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Inside Track Eventing

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: Product Reviews

hv polo kari parka
Blog, Product Reviews

Well Prepped for Winter: New Waterproof Jacket, Socks & Ear Warmers!

I’m not one to usually post a lot of rider outfits but today I was especially pleased with how well […]

By NatalieNovember 14, 2020
friends sweater
Blog, Product Reviews

2020: The One with the Lockdown (Sweater)!

(AD – PR Product) This product was kindly provided to me for free by Bridie Grace Designs as a thank […]

By NatalieNovember 13, 2020
equine artwork
Blog, Product Reviews

An artist creates the best depiction of my horses I have ever seen!

(AD – PR PRODUCT) This product was kindly provided to me for free by Creations by Katie in exchange for […]

By NatalieNovember 11, 2020
equetech inferno coat
Blog, Product Reviews

Introducing… The Equetech Inferno Long Quilted Coat!

My prize for winning the Equestrian Blogger Awards has arrived, and oh my is it beautiful This is the Inferno […]

By NatalieOctober 30, 2020
balmoral equestrian leather gel
Blog, Product Reviews

Tried & Tested: Balmoral Equestrian Leather Gel

The latest in my products from Balmoral Equestrian that I’ve been trying for the last few weeks – the Leather […]

By NatalieSeptember 13, 2020
Product Reviews

AD // Product Review: Balmoral Equestrian Coconut Horse Shampoo

A few weeks ago, I bought a tack restoration kit for my saddle from Balmoral Equestrian – to revive the […]

By NatalieAugust 6, 2020
equestrian blogger of the year awards

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🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland
🧠 Honesty, Mental Health & Self Talk

Natalie - Equestrian Blogger🐴
Ah, to be back at the beach with good friends 🌊 Ah, to be back at the beach with good friends 🌊🥰 Although it’s certainly not beach weather anymore! Someone hit the “winter” button and we are well and truly swapping in the wooly hats, warm jackets and medium weight rugs! It’s also clipping season 👀🐻 October is a busy month for me which means it’s quiet for Paddy! He’s had an easy few weeks and is having this week off entirely - next week I’ll do a bit with him to take the edge off and then get him clipped! I’m then hoping to get going in late October again with the showjumping so we can keep working towards my goal of completing a 1.10 before the end of year 🤭 There, I said it! Does that mean I have to do it now?! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend planned 🥰
This guy is going SO well lately, putting a big sm This guy is going SO well lately, putting a big smile on my face every time I ride 🥰 It was an incredibly hard decision to make the move from two horses to one - a decision I laboured over for quite some time before committing - but I know for sure now that it was the right one. I was killing myself and burning the candle at both ends trying to work long hours, see family and friends, spend time with my partner, and make the 40-60 min drive each way to ride two horses 4-5 days a week. God, even writing it makes me feel tired 😴 I constantly felt like I was letting something or someone down - and when it came to the horses, I felt like I was never getting the best out of either of them as I couldn’t give them both the time they needed. Focusing on just Paddy has allowed me to improve his way of going, making him more supple, and start working my way towards some of the lofty goals I set for myself a few years ago with him. Im also hoping this will all help keep him sounder for longer! I also feel under less pressure and it isn’t the end of the world if I miss a couple of days riding as I have less catching up to do with one. The cherry on top is the fact that Flash has found a wonderful home where she is being so well cared for and spoiled - it’s all I could have asked for ❤️ It’s not to say I won’t ever get another, but for the foreseeable (as long as Paddy stays sound), I am so content with trying to reach my goals with my boy. I might have to adapt them to suit his needs but the journey is as much fun as the destination ❤️
Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes - I had Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes - I had a wonderful morning on the beach with my bestie, behind these ears 🥰🌊 He wasn’t thrilled about the waves - he did take a lead in and actually enjoyed being in the sea when everything was still, but promptly scarpered back to land when the waves came in, almost depositing me on a few occasions 😂 Thank god for the oh s**t strap that I clung firmly onto 😂 And thanks also to the best farrier ever who was up replacing a lost shoe at 7.30am this morning so I could get to the beach for my birthday! Not all heroes wear capes 🦸‍♂️
A lovely (albeit very wet and windy!) few days awa A lovely (albeit very wet and windy!) few days away in West Cork for a pre-birthday celebration 🥰 Now back in Dublin and giving Paddy a light exercise day in preparation for a birthday beach ride with my bestie tomorrow - my actual birthday 🥳 Last time I was at the beach with Paddy was 2016 and he napped the whole way onto it so I’m looking forward to seeing how he reacts tomorrow 🤣
✨ Off for a little break ✨ I’m heading away ✨ Off for a little break ✨ I’m heading away for a couple of days with my other half today and switching off 🥰 We’ve both been running at 100 miles an hour the last few months - him working full time in his day job and working weekends as a COVID Vaccinator, and me working long hours on a new product launch at work, and trying to fit riding in too! So we are very much looking forward to a few days away 😌 It’s also my birthday next week and I refuse to work it 😂 So I’m off all next week and have some fun things planned to enjoy my time off! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend whatever you get up to 🥰
Another lesson brain dump, this time a showjumping Another lesson brain dump, this time a showjumping lesson - feat. an old pic of Paddy looking delicious all clipped out 🥰 SJ lesson with Taylor Vard this evening - last one we had was in late May, and we spent most of that working on straightness. Making sure Paddy was between my leg and hand, not drifting, not hanging on my inside hand, and was moving off my leg when I asked him to straighten his body. We have been working VERY hard on this at home! Not only putting in the work in our sessions day to day, but also investing in flatwork lessons with @sarahelebert_eventing to really sharpen ourselves up on the flat to improve our jumping. After all, you spend about 75% of your time in a SJ course on the flat 😂 So to say I was thrilled to have positive feedback from Taylor on how much we improved since we last saw him, would be an understatement 🥰 He was thrilled with the improvement in us both, noting how much straighter and more rideable Paddy was on the flat and to the fence, and gave me such positive feedback on the hard work I’d done since he last saw us. So pleased to see the hard work starting to pay off 💪🏻 Key things to remember from today’s lesson: - More work on the inside track. It highlights lack of straightness and tendencies to drift very quickly. Ride off the track pretty much all the time unless you need the space to turn to a fence. Even babies can do this. - Opening a rein to ask them to move into it is effective - but come back to neutral position with your hand again. Don’t use a constant open rein (or worse, both reins open) as a crutch. Open, straighten, then neutral. - When Paddy is throwing his shapes (i.e bucking 😂), take a marginally lighter seat and get your weight off him. He’s less likely to buck then and you can still get your leg on. This worked! - When landing after jumping a fence, try to canter on the three quarter line/inside track instead of gravitating to the outside track. - Look where you are bloody going not at the horses head 🙄 I don’t know if you find these useful or insightful - would love to know! But they are so helpful for me to jot everything down in the moment and come back to!
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