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Inside Track Eventing

The journey of an amateur rider, and her two wonderful horses, into the world of eventing in Ireland

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Author: Natalie

Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Twelve: Thank You For All That You Do

Welcome to Day Eleven of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 28, 2020
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Eleven: Show Season, Sorted

Welcome to Day Eleven of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 26, 2020
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Ten: Dear Santa – Love, Equestrian Bloggers

Welcome to Day Ten of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 25, 2020
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Nine: One Trip and You’re Done

[AD] As a Brand Ambassador for TRI Equestrian, I reached out to ask them would they be willing to feature […]

By NatalieNovember 24, 2020
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Eight: Stocking Fillers

Welcome to Day Eight of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 23, 2020
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Seven: From Field to Fab

Welcome to Day Seven of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 22, 2020
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Six: Getting Personal

Welcome to Day Six of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 20, 2020
cromwellandlucy
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Five: Horses at Home

Welcome to Day Five of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 19, 2020
equetech inferno
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Four: For the Rider

Welcome to Day Four of the 12 Days of Giftmas by Inside Track Eventing – the ultimate Equestrian Christmas Gift […]

By NatalieNovember 18, 2020
Blog, Christmas Gift Guide

The 12 Days of Giftmas, Day Three: Yard & Tack Room Essentials

(AD – This post contains some PR Products, which I have labelled as such throughout. My opinions & recommendations remain […]

By NatalieNovember 17, 2020

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🌟 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 🌟
🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland
🧠 Honesty, Mental Health & Self Talk

Natalie - Equestrian Blogger🐴
“𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚” Now there’s something that isn’t often said about Paddy 😂 But that’s exactly what the judge said on our dressage score sheet today - and it was well deserved as Paddy tried his little heart out for me today ❤️ Another sweltering hot day for our first outing of 2021, the Riding Club National Dressage Champs qualifiers. I’d been practicing at home all week and Paddy had been going so well for me. He warmed up beautifully for me, was lovely, supple and forward - and I was starting to feel like maybe we could produce a pleasing test! That was, until, with two horses before me, the steward told me that I couldn’t compete with my grackle bridle - as it had a sheepskin pad under the grackle, and that was against dressage rules. I always thought the no sheepskin rule was for sheepskin noseband covers, as I’d competed in many dressage shows with the same bridle and never had an issue. My fault for not checking the rules 🙄 So that I could compete, my friend kindly loaned me her Micklem bridle (doesn’t Paddy look so smart in it 🥰), so I quickly swapped my bit onto it, bridled up and remounted, arriving back in the warmup just as it was my turn to trot down the centre line. Paddy felt different in the Micklem - he was reluctant to move forward into the contact like he would in his grackle, and I even found him bracing against the bit at times, making it hard to get flexion when I needed it. That coupled with the heat meant I had to work VERY hard in both tests, riding tactfully - but Paddy tried his little heart out and did everything he was supposed to when I asked, he was just a little wooden and behind the leg. We rode our test for two different judges, and both judges awarded us 66% - so we were consistent! 🥰 Their comments both mentioned Paddy’s lovely paces, but his need to be more forward and supple - consistent with what I felt on board. There were some incredible combinations competing today so we didn’t place, but I’m just thrilled with the scores we were able to achieve in sweltering heat with a last minute tack change! It shows me that Paddy still has so much more to offer me inside the white boards 🥰❤️
It was far too hot to do anything today, so me, Pa It was far too hot to do anything today, so me, Paddy and his mane went for a little amble around the fields ☀️ ad (pr) and not a single fly came near us thanks to the @leovet_uk_ireland Power Phaser - it’s powerful stuff I tell ya 💪🏻
A beautiful evening for some schooling ☀️ To A beautiful evening for some schooling ☀️ Today we worked on a problem I count myself lucky to have - changing the rein across the diagonal in canter, and trotting after X, without Paddy doing a flying change 😂 Bless him he is such a good boy and really loves his flying changes but it would be nice if he waited for me to ask to do them 🥰😂 Massive shout out to @sarahelebert_eventing who DM’d me some fab tips to practice this, and by the end of the session we had absolutely nailed it and he was waiting for me to ask for a transition instead of doing it himself! Every time I ride this horse I finish with a smile on my face. He feels amazing and I’m so hopeful he continues to go this well for me ❤️
Currently thinking about how I’m going to cram t Currently thinking about how I’m going to cram this mane into plaits for when we go dressage-ing 🧐 I think we’ll be putting the @leovet_uk_ireland Plaiting Gel to the test (PR product) 💪🏻
😝 😝
𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 It’s not just about the rosettes. Not the wins, the placings, the clear rounds. It’s not just about the training. Not the fastest time, the most square halt, the cleanest flying changes. It’s not just about the riding. Not the weekly exercise regimes, the fitness plans, or the balance of hacking, schooling and competing. It’s about the love of the horse. The feeling of walking into the stable, or to the field, and seeing pricked ears, or hearing that soft nicker calling to you. The little nuzzle into your shoulder, or that head wrapping around you and pulling you in for a treat as you stand outside the stable door. The fuzzy feeling of catching them lying down snoozing, or seeing them have a satisfying roll after riding or coming back from a show. The little quirks, the uniqueness of their nature, and the joy of learning what makes them tick and how to get the best out of them. It’s about so much more than riding and competing. It’s about the bond we form with a horse over time - whether they are ours, on loan, or a horse we ride weekly at a riding school. It’s about the little kid who fell in love with horses and never looked back. It’s about the animal first, and the sport second. Because it’s not just about riding. It’s about the horse.
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