I’m Tottie’s new ‘Roving Riding Reporter’

by on ·#horseygirllife, Interviews
Reporter's notebook

When an email from Tottie dropped into my inbox offering me the opportunity to work with them I jumped at the chance! I was familiar the brand because back in the day I had a blue Tottie gilet that I wore to death, and had to eventually consign to the bin when I tore it open climbing through some barbed wire fencing. (I wasn’t being chased by an angry bull or anything I just have poor spacial awareness!!) Rode both horses this morning. Mile long canter with Bolly and some school work with Dustry now for some guilty pleasures! Chillaxing…

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Wicked time at Wickstead Horseplay

by on ·Competition Reports & Training
wickstead

Now the lorry is back and the eventing season has begun it was time to get Bolly out to do some SJ practice before his first event. We boxed up and whizzed to Wickstead Horseplay a great local arena with lovely SJs and a few XC fences dotted about the arena making it a great place to kill 2 birds with 1 stone.   Bolly is such a dude I totally love this guy, it’s like riding a big hairy marshmallow. A little bigger than I would like atm as he still appears to be ‘carrying a little Christmas weight’…

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No more jumping over the lorry partition with these new anti-jump lorry modifications!

by on ·Tried & Tested
horselorrypartition

When a horse tries to jump over the breast bar partition into the Groom’s area it is quite frankly bl**dy terrifying and not an experience I (or Mummy Groom) ever wish to go through again! If you missed the drama first time around click here to read up on Bolly’s lorry leaping escapades!! To prevent the little bouncing beast from attempting this ever again we took our lorry to local coach-builders Trevett & Smith near Salisbury for some modifications. Dustry loves the lorry and has never even hinted at thinking about jumping over the breast-bar into the open Groom’s area…

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A scoop, is a scoop, is a scoop, right? wrong!

by on ·Tried & Tested
skup

Not when a scoop is a SKUP! Emma from Huf Designs the brains behind this new feed scoop design got in touch to see if I would like to trial the SKUP and review it. To be perfectly honest at first I thought, well…. how much better than an old milk carton cut into a scoop, or the battered old Stubbs round scoop I have can this thing really be??? Putting scepticism to one side, there was only one way to find out so Emma popped my Skup in the post! Straight away you can feel that this Skup will…

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That awkward moment when you lose a sponsor…

by on ·#horseygirllife
Mountain-Horse-Majesty-Jacket-Mulberry-Brand

I’ve spent the last 7 years decked out in the latest and greatest Mountain Horse gear, from head to toe I’ve been warm, well shod and waterproof, but today I sadly got the official news that their sponsorship has to come to an end. When I first contacted Mountain Horse back in Jan 2009 I was overjoyed by the positive response I got, and when my first delivery of goodies arrived I almost spontaneously combusted with excitement. My speculative email had some how done the trick and here I was riffling through a box jam packed with ridiculously lovely gear,…

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We are not enjoying winter today & will not pretend otherwise #hobbyshaming

by on ·#horseygirllife
grumpycat

You know those girls that say ‘Oooh I love Winter it’s my favourite season!’ well I am NOT one of those girls. I imagine those girls must be capable of matching their bra and pants 6 out of 7 days a week, have hair which is always ‘on fleek’ and sport immaculate intricately painted nails (nice indoors-y hobbies and pursuits) because one thing’s for sure they do not own a horse! This time of year is a series of early dark mornings, regular rain drenching, daily equine dung disposal, heavy lifting, hosing, hay net haulage, mud fighting, money draining of vampiric…

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Something lovely made by These Fair Hands

by on ·Tried & Tested
tfh

Dustry aka Captain Calamity is very unhappy at the moment, being ridden in walk for 20mins really isn’t cutting the mustard for this little workaholic. Add to that the fact that ‘the hairy marshmallow’ aka Bolly came back last weekend gloating about his foot perfect cross country and 1st place, and he’s got a bad case of ‘the blues’. Thankfully something just arrived in the post to cheer up the old sad sack, and if this doesn’t work it will have to be ‘Pony Prozac’ The crafty peeps at These Fair Hands got in touch to see if I would…

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Bouncing Bolly aka “The Come Back King”

by on ·Competition Reports & Training
bb

Since Dustry is ‘off games’ I have hijacked Mummy Groom’s mount and set about getting to grips with him in prep for some competitions this winter. We went XC schooling and he was ace, check out the video below. We then went for a show jumping lesson with my instructor Amanda Brewer and he was double ace! Compared to Dustry, Bolly feels like riding something that’s about 2 inches long, and made of rubber….reading that back that sounds very wrong! but horsey peeps will get what I mean 😉   It’s taking some adjusting to get used to him and…

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Hind Suspensory Ligament stops play!

by on ·Uncategorized

It seems that all I have been reading, researching, thinking and talking about recently is a little ligament that until a few months ago I hadn’t even thought twice about! Firstly if you have a similar issue check out this Facebook group it’s very helpful to talk to people going through the same thing > PSD Discussion Group Facebook Something wasn’t right with Dustry, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I couldn’t see anything conclusive when watching him from the floor, but when riding he felt slightly lop sided behind and just ‘not right’. I’m afraid that’s as…

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Red Arrows & “Small Pointies” Going AWOL @ Crown Farm ODE

by on ·Competition Reports & Training
BCFS4463

Finally after 4 months of waiting (due to my new saddle being in production and then a freak muscle strain he needed to recover from) Dustry and I entered Crown Farm 80cm ODE. It was time to dust the cobwebs off my cross country colours and pack up ‘The Beastmobile’ for a days eventing. Having not been between the white boards and done dressage on grass since….errrmm….October last year Dustry managed to contain his excitement pretty well. The ground was hard and slippy so I studded up with ‘little pointies’ (yes that’s what all the pros refer to them as…

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