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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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Category: Humour

Blog, Humour

Anatomy of a Midweek Routine for a Horse Owner in Winter

Aim to finish work at 5.30. Actually finish work at 6.45 as you inefficiently managed your time throughout the working […]

By NatalieOctober 28, 2020
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๐ŸŒŸ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ ๐—˜๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—•๐—น๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฌ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐ŸŒŸ
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช Dublin, Ireland
๐Ÿง  Honesty, Mental Health & Self Talk

Natalie - Equestrian Blogger๐Ÿด
โ€œ๐™‡๐™ค๐™ซ๐™š๐™ก๐™ฎ ๐™ค๐™—๐™š๐™™๐™ž๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™ฎ๐™ฅ๐™šโ€ Now thereโ€™s something that isnโ€™t often said about Paddy ๐Ÿ˜‚ But thatโ€™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 โค๏ธ Another sweltering hot day for our first outing of 2021, the Riding Club National Dressage Champs qualifiers. Iโ€™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 couldnโ€™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 Iโ€™d competed in many dressage shows with the same bridle and never had an issue. My fault for not checking the rules ๐Ÿ™„ So that I could compete, my friend kindly loaned me her Micklem bridle (doesnโ€™t Paddy look so smart in it ๐Ÿฅฐ), 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! ๐Ÿฅฐ Their comments both mentioned Paddyโ€™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 didnโ€™t place, but Iโ€™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 ๐Ÿฅฐโค๏ธ
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 โ˜€๏ธ ad (pr) and not a single fly came near us thanks to the @leovet_uk_ireland Power Phaser - itโ€™s powerful stuff I tell ya ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป
A beautiful evening for some schooling โ˜€๏ธ To A beautiful evening for some schooling โ˜€๏ธ 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 ๐Ÿ˜‚ 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 ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜‚ Massive shout out to @sarahelebert_eventing who DMโ€™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 Iโ€™m so hopeful he continues to go this well for me โค๏ธ
Currently thinking about how Iโ€™m going to cram t Currently thinking about how Iโ€™m going to cram this mane into plaits for when we go dressage-ing ๐Ÿง I think weโ€™ll be putting the @leovet_uk_ireland Plaiting Gel to the test (PR product) ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป
๐Ÿ˜ ๐Ÿ˜
๐™„๐™ฉโ€™๐™จ ๐™–๐™—๐™ค๐™ช๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™„๐™ฉโ€™๐™จ ๐™–๐™—๐™ค๐™ช๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™จ๐™š Itโ€™s not just about the rosettes. Not the wins, the placings, the clear rounds. Itโ€™s not just about the training. Not the fastest time, the most square halt, the cleanest flying changes. Itโ€™s not just about the riding. Not the weekly exercise regimes, the fitness plans, or the balance of hacking, schooling and competing. Itโ€™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. Itโ€™s about so much more than riding and competing. Itโ€™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. Itโ€™s about the little kid who fell in love with horses and never looked back. Itโ€™s about the animal first, and the sport second. Because itโ€™s not just about riding. Itโ€™s about the horse.
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