Before you begin, this is a long one – get a cuppa and a supply of mince pies before getting comfy…  One minute we are all sliding around in the mud at Badminton, then suddenly in the blink of an eye its mince pie consuming season already. Huge apologies for the lack of blogs this season – I would say I have just been too busy having fun and maybe you’re enjoyed the piece & quiet. If I am honest (and I lik eto be in these blogging adventures) the main reason for the lack of blogs has been complete burnout. Total exhaustion whilst quietly drowning in an ocean of work.   Sunrising ..read more

Well surely it’s better to sing about it, than complain about it; Mother Nature can’t be persuaded after all that we’ve had enough of the wet stuff. Although those poor souls who have endured my singing would perhaps say not! Making the best of conditions - Piggy March & Brookfield Cavalier Cruise on their way to a pillar to post victory in the CCI4*S class, Thoresby Eventing Spring Carnival, April 2023 So the last dregs of winter finally passed by and then suddenly we are in the midst of Spring events. I would love to say that I have spent my winter learning, purchasing new kit and getti ..read more

Happy New Year to my trusty, loyal blog readers (what’s the etiquette, can we still get away with saying HNY this late in Jan?, well I’m rogue all the time so why break the habit hey?!) You find me on a freezing woodland walk, getting the steps in ahead of the new season. Enjoying the peaceful woodland, which is hopefully soothing the raging mood that my last few weekend schedules of yard shoots have been decimated by the frozen blanket that the U.K. found itself under recently. Christmas is a distant memory, January has felt eleventy billion days long, but alas there is light at the end of wh ..read more

What a year that was. Again another season has come to an end, all the turkey and trimmings eaten and time to recap on the stellar year of equestrian adventures I have been lucky enough to enjoy with my team of riders and clients, before the fitness work kicks off in preparation of the new season. There have been so many highlights, I decided to pick out my most memorable moments in photos from the 2022 season. Here are my picks: Yasmin Ingham & Banzai du Loir on their victory lap at FEI World Championships, Pratoni del Vivaro Yasmin Ingham & Banzai du Loir on their victory lap at FEI ..read more

Sitting here in my kitchen on New Years Eve, its hard to know where the year went; its flown by in a blur for me. The result of which is that I am only just finding a few spare minutes to catch up on the last adventures of the season and cap off what has been a turbulent but overall successful year. The snow & horizontal rain of Polar Park back in March seemed a distant memory in the 25 degree sunshine in Pau. Photo thanks & credit: Digital Equine We left off  the previous blog with the adventures having just landed back from Pratoni and onwards I went into the final push towards ..read more

It feels like we had all been looking forward to Pratoni since the curtain came down on Tokyo. Team GB supporters were put in full force at Pratoni del Vivaro The build up as palpable as the previous year and for me personally, it was so different. It’s hard as a freelancer to know when to make the trip, will the trip be worthwhile, can you make it pay and what outcomes you need to call it a success. The build up had been a little turbulent, with the trip on and off and back in again. A fortunate conversation at Burghley resulted in some fabulously friendly travel companions joining me on the ..read more

Firstly, a massive than you for all the kind comments and messages on my Alby tribute blog – much appreciated - and apologies for the lack of updates, its been a little hectic around here, but maybe you have enjoyed the radio silence?! Well folks, we have reached (and probably crept past) the mid-point of the season. For me this means chasing riders for second-half season plans and goals, working out where they are all going and therefore where I am going. And that seems a big question; where am I going? Tim Price & Vitali, Festival of British Eventing Gatcombe, August 2022 It’s been a he ..read more

Some horses just get under your skin and pull at the heart strings and ever since watching a young, relatively unknown rider called Ros Canter that a now dear friend asked me to look out for, on her gigantic dark bay equine companion, I have been smitten. Walking on water: Allstar B & Ros Canter on their way to winning the CCI4*S, Burgham International, July 2020 Who couldn’t be?! For all 17hh of dear Alby were just perfection. The heart and courage of a lion, combined with fleetness of foot in the dressage, made for the perfect event horse. No horse looked to be enjoying galloping along ..read more

They say good things come to those that wait – and boy was it a long wait to drive back through the stone-walled entrance of Badminton Horse Trials once again. Three long years since I was there and to say I was giddy to be back was a monumental understatement.    Badminton Champions: Laura Collett & London 52 on their victory lap after landing the 2022 Badminton Horse Trials presented by Mars Equestrian The story begins on a chilly late January afternoon, sitting in front of the fire, typing out my press accreditation application. (Yes we do enter before the competitors and fin ..read more

The three-year wait is so very nearly over, final prep runs in the bag, bubble wrap installed, so then the conversation drifts towards the Winners Trophy.   Who shall be lifting the new magnificent new trophy, created by the award-winning animal sculptor Judy Boyt – well given the look of the hefty wait of the Oak used from the Badminton estate, who’ll be strong enough to lift the trophy aloft on Sunday afternoon?  In the recent weeks, much has been debated over who deserves to win, who will win, who will lead after the first phase and will the dressage record be broken.&nb ..read more