signs that you’re a country (and horsey-mad) girl at heart.

1. You casually suggest walking to the pub one sunny afternoon, adding brightly: “It’s only five miles or so!” Your friends fall about laughing and call an Uber.

2. While on a company team building day, you turn up in wellies and a proper coat, while everyone else is wearing ‘fashion jackets’. You’re the only person to stay warm and dry all day.

3. While on a camping trip with an urban friend, she complains that she can’t sleep because it’s too dark and too quiet. You can’t sleep because she has hysterics every time she hears an owl.

4. On the same trip, she leaves the tent in the morning only to rush back in, white faced and shaking, saying there’s a ‘herd of raging bulls’ in the next field. Intrigued, you wander out to find a row of dairy cows leaning placidly over the hedge, chewing the cud. You fall about laughing.

5. You simply can’t break yourself out of the habit of carrying ‘useful stuff’ in your pockets, such as a penknife and piece of string. You can generally be replied upon for the odd dog biscuit, as well.

6. You horrify your friends by eating handfuls of blackberries from the hedgerow. They have only seen punnets of blackberries in supermarkets and had no idea you can pick them for free.

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7. You can’t really get your head round the fact that you now have access to a reliable public transport system, and still try to walk or drive everywhere.

8. You still automatically give each new garment the ‘practicality test’ — does it have roomy pockets? Could I actually walk in those shoes? You hate it when friends leave the house without a coat.

9. Your friends buy you a ‘country house experience weekend’ at a posh hotel, and you know deep down that a real ‘country house experience’ involves no hot water, unreliable heating, a temperamental AGA, a dodgy roof and at least four dogs on the sofa and/or bed.

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Poplar Park Equestrian Centre, Hollesley, Woodbridge, Suffolk on 28 April 2013

What happened to sunny days of competing, picnic et al? Some have been suffering with the miserable weather recently and none more so than those trying to compete their beloved horses in less than favourable conditions. Here’s just a few problems we face while battling the elements on the competition circuit…

1. Brown mud + white breeches = disaster zone. You have considered taking out shares in Vanish.

2. It’s all fine if you have a lorry with a decent living, but a car and trailer combination is a great deal more labour-intensive. Trying to get changed in the trailer and make your horse look as beautiful as possible while it is tied to the outside standing in a quagmire is a fine art. And when you return to the trailer laden with wet tack and clothes there’s the million dollar question: where on earth do you put everything?

3. Spending the duration of Saturday washing, drying, re-washing and re-drying your horse, sawdusting white feathers, rugging and then re-rugging, getting up at 4am to get to the show on Sunday only to be completely immersed in mud as soon as you step off the lorry needs the stiffest of upper lips to survive.

4. The thought of a grass warm-up arena gives you clammy hands. To quote International Velvet, it’s like trying to perform Swan Lake in clogs.

5. You’re desperate to show off your horse’s wow-factor movement to the judges — but those bog-like conditions are something of a hindrance…

6. Plastic covers for your car seat are a waste of space — don’t kid yourself. Now is not the time to be a clean car person.

7. Quickly ‘nipping’ anywhere is a no-no. Spontaneous plans to go to a show? That will be an hour of bathing first. Dashing back to the tackroom across a flooded yard to pick up the girth you forgot? Welcome to mud-splashed brown-spotted breeches. Running to the secretary’s office to make a last-minute entry for the next class? Not unless you want to end up face-first in a puddle. Everything. Takes. So. Long

Continued below…


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8. Rain has an uncanny ability to make your perfectly-groomed horse’s coat go dull and flat, and for your horse to instantly tuck its belly up, flatten its ears and clamp its tail within minutes. Not the best picture…

9. The tack cleaning situation post-show looks as though you’ve had a full day of January hunting, only without the port…

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Heritage Show 11.10.19 Olympia Qual. Welsh D No.144 winner Llanarth Fair Lady

A Welsh section D mare with an enviable list of achievements under saddle topped the 2019 Brightwells’ Autumn Cob Sales (30 October-1 November).

Top lot was the flashy six-year-old dun Llanarth Fair Lady (Penlangrug Deio x Llanarth Pam Evans), owned by the Hughes family, who was sold for a trade topping £25,500 to the Alford family where she will continue her career under saddle. Her producer Katy Marriott-Payne rode the mare in the sale ring where she displayed her fabulous paces to the crowds.

Fair Lady was a Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) finalist this season in both open Welsh cob and junior ranks. She took third place in the latter final. She was auctioned with her ticket to the mountain and moorland ridden final at Olympia, a qualification she picked up at the BSPS Heritage championships last month.

The £25,500 price tag is the second-highest price to have ever been reached at the sales with the record being set last year when the Welsh section C stallion Tyrllawn Rolls-Royce sold for £45,000.

The top young stock lot was Andrew Thomas’ filly foal Caederwen Miss Monroe (Waunoris Golden Boy x Caederwen Merch Euraidd), which was knocked down for £13,500. The striking palamino found a new home with Carol Prater of the Rhencullen stud.

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Dun mares were certainly popular as Glyn Anderson’s five-year-old Welsh section C Tyntyla Catkin (Cadfach Who Dunnit x Tyntyla Catrin) scored an impressive price of £10,000.

Prices were high across the board as the sale averaged in excess of £1,400 per lot, a level which has not been achieved for some time.


Keep in touch and up to date with all the latest news, reports and exclusive features in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

This week, don’t miss our veteran special with tips and tricks to keep your golden oldie on the road, plus an insight into the competitions available to veterans across the disciplines.

Pippa Funnell (GBR) winner Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials with MGH GRAFTON STREET in the grounds of Burghley House near Stamford in Lincolnshire in the UK between 5 - 8th September 2019
A delighted Pippa Funnell poses with the Land Rover Burghley trophy.

Two equestrians are among the eight sports women to make the shortlist for the BT Sport Action Woman of the Year award 2019.

The prize, which is in its seventh year, celebrates stand-out performances from Britain’s female athletes and is decided by public vote.

This year, eventer Pippa Funnell MBE and jockey Bryony Frost have been nominated alongside competitors from the worlds of football, athletics, taekwondo, para-cycling and motorsport.

Fifty-year-old Pippa was put forward for the prize after her “return to winning ways” at this year’s Burghley, 14 years after her last four-star (now five-star) victory; while Bryony was nominated after becoming the first female jockey to win a Grade One race over fences at Cheltenham.

CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Jockey Bryony Frost poses with the trophy after she rides Frodon to victory during the Ryanair Chase during St Patrick's Thursday at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 14, 2019 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Bryony Frost with the Ryanair Chase trophy after she rode Frodon to victory in the Grade One at Cheltenham.

Other nominees include last year’s recipient sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, who broke British records this year while claiming a gold and two silvers in the world championships at 100m and 200m.

Voting is now open at btsport.com/actionwoman2019 and closes at 11.59pm on 1 December.

The shortlist was selected by a panel of judges including Clare Balding OBE, Rachel Brown-Finnis, Caroline Barker, Tammy Parlour MBE (co-founder of the Women’s Sport Trust), Jude Kelly CBE (director of the WOW Foundation), and Adam Sills (head of sport at The Telegraph).

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Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “It has been an incredible, record-breaking year for women’s sport, both for individuals and teams. From football and horse racing, to motorsport and martial arts, we are proud to celebrate the achievements of our nominees and hope that their performances will inspire the next generation of athletes.

“We would encourage everyone to continue to show their appreciation and admiration by voting for their favourite sportswoman of 2019.”

The awards, hosted by Clare Balding, will be shown across multiple platforms, including BT Sport 1, on the BT Sport app, BTsport.com and on Twitter on Monday, 9 December from 7.30pm.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well and have had a moment to breath if you have been eventing this season, now that 2019 has drawn to a close.

When the season finishes for competing it can often bring a mix bag of emotions. For some, it may have been the most amazing run, that only in your dreams could you think of pulling off (Piggy we salute you!). But for others, it may have been more up and down or just damn right challenging.

Whatever situation you are in, there is always a positive to be drawn and a way forwards for next season, if you have the commitment and willpower.

November time for me sees my coaching kick into full swing. I was really pleased (and a touched relieved) to gain my UKCC Level 3 training qualification earlier in the year, which has given me a greater depth of knowledge and further skill set in terms of teaching. I won’t lie, the exams were hard work, but really rewarding and if you are looking at the coaching route, I would highly recommend this pathway.

With significant time and energy put into gaining my Level 3, I have really tried to get myself out there as much as possible in terms of offering training days at various different training venues.

Recently I had a great session at West Wilts, where we all kept nice and dry in their indoor arena! I was teaching three talented students on lovely horses and it was a really positive session. During the lesson we did a good warm-up and then jumped around a course. Three important rules came up during our time, which I thought might be good to share in this blog too:

1. Engine — making sure you have quality in the canter (not necessarily faster)

2. Straightness — on approach and landings. Finishing the turn so the horse is on two tracks and not three.

3. Balance — nine times out of 10 if we balance ourselves, the horse becomes instantly more balanced. Using the focus of the eye being up not down really helps with this.

With the lesson being indoors, it also highlighted how quickly things can come up during a course when moving into those smaller spaces during the winter months. Preparation is key in these instances and always making sure you are looking ahead.

I am looking forward to going back to West Wilts on 2 December and 13 January, and I think it is really useful to have a practice indoors if you are thinking of doing some indoor winter showjumping.

I sadly had to cancel my Saracen Horse Feeds jumping clinic over the weekend as the great British weather certainly turned against us in a big way! However, we are already looking at finding a new date. This clinic is great as it allows me to team up with my long-term feed sponsors, who offer all participants a complimentary diet review and use of their weighbridge — which, when we are moving into the colder months, is a really useful exercise.

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Away from coaching, I am also so happy to announce a new supporter. Harcour are now my official clothing sponsor and to say I am over the moon is an understatement. I have loved their kit for a long time and am so grateful for all the wonderful clothes they have sent me. I am not just saying this, but I have never worn such comfortable, stylish and long-lasting kit. I feel very lucky to be able to be able to wear it and look forward to showcasing their brand.

Overall, I think that is all from me for this time. I am looking forward to a busy couple of months training and look forward to sharing all my news with you all next time.

C x

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday