A Teen's Dressage Dream

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose...

2012-01-27T22:08:00.000Z

As my life is now finally back on track and things are starting to work out exactly how I planned, I think I'd better recap you all on what is going on right now. Even I find it hard to keep up with the twists and turns that my life takes!

So as you all have recently read, I am now based with Sandy Phillips at Aston Farm, Gloucestershire. In an area I have always loved and wanted to live in, I now have an amazing trainer with amazing facilities for the horses too. So that side of things is finally worked out and this year is looking promising.

It's always been a preference of mine to have my horses on DIY livery because I find it really important to be 'hands-on' with your horses - to not only ride them, but care for them and know exactly their behaviour/traits and notice any slight problems that arise. However since leaving Talland back in 2010, I havn't been able to have the horses on DIY because of college and I have lived too far away from the yard (it takes me anywhere from 30 mins on clear roads to 50 mins in traffic to get to and from the horses every day). Now that I am no longer at college (I do distance-learning) and I have found a yard I want to stay at permanently, now is the time to move from town-life in Cheltenham to country-style living out near Tetbury, as close to the yard as possible. That way I can travel to and from the horses whenever I like in no time at all. I am looking for a room to rent at the moment until we can find a more permanent dwelling... I cannot wait to have my horses literally down the road!

So that is two of the biggest things sorted. Now for my education... First of all, a bit of history. I passed all my GCSE's in Australia with straight As. Then I came to England and have almost a year off until I started my A-levels at Hartpury College. I completed my first year whilst having the horses at AM Dressage, which was extremely convenient as I was able to ride until 9pm if I needed to because of the indoor school. When I moved out of AM in September to a yard where the horses could get turnout over the winter and cross-train, there was no indoor school. Because of daily lectures I still had to ride at night, which does not mix with being outdoors in the middle of winter! I also wasn't getting the riding time and enough availability to go away for competitions and squad training, which ultimately could harm my Young Rider campaign this year, so I decided to leave Hartpury and complete my A-levels via distance learning.

I started with Biology, and did a course that condensed AS and A2 into one year. However, I started the course two months late, and the confusion of what exactly I had to do and settling in to the course also took some time to figure out. This put a huge time pressure on me to get my work submitted in time, especially as the recommended study hours is about six hours a day - something that will not happen when I am with the horses all day anyway. I also found it pointless to study a subject that is pretty much irrelevant to what I want to do, especially when I have no interest in going to university any time soon.

So now my next turn of events is to study an Equine BTEC, which in hindsight is the very first thing I should have chosen to do. Everyone familiar with the English education system could say that there is a stigma attached to doing BTECs - that they are a 'soft option' and that you may as well just do A-levels. Well having been through A-levels and finding it really does not suit me, I completely disagree. I find it extremely difficult to sit in a classroom for 4-5 hours a day studying something that I know will not help me achieve my dreams and goals, and I can't help that I feel like I am wasting my time. I think for people who know exactly what path they want to go down, BTECs are perfect as they are relevant, give you UCAS points to get you into Uni in a relevant course, and provide you with a lot more knowledge in your field of work (ie horses).

A lot of people ask my why I don't want to go to Uni; they say I'm missing out on loads of fun and a good "growing up" experience, let alone missing the chance to get qualified to have a good job. Well, I've already been through a "growing up" experience when I moved to another country by myself at 16, and I have experienced the "real world" without having to head off to Uni and live without my parents for the first time. I know that I will have a good job because it is a job that involves my passion - in fact, it is hardly a job, it is a lifestyle. How many people go to Uni with no idea of what career they want, jump from degree to degree, come out with qualifications and still not know what they want to do or can't get a job? At least I can say I'm 18, have various riding qualifications (BHS Stage 3, Little Bronze and Big Bronze German Medals), an international Young Rider representing Great Britain, and now self-employed. I also consider myself extremely lucky to have complete support from my family who is behind me in everything I do.

What about if you end up not being able to ride for whatever reason? That is a question commonly asked by many in the equine industry. Well, just think of how HUGE the industry is and all the fields of work an equine enthusiast can go into - breeding, farm/stud management, FEI, BEF, event management, BHS, teaching, physio, nutrition... the possibilities are endless. Just riding horses is not the be-all end-all of the industry. Anyone with a passion for horses will find a way to work with them whether they can ride them or not, and I for one can't imagine my life without a horse in it. So whether I'm an international rider or not, a BTEC will always come in handy.

And just because I'm not going to university now with all the rest of my friends doesn't mean I won't ever go in the future. Currently as a Young Rider that is on the TASS programme, the Excel Talent Programme, the Young Rider Squad, and therefore required to compete in Europe and attend all squad training sessions as well as support workshops for TASS and Excel Talent, I know from previous experience that it is extremely difficult to keep up to date in lectures when I am away so often.

So that is my current situation, I am still yet to choose my BTEC course (any suggestion very much appreciated!) and move into my new area closer to the yard, but everything is going perfectly and I am so happy with the direction my career is taking. I may have even scored myself a casual job at the yard, so finally get to put my skills to good use and earn something out of it :)

At the end of the day, I moved to England to achieve one dream - to be a successful international rider (Young Rider at the moment) and make dressage my life and career. Anything that gets in the way of that needs to be sorted out. So in this situation of mine, it makes sense to follow this mantra:

The big day

2012-01-23T18:01:00.003Z

Today was the big day - Seb has moved to Aston Farm! Julius is making his arrival tomorrow, he hasn't even seen the yard yet so I'm excited for him to walk off the lorry and in to his nice big stable, right next to Seb :)

I had an extremely exciting moment today as I washed Seb off after our lesson.... There is hot water in the wash bay!!!!! For the first time since I left home in Australia, I finally now have access to a hot water hose to wash the boys in lush warm water. This has seriously made my year.

Amazing... a bucket of hot water
straight from the hose!

Seb in his new bedroom :)

Words can't describe my excitement for the year ahead, if it hadn't been for all my recent 'lows' I wouldn't be here, so for them I am very grateful for!

A cheeky drive in my lorry on the way out of the yard!

Never Give Up...

2012-01-22T22:12:00.000Z

For anyone going through a time of nearly giving up... Don't do it.

Just a thought....

2012-01-20T16:31:00.005Z

Just continuing from my last post, I raise the question: How many riders out there actually have their trainer sit on their horse? Whether regularly or at least once every six months?

I'm a believer that it is important to have someone more experienced and knowledgable ride your horse, as they can immediately pin-point problems that sometimes you thought were acceptable/normal. It is almost like you get a reality check on your training, and regularly get pointed in the right direction.

Sure, some people say that a good trainer with a good eye won't have to get on your horse, but just think of how many horses out there look stunning, but in reality are extremely difficult to ride, or not evenn correctly trained...

Things have to go wrong before they can get better....

2012-01-19T09:03:00.004Z

So, last time I wrote I was getting ready for a PSG on Seb last Thursday. Well I can truthfully say that we didn't have a very good day. It was just one of those times where I couldn't get him in front of my leg and connected in the warm-up, so in the test he fell even further behind my leg and dropped me. I should have expected it really, if I can't get it in the warm-up, I should expect nothing in the test.

It was quite a big competition field too, as everyone is trying to get out and do their test-runs for Addington High Profile. So not the best place to get a less than decent score, but right now, things are definitely looking up! I have been without a trainer for six months and as the competition season is approaching fast (and after Thursday's performance bringing on the reality that a reliable, good trainer is a vital part of success) I really needed to come to a decision of what to do about the situation. I have been looking high and low for trainers, but it isn't as simple as just picking one out of a hat, packing up everything and moving to them.

However, after the squad training session last weekend with Sandy Phillips, I was immediately attracted to her style and approach to training. I have since had just three lessons with her, and the difference in Seb is unbelievable.

Her yard - Aston Farm - is just beautiful. Seb had a little sleepover on the weekend and his stable was actually bigger than my own bedroom! So with amazing training and perfect facilities, we have decided to move the boys over there next week. Sue and Gary at Cheltenham Dressage have been absolutely amazing in their support and care for the horses, and they were a perfect place to keep the horses over the winter for some cross-training, hacking, and all-weather turn-out. However I really find it important to be based with your trainer, and with the competition season coming up, the time is now to move.

I think my past 6 months can be summed up in the saying - "Things have to go wrong before they can get better". I have felt like I've been in a rut and trying to climb out... there is no ladder to get me out, I have to build the strength to climb myself out.

Positive, successful and productive weekend!

2012-01-10T19:13:00.000Z

It was a busy weekend for Sebastian and I, we were off strutting our stuff on both Saturday (for a competition) and Sunday (for Young Rider squad training). We worked hard last week to prepare and it was a close call between Seb being just right or too tired, especially with all the travelling.

Saturday was Seb's 2nd Prix St Georges (my 5th - yes, I'm still counting!) and his first time out since his castration. He was an absolute dream to take out, not that he wasn't very well behaved before, but we don't have to worry about the stress of him being a 'stallion' or a bit loony. We can casually take him off the lorry, tack him up with mum holding him and just get on with the job - Brilliant.

He was a very good boy, and although a little behind the leg in the warmup we kept it together for the test and he came out with a decent 66.58%. He behaved perfectly and did everything I asked, but again if only I had him more in front of the leg we could have picked up more marks.

I worked on that for Sunday at the squad training. In the warm up I focused completely on him going straight off my leg when I asked, and being light and in self carriage. He was a lot perkier in the test as he was outside next to fields of horses and he loves to be nosy and see what they are up to, however again he was extremely well behave and had no explosions or spooks. Sandy Phillips was the judge and trainer for the day and she gave us 66%, which I was pleased with. She gave us a mini-lesson just to try and fix a few things that went wrong in the test, and she was very good with a very positive approach!

I am glad he didn't 'die' on me, I was worried that because we had to travel 3 hours to the squad training he would be a bit tired, but it seemed not! But boy was he tired when we got home. We had been out nearly 12 hours! Mum and I had to get up at 4.30am to drive to the yard to leave with Seb by 6am. I didn't sleep a wink all night, as my body didn't seem bothered when it knew it would have to be up so soon anyway so I was quite tired. We got back to the yard around 5pm and Seb was glad to see his stable full of fresh shavings and a big load of hay waiting for him. I don't quite know how he would be hungry though, he literally ate all the way there and back! It was heaven for him!

So although a long and tiring weekend it was extremely positive, productive and motivating. Can't wait for our next PSG on Thursday, especially as Seb was absolutely amazing today. It feels like finally we are 'clicking' and all it has taken is some time for both of us to get to know each other without being told all the time what I should and shouldn't be doing. Sometimes it is best just to use your instinct, take peoples advice on board and try it in your own way. That's why I love having my mum on the ground, as she lets me do things the way I feel they should be done but she tells me what the picture looks like and what needs adjusting.

After our PSG on Thursday we have a week's break and then the important Addington High profile. Bring it on, Seb and I are sooo ready :D

JE Personal Training Athlete Profile

2012-01-05T06:25:00.002Z

My trainer, James, has played a big role in improving my riding by working on core strength and stability, and making sure I am a healthy athlete by having the best nutrition possible. He has been extremely supportive of my riding and career, as well as being someone I look up to for advice on many levels.

He has just started to do some 'Athlete Profiles' on his website, which mine (honourably!) is the first of.
Take a look at my interview and session video HERE!

Intro for http://jepersonaltrainercheltenham.co.uk/ Athlete profiles:
"This is the first in a series of James Ellis Personal Training “Athlete Profiles”. Some of my clients are professional or semi-professional sports people who have very specific goals to achieve – in some cases training on a DAILY basis in their chosen field and sacrificing much to chase their dreams. It makes sense for sportspeople particularly to look for a personal trainer / strength coach to help focus on certain strength or fitness qualities.
First up is Casey Stickland, 18, an international level Dressage rider who is looking to compete in the Young Rider European Championships this year (2012) and, beyond that in the Olympics."

First events of 2012

2012-01-05T06:10:00.002Z

Now that my family (Dad and sister) have gone back home to Australia, I'm in full work mode as the next couple of months are going to be busy. As I said before, my A level biology is taking up a lot of my time so pretty much I wake up, do biology, ride, come home, shower, do biology, sleep. Except for the days when I go training with James, which is a nice break to the routine. If I don't go to James I usually do manage to fit in a run either in the morning or afternoon, as I really struggle to sit in one place for too long! I don't think the day will ever come where I end up having an office job... if I do then I can guarantee I would quit after three days.

Seb is more or less back in to full work now, however has lost quite a bit of muscle from his couple of months off after his castration. He is still as great as ever though and the castration has had no negative effects on him, he is still exactly the same Seb which is perfect. Him and I have a busy week ahead, with a PSG competition on Saturday, Squad viewing on Sunday, and another competition next Thursday. Then of course the weekend after that is Addington High Profile, which we should be well and truly ready for!

I love having lots of things to look forward to - the lead up to a competition is always the most exciting time for me. The lead up to a few events is even better as you know as you move through them you will come out having learnt and improved a great amount. Take Julius's first few PSGs that he did all in quite close proximity, he went from 63% to 67% in three tests!

So despite the horrible weather at the moment (wind and rain and an outdoor school do not mix well!) I'm so ready to kick of 2012 with some good results.

Back from Germany, Christmas over, back to work!

2011-12-29T22:55:00.003Z

Its been a week since I got back from Germany and shamefully I havn't even posted! Just all the festivities of Christmas and having the family here have made things pretty busy and havn't had chance to write an update :(

The 'family holiday' (half of which consisted of me riding at Leonie's!) to Germany was great! We saw my young horse Chad, who had grown a fair bit since I last saw him back in February. He has had the summer off in the field after being broken in, and now he is back in work apparently like he never even went out of work! He is amazing to ride; he is only 3 but feels 6, has such a good brain, an amazing temperment and beautiful paces. He actually looks just like a young Seb especially when they are wearing the same blue Bucas rug! I'm more than happy to leave him with Leonie though, he is going so well there and he his getting the best training I could ask for. I've got to focus on Julius and Seb and our Young Riders this year and next year, so he is fine being in Germany for now :)

Chad... I actually went in to his stable and crouched next
to him and gave him a cuddle... not many 3 year olds
you can do that to!!

Seb... "The Bucas Boys"!

So after four days of intense riding at Leonie's I have been refreshed and cleaned up my skills a bit. It is amazing that such a small amount of time can make such a big difference. I would love to be there full time but unfortunately the cons outweigh the pros at this point in time. I've got too many opportunities here in England to move away just yet, but its definitely something to think about when I'm in my 20s. Also there has to be a balance in life with friends/recreation and the sport/career. For once I actually have a boyfriend I am willing to make it work with despite being so busy, and social life has always been really important to me. If my family is here I'm fine but when I'm alone here I need friends around me or else I'd become quite miserable!

Delicious roast turkey!

It's been lovely having my family here for Christmas, my first ever Christmas outside of Australia actually! We went to the Cricklade Country Club for our Christmas lunch, which was also my first ever roast Xmas lunch too! I'm used to having seafood and salad, not turkey and roast potatoes. It was very nice there, it felt like we were on the set of Dowton Abbey! It's a shame we aren't as posh as that, proven by my sister and I pulling a Christmas cracker and having it's contents flung at the waiters head :/

Dad, Mum, Grandad, Bec

While everyone is relaxing and enjoying time off work, I am back to normal with waking up super early to do some biology, then riding from 8am until lunchtime, then some more biology study in the afternoon/night. Some nights I'll let myself of study to go have some fun, but really I have some serious work to get done. I figured out the other day that I pretty much have to finish the entire AS and A2 course by March in order to get my practicals and research assignments in... gulp!

Fortunately, my mum is here and that makes things easier, especially on the horse side of things. I have been looking for that missing link in my training for absolutely ages and I think I found it, my mum! Every time she comes over, she helps me with the boys and I always come across revelations that transform my riding bit by bit. Sometimes the solution you have searched so hard for is right there under your nose... or in this case one of your immediate family!

Feeling better and back riding, but now off to Germany!

2011-12-15T06:21:00.000Z

On Sunday I was finally feeling well enough to ride. It was a beautiful afternoon to ride outside in.... Not. It was bucketing down! The boys and I got absolutely drenched, and Julius got especially upset and kept full-passing around the arena and doing whatever he could to get his back to the wind and rain bless him! But when it comes down to it, there's nothing to it but to do it! They were both really good boys anyway and I really enjoyed riding them again :)

This week they worked really well and its actually a shame that I'm heading off to Germany this morning. What am I saying... sure it would be nice to keep riding them up until Xmas but I'm going to Germany YAY!!!! My family has come over for Xmas so we are all heading off on a family trip to see the Xmas markets up around Hannover and so I can ride my young horse, Chad, who is based with Leonie Bramall.

No doubt I will be spending a solid five days riding there with Leonie cramming as much German training as I can into the week, so look forward to some cool posts about next week's training!

Sue is being wonderful and riding Julius and Seb for me while I'm away, and I know that when I come back they will be ready for me to start working with them again better than I left them! I'm thankful I can trust Sue and Gary 100% when I'm away and I never have to worry about the boys, Sue always keeps in touch over email so I'm updated all the time.

So I must get ready and start loading things into the car, ready for our long drive over to the continent!

Everyday training with goals, challenges and motivation!

2011-12-09T17:33:00.001Z

At the moment I'm still pretty ill. I havn't been to ride the horses for a whopping four days! It's really no fun being ill when you live alone. No one to fill your hot water bottle, make you a tea (to just throw it up five minute later) and check to see if you're still alive. I found myself in quite a panic the other night actually because my stomach pains were so bad I was worried something might be wrong on the serious side. So I took myself off to the hospital yesterday, looking like a hobo from a rubbish bin, and sat (sprawled out across the chairs actually) in A and E for about two hours.

Finally the doctor saw me and told me I have something called Winter Vomiting Virus (lush name, I know) or Norovirus. Pretty much its highly contagious and I can't do anything but sit on my couch in front of the TV and feel like rubbish, dosed up with paracetamol for the fever. So that's what I've been doing, and every time I feel a bit better and almost up for riding, I try to eat and five minutes later the stomach goes again, and it won't stay down. So far the only thing I've found I can eat is vegemite and crackers. Thank god for that.

So I have no news on the riding side of things, but I have had a request to talk a bit more about how I prepare for a competition, what I do in my day-to-day training, challenges I face and what motivates me. I can still talk about that, because that pretty much is my life in a nutshell.

My trainer Sue Mcmahon is a judge, so she gives me advice through the judge's eye and pin-points the things that need to be improved to turn a 6 into a 7 and a 7 into an 8. Our training sessions are based around the Prix St Georges test, as that is the most important test that I have to get good scores in to have good chances of making it on the Young Rider team. We would go through particular movements, whether its the trot sequence, just the centerlines and halts, or the canter pirouette section, and play with exercises to improve that particular movement.

So for example, the centerlines I make sure I can bring the horse back to a very small collected canter on the spot so I could halt at any moment, but then go forward to make sure the horse is still in front of my leg. I do this a few times down the centerline before I finally halt (anywhere, not always at X!) and guaranteed it is square with this good preparation. Trot sequence is improved with basic suppling exercises and being able to manoevre the shoulder-in and half-pass steeper, shallower, more forward, more collected, and just having the ability to adjust and be in complete control.

We always look at my previous test sheets and if my walk pirouettes were a 6 then we work on them to make them an easy 7. The movements I can do well I make even better, for an 8, and the weaker points we do exercises to ease our way into the full movement to make it easier to do it well. Every day I am working on suppleness, constantly. Always making sure the horse can stretch down and lift his back, is light on the forehand when I bring him up and not pulling. I ride the horse the way I want it to feel and don't put up with any discomfort that they might give me. It has to be enjoyable and not a struggle every session! So if he is being heavy on the forehand and leaning, halt. Then give and go again, and as soon as he starts to lean halt again. It took me 7-8 halts last time to get it through to the horse that I wanted him to carry himself.

Challenges.... hmmm there are many, not going to lie! As I get older they become fewer, like I can drive now which I couldn't earlier this year. I had to catch buses and taxis to and from the yard every day to ride. Driving has been a lifesaver for me. College was a challenge, as I could never ride as much as I liked and found it difficult missing lectures when I went away for squad training and competitions. I dealt with that by leaving college and starting home-schooling. Currently the biggest pain in the bum is transport. I have a little 3.5 tonne lorry that I can take 1 horse on (it fits 2 but will be overweight with two warmbloods) but I can't drive it because I'm too young and the insurance is way too high. Sue or Gary are more than happy to take me places, but I can only ever take one horse. So we are in the process of dealing with that so I can take both Seb and Julius to squad training and competitions. Also Sue and Gary have to run their yard, so if I have to stay overnight somewhere I need to find a lift with friends with a big lorry and stay with them. Quite a logistical nightmare!

Another challenge? Perhaps not having an indoor. It has been fine so far, but the snow hasn't hit yet and the worst case scenario I'm dreading is that the snow comes down in January in the lead up to Addington High Profile and I can't ride. Might have to go to a nearby indoor, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.

Living alone would be a challenge too. Never underestimate importance of having your family to prop you up when things go wrong. I've got loads of support all around me though, so I'm always reassured and comforted if things don't go quite right. But there is nothing like coming home to a family dinner and just talking through things and having people there for you 24/7 without the pressure of having to always give something back. Also little things like the food shopping, cooking, cleaning, random conversation, all those things that your family pull together and do as a team. It's quite a shock when its all left up to me, and takes A LOT of time. It took me a few months to just learn how to clean the bathroom, and even longer to learn that I DID have to cook dinner for myself and not live off toast just because there was no one there to eat it with me.

But aside from all that, I have some AMAZING horses that I am so so so lucky to have and make everything worth it. That is what motivates me. The support my family gives me, the belief my trainers Sue and Gary have in me and their dedication they have in watching me ride and helping me every step of the way, and the back-up of the BEF Excel Talent squad and the TASS.

I think every body has a particular thing or reason that motivates them, but I also believe motivation can be learnt. Time after time I have been told in presentations by psychologists and motivational sportspeople about how to find motivation and how to keep it. If we all knew how to do it, we wouldn't be hammered into having it! I pick up the points from pyschologists that I find work for me, like not focusing on just the goals but WHY you want to achieve them. With anything - riding, running, weight loss, homework, cleaning - ask youself WHY do I need to motivate myself to do this? If you can't find any reasons why, then for God's sake don't bother with it. I love motivational stories, quotes, people, pictures, anything! On the wall facing me where I sit and do my computer work, I have a list of reason WHY I do what I do, surrounded by motivational quotes. Next to it is a big yearly planner of my competition and training year so I am always reminded of what I have to look forward to and to work towards....

That is pretty much how I live my life, so there's the special insight! ;)

Have more energy whilst out riding!

2011-12-07T14:27:00.001Z

For the past couple of days I've kept myself at home with a strange bug (an illness-type bug, not one with legs). Although this has caused me to be freezing, shaking, aching, and with stomach cramps, one good thing that has come out of it is the free time at home which I never, ever have! Finally, I can clean, organise various bits of paperwork, write my blog (yay!), clear out the junk I hoard in my 'wardrobe room' (aptly named for being a whole room dedicated to housing my clothes... hey, I'm a girl), biology work (God help me) and just do those things that we always have on our mental list but never get around to doing.

Since I have started writing about health and fitness in relation to riding (a particular interest of mine) I have actually had a few people ask me to elaborate on a few points. I love the feedback, and really welcome any of you to give me a comment or a wall post on Facebook and ask for more detail on any part that you want to know more about. For example how to improve core strength, which is an absolute essential to riding and something I do a lot of in the gym with James. I also had a request to elaborate on my healthy food shop which I blogged about the other day and what kinds of things I was looking for that would allow me to eat healthily whilst out riding all day.

So I am going to address the food question. When I walk into a supermarket the things on my mind are fresh, clean and straightforward. I have never been one to eat muesli bars and other packets of things with millions of ingredients... God knows what's in them. Sadly lots of these processed goodies are the simplest things to eat when us horsey people are on the go as they are easy to grab and eat in a rush (again the same old story of how we give our horses the best quality feed whilst we eat a bag of crisps). Well, with a little planning and self-discipline it can be just as easy and a whole lot healthier.

If it is a big shop, I buy lots and lots of meat. Not just any meat though - healthy, lean meat like chicken breasts, turkey breasts/steaks, pork (if you cut the fat off before cooking), salmon, mackerel, and those very convenient packets of sliced ham and chicken. I buy so much because you can freeze it all and then you will never be caught without a supply of protein. This is also where the planning comes in. Once or twice a week (on a day off or free evening) cook up a suitable amount of meat that you can keep in the fridge in a container and add to any meal or have has a snack. Personally, I like to cook extra every time I cook dinner and have it for lunch the next day, so that way I save time by cooking dinner and lunch at the same time.

Next I head for the vegetables. You can never have too many veggies! The veggies I always buy are broccoli, spinach, runner beans, sweet potato, and asparagus. Peppers and tomatoes are always in the basket too because of their high antioxidant levels. Carrots are essential for snacking, like putting with peanut or almond butter, houmus and cheese (more about snacks below). Root vegetables are a bit higher in sugar, but they are still vegetables so if you don't mind go for it. So like with meat, steam up a load of veggies and put them in containers in the fridge. I mash a whole lot of sweet potato because to me it adds some substance to the meal and is a good mixer, if your the type that likes to mash the veggies into the potato.... or is that just me?

Depending on how much carbohydrate you want in your diet you can always get your supply with healthy low GI carbs like brown rice, pasta, beans/lentils and wholegrain bread. To make a meal, you should have a third of protein, a third of veggies and a third of low GI carbs. So this could be a 100g of chicken, a bunch of veggies and a couple of scoops of rice. To add some excitement you can flavour the meat with herbs or mexican flavour pouches, or chilli if you like your spice. Balsamic vinegar (not dressing) tastes great on almost anything too I've found. All of this is pre-cooked so I just whip out a tupperware container, throw it all in, put it in a tesco bag and whack a fork in there.

I don't tie the bag up until I've put my snacks in though. I've always got apples, blueberries (freeze them, they last longer and defrost by the time you eat them! A handy tip from James Ellis), a little bag of carrot sticks, and often just bring the whole jar of peanut/almond butter for convenience. The trick is with snacking that it must have protein in it, but personally I don't like it too carbohydrate-heavy. So veggies (carrots/celery) or fruit with a bit of protein like nut butter, cheese, houmus, natural unroasted nuts, or coconut oil (which is actually solid and tastes great, a super alternative to butter or regular cooking oil!).

So now I'm ready to leave the house and I have my Tesco bag full of healthy energy for the day. I may not put many carbs in, as I always prefer sweet potato over rice/pasta, but I get my energy from fat. Yes, fat! No, I don't deep fry my meat and make tempura-style veggies, I eat lots of healthy fats that come from the protein sources I put with my snacks. If you notice, they can all be relatively high in fat (cheese and nuts - definitely) but its not the kind of fat that will actually make you fat. Does eating lots of sugar make you sweet? No, I wish it did, but it doesn't. Fat is the same, eating fat does not make you fat (in moderation of course, and with the right combination of food, eg. not eaten with high-carbohydrate foods).

So my final tips which I personally live by:

Every meal should contain protein, I choose healthy fats over carbs though - they have more energy per gram than carbs. In fact, according to my A-level biology book, fats give 37kj of energy per gram and carbs give only 16kj of energy per gram. So if its long lasting energy you are looking for, go for fat I say. Different if you need an instant hit, in which case you need carbs.

ALWAYS eat breakfast! You wouldn't expect you horse to perform for you if the last time it ate was 8pm the night before, would you? And no, breakfast doesn't mean 3 cups of coffee/tea. That doesn't mean the whole scrambled egg with tomotoes and mushroom situation, I never eat a big breakfast because I can't handle that in the morning but I might have a tasty protein shake, some fruit, always a coffee (just one!) or a piece of toast with a bit of peanut butter. That metabolism has to be kick-started for the first horse, and saves you pigging out during the day or reaching for a chocolate because your energy plummets after your 2nd or 3rd horse.

My sugar cravings for a chocolate often come on the way home from the yard when I'm driving and scared for my life I will crash without the energy (pffft). In this case, I try and drink loads and loads of water (ALWAYS have a big 1.5L bottle of water with you, there is nothing worse than being dehydrated!) to make sure its not just dehydration that is making me tired. If that doesn't work, I'll often resort to coffee and only sometimes give in to that amazing chocolatey taste of galaxy... mmm :)

Shop smart and don't shop hungry. Don't buy anything you know your not supposed to eat eg ice cream, cookies, chocolate, crisps etc. Because you will eat them. I know if I have it in the house it is all gone within minutes. So I just don't buy it. If I'm desperate enough I will end up getting it some way or another, but I try not to make it easy! Your trolley/basket should be colourful because of veggies, not because of packaging.

So, for anyone that was wondering how I manage to eat healthy while out riding and what I learnt from James on our food shop, there you go. James actually wrote a good article which pretty much says all this in short and simple step-by-step terms. Read it HERE, and remember eating healthy is not all about losing weight, its about feeling good. Hope it helps and you have more good long-lasting energy :)

A busy year comes to a close with winter work starting now!

2011-12-06T01:19:00.001Z

Last week was the end of a hectic year with the last event which required 'performance' being the Young Rider Squad viewing on Saturday. Unfortunately Julius and I didn't perform our best because Julius was very tired from the busy week he just had (travelling to and from Leicester, two days of training with Gareth Hughes on Monday and Tuesday, staying overnight at Talland and having a lesson with Pammy Hutton FBHS on Wednesday and returning home at 6pm that night) which he really isn't used to. I was also filled with expectation and hope, considering his great results so far, and was gutted when he didn't feel 100% energetic though didn't want to overcook him for the sake of a viewing.

Julius and I out for a relaxing hack at Talland... just like old times :)

So from this week on it is just quiet training at home over Christmas and New Years until January with another squad viewing on the 8th and the first competition that matters, Addington High Profile on the 20th. I know exactly what to work on over the winter to improve our scores so am getting myself on track with suppleness, a good seat and solid basic training with the horse listening to me 100%.

Seb is coming back in to work really well now. Lungeing has been really useful in getting rid of that excess energy he has built up from having 6 weeks off work, so he is calm and focused once I get on him. My last couple of rides have felt more like the Seb I'm used to riding rather than just doing basic fittening work. I can tell he cant wait to start doing his half-passes and changes properly (we are just dabbling in them at the moment, working on the suppleness first) and its lovely to have the old Seb back. It makes me really appreciate how good the feeling that he gives me is, I had almost forgotten how much of a dream-boat he can be to ride if you get it right on the day. Castrating him hasn't changed him at all luckily, and he still has his power and personality.

The healthiest food shop of my life!

With both the four-legged boys having an easier time just working on basics and suppleness over the winter, I can also use this time to train myself to improve strength and body composition with my personal trainer James. He took me food shopping this afternoon which was hugely useful in knowing what my diet should and shouldn't consist of to get the most benefit out of our training. It also helps me be prepared with healthy lunches and snacks to eat while at the yard riding so I have sustained energy and not go for that sugar hit on the way home. It makes a change to see my fridge full actually, I'm excited to start cooking and preparing my healthy meals!

Before....

After! :D

Something I also need to get cracking on with is my Distance Learning Biology work. I have just found out that my first set of exams for the AS year are in January, the first being the 9th. Considering I only started the course half way through November, havn't managed to send in one assignment to my tutor and need to invest in a microscope and some 'water-fleas' for one of my ten practicals I still have to do (at home!) as well as complete a full-blown research assignment, similar to a dissertation, I highly doubt I am going to be ready for this exam. Oh and my tutor is off the email and out of contact for her Christmas break from the 16th of December to the 2nd of January. So brilliant. It's okay though, I'm going to check if I can do my AS and A2 exams both in the summer, so I can catch up with my late start of AS next year and be ready to do both A-level year exams in June. I do the work and study, but life in general gets in the way of doing the 6 hours a day that most people do. That amount of time studying isn't exactly possible for me! Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

Excel Talent training camp day 2

2011-11-30T21:52:00.001Z

The Aussie invasion of the stables, and
Julius looking very innocent!

After an amazing and comfortable sleep in the hotel, we woke to day two of the training camp. Poached eggs on toast for breakfast (a champion's breakfast) and we were ready to go. The boys were happy when we arrived and I took Julius for another little hand-graze despite risking being blown away by the wind.

At 10.30am my strength and conditioning group session started with Rob Norman, another EIS coach. I already do strength and conditioning sessions twice a week with my own trainer James Ellis and was glad to see that the training paid off. There are certain exercises concerning your core and pelvis that can help improve riding and we were tested with simple moves. Thanks to James, I can confidently say I didn't disgrace myself and passed the test on condition for riding!

Tess and I being posers in our new squad jackets!
Except for the fail that the words backwards!

My time to ride was 2pm, and I was with Gareth again. We continued on from yesterday working on his suppleness in self-carriage. Using leg-yields as a preparation for the canter half-pass change of hand, passage to get expression in the trot and more pirouette work, Julius' favourite. At the very end we threw in some tempi changes, and even went for five one-times. That finished off the two days nicely with a cherry on top!

Soon after riding I had my rider introduction with Beccy Moody, where we went through what I learned over the two days and what I can aim to improve on. It was really good to review and consolidate with a professional who knows which direction you should be heading in, and to look at the performance review sheets once a week is great to keep on track with training goals and improvements.

Straight after my mentor session the lorry was packed and ready to go, just loaded the horses and off we went back home. A lorry full of very tired aussies arrived back at Talland at just gone 7pm, and the boys were fed and put to bed and lorry unpacked. We did that very quickly, and I headed home to Cheltenham at 8.

Our survival kit home... :D obviously learnt a lot from the nutritionist!

What a satisfying and inspiring two days! Can't wait for the next camp, hopefully next time Seb will be fit and ready to go as he could really benefit from it too!

Excel Talent training camp day 1

2011-11-30T21:23:00.001Z

The training camp that had been much anticipated by fellowAustralian Tess Harwood and I had finally come around, the 27^th and28^th of November. Tess and her mum and dad were kind enough to takeJulius and I to Leicester with them in their lorry (transport/drivers is stilla bit of an issue for me!) so I arranged for my trainer Sue to bring Julius toTalland, where they are based, and we left from there at about lunchtime onSunday. The squad has been slightly Aussie-dominated by us (we provide themwith 20% Australian-ness!) so we have a great time doing things the‘Australian’ way (ie being louder than anyone else in the aisle, throwingtypical aussie slang into sentences, having the floor outside the stableinvisible from our unnecessary amount of gear). The camp was to feel just likeold times back in Sydney!

After a 3 hour journey (not nearly as far as you might haveto travel to a training camp in Australia!) we arrived in FREEZING Leicester,luckily just before dark. Once the boys were fed and tucked in to their stablescosy and warm (and a slight rearrangement of a horse that Julius was havingneck-biting games with over the small stable wall), we ventured off to find thehotel. No, we are not wimps that are scared to sleep in the lorry and get cold(ah hem), all four of us could not actually fit in the lorry to sleep so we hadno choice but to head off to the lovely Red House which gave me two solidnights sleep in pure warmth and a very full stomach after a 3-course meal!

Monday was the first day of action. We arrived early tofeed, muck out and hand-graze and were ready to start at 10.30 for a sportspsychology talk from Nichola Kentzer. She made us think about who we admire andlook to for inspiration, and what qualities they have and which are mostimportant to us. We learnt to distinguish between intrinsic motivation (wakingup at 5am because we love to see our horse’s bright eyes pop over the stabledoor and his soft whinny as we start to feed) and extrinsic motivation (wakingup at 5am because we are paid to do it, or it lets us spend the rest of the daydoing something else we would enjoy more). The key was to have a lot moreintrinsic motives as they are the ones that keep us going longer and give usmore satisfaction, and thankfully we all did have mainly intrinsic motives. Welearnt about goal setting, which we are all pretty expert at otherwise wewouldn’t have been sitting there, but in particular how to use goals to improveperformance by devoting them to self-improvement rather than just outcomes.

Next on the agenda for me was my private session with EISnutritionist, Chris Rosimus. Nutrition is extremely important to me (althoughI’m not obsessed enough to refuse a block of galaxy!) so I was interested tohear his advice. I had to give him a food diary of three typical days, which heis going to look at more in depth soon for feedback next time. I asked him allmy burning questions about what to eat for recovery (I was still sore fromFriday’s strength and conditioning session with James!), how to keep my energyup (don’t be afraid of good carbs Casey, they are friends for energy!) and hegave me a list of super foods and the ‘dirty 30’. I was satisfied to read thatmost of my diet had superfood in it and I rarely ate any ‘dirty’ foods. I guessthat comes from the idea of eating ‘clean’ for optimum muscle growth, repairand condition. I always try to think, would I feed my horse ‘dirty’ feed, evenif he is craving it? No. I learnt that a Yazoo chocolate milkshake is just asgood as a high-tech protein shake for recovery because it provides the perfectbalance of protein and carbs. Well great, my new protein shake and dextrose waswaiting for me at the door when I arrived home and I could have just bought ahuge supply of chocolate milk and saved £30. From now on I also need to makesure every meal can be divided into thirds – one third low GI carb, one thirdprotein, one third vegetable/antioxidants. Oh yeh something else interesting Ilearnt, vegetables are vital for recovery after exercise because they containantioxidants which help get rid of the free radicals that are produced in thebody during exercise. So after my next workout I’m hitting the blueberries andcapsicum!

At 12pm I brought Julius out to be assessed by the farrier,Ben Benson. His feet haven’t been thebest since being on box rest from colic, but they are much better now and sincehaving Matt Price as my farrier he hasn’t lost a shoe (which he used to beprone to doing!). Ben was very impressed with how he was shod and he said hemoved fine after watching him trotted up. He gave me advice on how to keep hisfeet clean and free from bacteria, which was Hi-Bi scrub twice a week with someanti-bac put on every day. He said that topical treatment was much moreeffective than a feed supplement with biotin in because by the time thesupplement goes through the digestive system and gets absorbed into the bloodstream and goes all around the body before reaching the hooves, which have poorblood supply anyway, most of the supplement’s goodness is gone.

Finally, after lunch (which was admittedly having a forkfulof baked potato with beans and cheese every 3 mins whilst tacking up) it wastime to ride in my lesson with Gareth Hughes. I didn’t want to freak him out bytelling him that it was a dream come true to finally have a lesson with him,but I have always admired his ability and good nature to the horse and hisapproach to training. I first met Gareth at the 2009 Youth Olympics in Sydneywhere he was the team trainer and Charlie Hutton rode Julius, winning anindividual silver medal and team gold (my pony Vinnie was also in the GB teamridden by Emily Cousins). So Gareth had taught Julius before, but a long timeago. It was good that he knew Julius and his ability already so kind of god ahead start.

The first thing I was made to realise is that I work way toohard on the horse and need to let the horse do it for himself. Because Juliusisn’t the most athletic horse and takes quite a bit of suppling, I tend tobelieve he can’t do it so try to do it for him. Gareth helped me learn to askfor suppleness and show him the way by flexing left and right, then giving andallowing him to be supple by himself and in self-carriage. I also have tosupple him when he is up in his frame and not always take his head down tosoften him, because it is up there that he needs to learn to be soft and notthink down means soft and up means stiff. He picked it up really easily and wassoon it great self-carriage making my life so much easier! Strange that all myriding life I’ve been told to ‘ride ride ride’ and that I was never workinghard enough, and now I’m being told I’m working too hard and need to let thehorse do it! I think it’s definitely a balance, and at the higher levels youjust HAVE to have the horse doing it for himself because it is a lot moreexhausting to run around a PSG in comparison to a Prelim/Novice.

Keeping all this in mind we worked in the canter, pushing itforward and bringing it back, and then did traverse on a 15m circle decreasingand increasing the size to get adjustability. Julius loves his canterpirouettes and quite enjoyed pirouetting around Gareth, who ensured I spoke tohim softly and gave him lots of pats (very much a Pammy Hutton thing too) togive him confidence that he is doing it right and well. That is a big theme ofGareth’s training – giving the horse a confidence that whatever you ask of himis possible and you will help them and be there to support them but they haveto try and do it by themselves at times too. I love Gareth’s way of explainingthings by acting out what he would say to the horse if he was riding, making ita hugely sympathetic approach to training.
At the end of the day we had two group presentations on shoeing/feet and sports nutrition. It was summed up that if we improve every five things by 2%, we can make a 10% difference to our performance. So, improving my nutrition, my horse's nutrition, shoeing, my strength and condition and sports psychology by 2% could put my scores in the 70% area. Yes please!!

Success for Julius!!

2011-11-26T20:26:00.001Z

What an amazing week for Julius and I! Two PSG competitions five days apart, dominating with 1st and 2nd with 65.5% and 67.2% and an interview for Horse and Hound magazine!

Last Saturday was only Julius's second PSG ever, and my third. My trainer Sue and I have been working really hard on improving him since his first PSG where he scored 64%. Since Sue is a highly respected judge as well, her tips and advice prove to be extremely valuable when preparing for a competition as what she sees is literally "through the judge's eye".

So, with only a week to prepare after arriving back from Australia, we took a soft approach to priming Julius since we knew he could do the movement with ease. He just had to be made soft and supple to do them to the best of his ability. I worked a lot on hills for the first few days to get him using his whole body, combined with suppling and engaging exercises in the school.

When Saturday came around Julius felt great and he warmed up really well. He is always so consistent when he goes out, always the same temperment and attitude, but has a better ability each time. With Julius's newly built topline, good condition (thanks to Gary's thorough feeding regime!) and correct way of going (thanks to Sue's good training!), we didn't feel out of place at all in the warmup. This was to be proved with a win in the PSG with 65%, 1% higher than last time.

When I was at the cafe getting Sue and I a celebratory piece of cake, the journalist from Horse and Hound called me over and I did a cheeky little interview which was then published in the next week's H&H! I felt so proud to be talking about Julius and his journey, I feel like he deserves the attention more than anyone after everything he's been through with his flight from Australia to the UK, his illness/liver problems, and nearly-fatal colic.

Sue and I had 3 days to prepare for the next PSG, where I wanted to get at least 66%. That way I knew that we were still on an upward climb percentage by percentage. Sue and I worked on all the movements he lost marks on last time, and improved on the movements he is okay at. I was very excited for the second competition as I had what I had to do clear in my mind and was so ready!

The three day's work and mental preparation pushed my percentage up by 2% to 67.2%, which is an amazing score for Julius's third PSG. So many people havn't believed in him, he has always been branded as 'ordinary' but my god he is correct and he absolutely loves every second of his work. These days, I have never come across a happier horse and I am the proudest mum/rider/owner in the world!!!

A few pics from Australia and my 18th

2011-11-21T18:17:00.001Z

Just had to get it, there's only one day in your life you can hold a balloon with 18 on it!

My birthday surprise after dinner at Thai... flowers and cupcakes from my sister and her boyfriend :)

Helloooo paradise, I love home <3

My sister's amazing 21st and my 18th birthday party in the city

Back from Australia with a new start ahead!

2011-11-21T16:54:00.001Z

Shamefully it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted when I was back home in Australia for a much needed break. Since then I had an amazing 18th birthday, gotten super fit super fast, left Hartpury College (shock, I know!) and started homeschooling and have been on the go non-stop since arriving back in the UK.

While I was in Australia I was having three training sessions a week with my mum's personal trainer, Matt Brady at Hills Fitness who is absolutely brilliant. After only six sessions I felt a lot more toned and stronger, and enjoyed every second of the process! I was determined to keep up the strength and conditioning back here in the UK as I find it extremely beneficial to my riding, so I found my own personal trainer here in Cheltenham, James Ellis. Using the funding I have been very fortunate to recieve from the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) I have two sessions a week with James to improve my strength, condition and diet/lifestyle. Funnily enough I really enjoy pushing myself in the gym at 7.30am and feeling the pain for days after!

I can really tell the difference in my riding since starting the extra training and wonder why it took me so long to start doing it! To be effective on a 700kg horse you do need to have an element of strength, especially when you have a small build and short legs like me, as long as that strength isn't used against the horse! Also, having this kind of support behind me (along with Sue and Gary who help train me at Cheltenham Dressage) motivates me to no end and just goes to show that although riding is an individual sport, the idea of having a 'team' behind you is so important.

Another big change that I have FINALLY had the guts to make is leaving college. For the long-term readers here, you would know that ever since I started college just over a year ago I've always been swaying back and forth about whether to keep going with it or not, as it conflicts with my riding more than I'd like. After going home for a bit and being away from everyone else's opinions, I could make the decision for myself and I knew if I came back to the UK and kept up my stressful and ineffective routine I would just go straight back to being unhappy because I can't do what I love. Don't get me wrong, I love studying and being academic but only when I have the time to do it properly and when it doesn't get in the way of my number one priority, riding. So, I am now homeschooling myself biology. Doing the full A-level (AS and A2) and then continuing on to another A-level next year. This way I can focus on riding during the day, study at night and still do my A-levels without having competitions/training conflicting with lectures! And two weeks into it I am SO much happier and am still maintaining a great social life, something I find really important!

So in saying that, I have to crack on with my biology study now!

Party time :D

2011-10-28T23:35:00.001+01:00

So finally I'm back in the home country, a visit that was long overdue! It feels amazing to be in a house with family and people to talk to, dinner cooked for you every night, and the guilt-free feeling of chilling in front of the TV because a) you have time and b) the couch is so comfy and the TV so big it is just irresistable.

Most of the first week here has been spent getting prepared for tonight, which is my 18th and my sister's 21st birthday party! It is actually more of my sister's party, as she is the one with all the friends here. I havn't got any of the friends of my own coming but at least I get to go out and LEGALLY party!

We have booked at George's Restaurant on King St Wharf which is in the centre of the city, in Darling Harbour. So it's drinks and dinner (Tapas) there from 6.30 and then after its party time at the Cargo bar, which is a bit more sophisticated to what I'm used to back in Gloucester and Cheltenham but different is good!

In preparation my sister and I have been waxed, nails and toes done, eyebrows done, and spray tans (yay!! brown!!). We are getting our hair styled today then we are going through to the hotel to get ready. I've never had a party for my birthday really, so I'm very excited!

I had a super 18th birthday as well. We went for a family dinner at a great Thai restaurant and when we came back my sister and her boyfriend surprised me with cupcakes, a couple of presents and flowers!

I have also been riding my old FEI pony, Vinnie, the horse where everything started on. Finally, I can ride him properly and am helping mum ride him and giving her lessons to practise my teaching. I miss him so much he is the coolest little pony ever!!!

So my family is shouting at me to hurry up because I'm always late so I better go, time to party!!!! :D

Eurodressage article

2011-10-26T23:50:00.002+01:00

I found an article on Eurodressage about the support and funding opportunitiesthat Britain gives to their riders. It includes info on both the TASS and Talent Excel programme....

http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2011/07/03/funding-opportunities-talented-riders-great-britain

Talent Excel Induction day

2011-10-24T08:13:00.002+01:00

You will all never guess where I am sitting right now... back in my old room in my house in Australia! Sure the walls aren't bright pink anymore and posters of boys aren't everywhere, but its still my room and I'm back home for 2 weeks absolutely loving the feeling of having a family around.

In the rush to get things done and organised before I left on Friday night, I didn't get a chance to post about Thursday the 20th, the Induction day for the BEF Talent Excel Programme. It was held at Warwick racecourse and involved all selected riders (about 10 for each discipline - jumping, eventing, dressage, and para-dressage) and we were briefed on what the programme offered and how we can use it to our best ability.

Pretty much the lottery funds UK Sport and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) uses their funds to support riders at different stages. The Talent Excel riders are on a 'pathway' to World Class, which is the top level of support and aims to help senior riders win medals (ultimately). Us riders on the pathway will get to go to training sessions (the first one with Gareth Hughes and Emile Faurie) which will have a strength and conditioning coach, a nutritionist, and some other supporting professionals to get us to where we all want to go!

It was explained to us the level of commitment and dedication we need, and what it takes to become an 'elite' rider. Maria Eilberg came to talk to the dressage riders and told us her inspirational story of how she got to the top, especially with Two Sox. A chat from Will Connell made us think about post-olympics in 2012 - What will change? What is our responsibility as riders to continue recieving support? What challenges and advantages will Rio in 2016 throw us? It gave us a lot of food for thought. It also gave us a wake up call to why we were there, being told 'if the olympics isn't a future aim for any of you, the door is at the back of the room'. This was serious stuff, and I liked it!

I was amazed at the level of support we are given, especially coming from Australia where riders are given minimal support, hence the reason I changed federations to compete for Great Britain. It has certainly paid off, as I never imagined getting to this stage (to be funded to compete by the government!) so soon.

In conjunction with the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) I have also recently just recieved (see a couple of posts below), I have really been given a boost of confidence, motivation and inspiration. To be addressed as 'elite' sends gives me tingles (in a good way!) and instills further belief that I can make it. And this is what it's all about...

Julius' first PSG... Done!

2011-10-17T07:38:00.000+01:00

Well we did it, Julius and I did our first Prix St Georges!!! After two weeks of intense hard work with Sue and Gary at the new yard, I felt I was well prepared (except for when I put on my beagler and short coat, when in fact those days are over, it's top hat and tails all the way now!).

Julius was fab, as usual. He warmed up perfectly and felt really good. I played the test quite safe, safer than I practised it at home only because I knew he was green at it and I desperately wanted a clear round. So my pirouettes were a little big and the trot was a little flat, but otherwise he had no mistakes whatsoever and did a clean, consistent test. He is still quite weak at the higher level stuff but we still managed to get 64.7%, only 2% below what Seb got in his first PSG.

I want to do a couple more on both of them before the competition season starts next year as the test is also foreign to me and quite difficult to ride as everything comes quite quickly. Thankfully I've got two super horses who are very forgiving and the only way we are headed is up!

Time for Julius to shine... his first PSG soon!

2011-10-12T08:36:00.002+01:00

Julius and I are in serious bootcamp mode. We are getting ready for our first Prix St George this Sunday the 16th of October! This will be my second time riding a PSG test (my first was on Seb) and Julius's first. This is a big step up considering he has only been to about 3 competitions at Advanced/Medium, but hey why not go for the big stuff :)

Sue and Gary have been amazing help ever since I arrived at the new yard and they are just as determined as I am to make Sunday go as well as possible. They have been giving me so many good tips and my lessons with Sue always give me lots to work on.

This week I'm just trying to piece together the PSG and get Julius going in a correct outline. I need to be as accurate as possible so there is no excuse to get less than a 6 or 7 for any movement. Julius is a very consistent horse so hopefully it all goes to plan!

Amazing Opportunities!!!

2011-10-12T08:02:00.000+01:00

Recently I have had some amazing opportunities come my way. During the summer I applied for both the Excel Talent Programme (run by the British Equestrian Federation) and the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) which is a government funded programme aiming to help "athletes to balance academic life with training and competition as a performance athlete". I got accepted in to both, which I am so excited about!

Last Thursday I had to go to Bath University for my screening for TASS and was overwhelmed by their amazing sport facilities. I was taken into a room which was set up with various bits of equipment: a couple of massage beds, some exercise equipment, a couple of video cameras, an office-like bit with a computer... I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing. I was just thankful that I brought my runners and a pair of shorts just in case I have to do a bit of physical work.

Turns out I had to do various exercises like squats and lunges and other tests of flexibility and range of motion. The physio that was there was testing absolutely everything and calling out technical lingo to the strength and conditioning guy who was recording it all as well as giving instructions. The physio was amazing, she knew exactly which weaknesses would affect my riding and how, and explained why they did and how it would help to get stronger in those areas. They filmed me from front and side on and are going to send me the DVD of it so I can see for myself where the weaker spots are and remember them.

Then I was sent off with a Lifestyle Coach who talked to me about how I balance studies and riding. She was so nice and really helpful in my choice of career, which is something I'm really thinking about now. She gave me a couple of numbers to call at Bath Uni to talk about different courses and careers available to do with them. I also get to go see the Strenth and Conditioning coach at Hartpury, who will also be my Lifestyle coach and he will help me along the way to balance A-levels and riding which I do need support in. I always get so close to leaving but I somehow stick in there. Its like the TASS was my saving grace actually!

I get to do sessions with the physio at Hartpury too, and then every few months I report back to Bath Uni and they see how I'm progressing, and if it is all satisfactory I get a series of grants which can go towards lessons, entry fees, travelling costs and anything extra to get me to where I need to be. Absolutely brilliant!

The Excel Talent programme is purely for riding and I've got my induction day over in Warwickshire next Thursday so i'll find out everything then. What I do know is that at our first training camp in November we will have lessons with Gareth Hughes and Emile Faurie! What an awesome opportunity!! Cannot wait :)

Changes...

2011-09-27T14:07:00.001+01:00

Wow it has been a long time since I've written, sorry!! I guess on one hand I didn't have much to write about as things have been pretty quiet lately, with the end of the summer holidays and no competitions. But on the other hand I have been busy with college starting again and making the hard decision to move on from AMD.

AMD has helped me an unbelievable amount in the past year but there always comes a time to move on to new things. If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I really enjoy jumping, hacking out and pole work and would really love to train my horses using these alternative methods to their benefit. My new yard has all of these facilities and I look forward to making the most of my horses in all different ways, not only doing dressage in the school. This is purely just a personal preference of mine.

Today was a big day for Seb... he had his operation to be gelded! So no longer is he Seb the stallion, but just Seb (Seb the gelding doesn't sound right does it?). The vet called this morning and said everything went well and he had just woken up and he was fine, thank god for that! This operation can be quite risky in older horses so I was a tad scared but thankfully Seb is okay and can come back to the yard tomorrow. I have to walk him under saddle three times a day for about two weeks so that will be a task to find that time with college! Anything is possible for my boy though :)

Analysis session with Centaur Biomechanics

2011-09-05T08:24:00.003+01:00

Last week I had the chance to have an analysis session with Russell Guire from Centaur Biomechanics. I have always been interested in how horses move and how the rider's body interacts with it to get the best possible training progress and often look at my own videos to see where one part of my own body looks a bit out of harmony or for any stiffness in the horse. However, my eye to a video screen is uselesss compared to Russell's camera which captures 300 frames per second; 25 times faster than the human eye.

Julius and Seb had white stickers stuck on them at different points of their body. I walked them up and down while Russell filmed, and he then takes that video home to analyse it. What he can show me then and there is a replay of them trotting away and towards him, zoomed right in on their hooves to see the footfalls in an absolutely clear, precise and slow motion. It was amazing to see right up close how they land and push off the ground, and it makes you realise how much strain can be put on the tendons, knees and legs if their hoof balance isn't right and they land on the ground unevenly.

After the horse's analysis I got on Seb and Russell watched me ride for a bit and filmed parts of it. I then took a break and came over to the laptop to watch a slow motion video of myself riding... Anyone who has done that before knows that it is scary stuff to watch yourself ride in slow motion! Thankfully it really wasn't bad at all, and there were only a couple of things to tweak. Russell gave me a mini-lesson to help me get the idea of where my body should be and he was super helpful.

I think as you go through your training it is really important to have a couple of new eyes on you occassionally. I think I can safely say that all top riders wouldn't say no to an opportunity to have another quality trainer look at them ride once or twice and give them a hand. Sometimes the problems you've been having are explained in a different way, a way that you understand more than the way that your usual trainer explains it. Everyone's brain works differently and not everyone understands the same phrase.

Fresh eyes can easily pick up problems that are subconsciously ignored by some other trainers, and it can also be a confidence boost to get the reassurance of someone else that you are on the right track. For example over the last few weeks I've had a couple of lessons with Pammy at Talland. As she knows me really well as a rider (I first started riding with her when I was 14) she can pick areas where I have improved and where I have lacked. I find it just keeps you on your toes as a rider, and stops you getting comfortable with where you are at. It's like relationships - people get comfortable and stop trying or start to ignore the bad things and just accept it. Then if you find a new partner you see that things could have been better if you took more notice.

So I owe a huge thank you to Russell at Centaur Biomechanics and I can't wait to see the results of the horse's analysis!

Last week of Summer... of freedom!

2011-08-31T09:24:00.000+01:00

This is the last week of the summer holidays... well what there is of summer in England. I think its pretty much over now anyway, its quite cold outside and I've started shopping for my winter woolies already!

I would have really liked to go on holiday to somewhere hot and get some sun for a few days but we just ran out of time. We could have only done it this week, but trying to get away on a long weekend would have been a nightmare, I have Centaur Biomechanics coming to assess me on Thursday so need to ride in the lead up to that, and have to move back into college on the weekend. Time for a mini-break? No! I guess I will just have to wait till I go back to Australia in October.

So in this last week of freedom I have just been enjoying riding, doing pole work and light work to give them a bit of a break. However Julius isn't having any of this 'break' stuff... He is right on it! He has gone from making me kick all the time to me not having to use my leg at all, he has all of a sudden just become so keen to work and cant wait to start trotting when I walk him to start. That's alright though, not complaining!

It's nice to finally have time to see friends and go out too. I think I've been out about 4-5 times in the past 2 weeks which is crazy for me! :P I'm going to the cinema tonight with one of my friends so that will be a bit less tiring and healthier for the body haha.

I actually am looking forward to going back to college. It will be 1000 times easier now that I can drive, and I'm also in the over 18s accommodation so will have a kitchen and everything! I will be kept under close watch until I'm 18 in October though, but after that I'm free! I can come and go as I please :) So bring on college 2012 :D

2011-08-28T12:01:00.000+01:00

Well, I did it. I have ridden my first prix st georges in an official competition!!! And funnily enough, I think it was one of the best tests we have done.

I feel like i rode it a lot better and he didn't drop behind my leg at all. He loved the canter tour especially. Half passes with flying changes, half canter pirouettes and tempi changes, yes please!!! He was seriously bright and chirpy and gave me the feeling that julius gives me when he does a test.

We got 66% which is not bad for a first time, so very pleased! I think with web PSG and up is the way to go! :)

It's just a shame that now there's pretty much no competitions, I want to go do more! Oh well, bring on next year :)

Passed my Stage 3 :)

2011-08-26T09:41:00.000+01:00

Yesterday when I got home from the yard, my Stage 3 results had finally been sent and were waiting to be opened on the coffee table. I looked down the first stage which said 'PASS, PASS, PASS, PASS, PASS' all down it, so yay I passed every single section!!! Then I looked at the credits value of each section and how much I got marked for it... Full marks in everything as well!! I didn't expect to get full marks at all, but hey who's complaining!

I definitely owe it to Talland and the instructors there. They were all so great and helped me a huge amount. I couldn't have felt more prepared going in to the exam!

Now I have another challenge ahead... doing my first ever Prix St Georges today! :O I'm pretty excited and its going to feel very strange doing tempis and pirouettes in a test. I know Seb can do it, the question is can I? Yes, I can, positive thinking!!! :D

Nooo not a cold!!!

2011-08-25T03:39:00.000+01:00

Awww man, I think the last few weeks have caught up with me. I have such a bad cold! It is 3.30am right now and I've been up since 2am as I havn't been able to sleep. It's too uncomfortable with a sandpaper throat and blocked nose! So I gave up trying. To be fair as well as having full-on days I have also been going out a fair bit. I've got a few friends from Hartpury that live pretty locally and it is really nice to finally be able to go out and socialise as during college time I bearly get any time to do it. It's pretty hard to make and keep friends when you have to keep turning down offers to go out because then people stop bothering, thinking you don't want to. So now that I can drive and more free to get around the world is my oyster! But I guess the price you pay is having either a run-down cold or catching diseases from all the people you are out with. It's like facing the dangers of the real world :O haha.

So since I have been up I have been doing some work on my new blog and new website. I've got a super guy making them for me called Kian Bullock, who just so happens to be Australian Olympic rider Hayley Beresford's husband. I have an official website with news, competition results and dates, a page for sponsors and links, and a bit about me and my horses. I have a completely separate blog page too so instead of going through blogspot like I am now, I have my own web page.

The hard part is transferring the hundreds of posts from this blog to my new blog page and I just have to keep chipping away doing it bit by bit. I'm tired again now so think I might go back to sleep. It's raining outside so that's pretty relaxing listening to it with the window open, nicer than earlier when I first went to bed and there were two dogs outside in the park just absolutely going at eachother barking and yelping :/

STAGE 3 DONE!

2011-08-22T09:51:00.000+01:00

I got through it, the Stage 3 exam is done and dusted :) I think it went really well considering the standard they were looking for was pretty high - only 3 people (including me) out of 16 were able to go through to the jumping and cross country phase!

The riding bit was fine, I just find that with the school-horse that you are given you can never really do much with it except sit quiet with a contact and forward-going paces. They expect you to talk about your horse and its paces/way of going, and when I said something was 'nice' the examiner kept digging getting out details of exactly why it was 'nice', because nice can mean many different things.

In the jumping I have to concentrate a little more as I wouldn't describe it as my natural forte. I needed to really think about what I would say about how the horse jumps and how the course went. The course went well and I had a really honest horse, we just had the last two fences down but as long as I found a reason to justify why I knocked them they are fine with it.

I was really looking forward to our cross-country bit. I had never 'performed' the cross country before, I've only done about four lessons so it was good to have the challenge of doing in front of people, especially examiners! I rode this awesome little pony who was like a little rocket and just flew over the fences. It was the funnest part of the day for sure, I was hyper for our theory section which was good because I wouldn't stop talking! When I was asked a question I would just keep rattling on until the examiner told me that was enough and to be quiet haha. That did the trick, as later in the day they asked me hardly anything! And that was in the section that included all the anatomical stuff so I'm glad to have avoided those questions... not that I don't know it of course ;)

The lunging was probably the worst bit - I had a horse that felt like a steam train at the end of the rope. I actually had to hold the rope with two hands and had to take him in a very small circle to just stop him, so my loops were collected in the wrong direction and I couldn't throw the rope down to re-gather it (cuz that's not allowed) so had to deal with flipping my rope over continuously. Very annoying! The examiner didn't say too much about any of that though thankfully.

I actually think stage 3 is easier than 1 and 2 because you don't have to worry about the nitty-gritty stuff like what kind of brushes you find in a grooming kit and the correct way to tie up and walk around a horse. We do this every day, we use whatever brush we feel appropriate despite what it is called, and we move about a horse we know in a way that we know won't disturb it. In the practical session it was a relief to find I didn't have to try and groom in the right way etc, all I had to do was throw a saddle and double bridle on. As long as you talk about the fit and effects of the tack you are fine.

So that's out of the way now, and I am inspired to focus on some more all-round riding. That means cross-training for Seb and Jules (poles and cavalletti) and regular trips to Talland to continue my jumping and cross country lessons. If I'm going to head towards my Stage four and my PTT next year it's best not to get rusty on these things. Stage four is a very high standard I've heard so I better not slack off too much!

BHS Stage 3... not as easy as it seems!

2011-08-15T20:55:00.000+01:00

I am about to start my third night of intense Stage 3 cramming and just have to say in all honesty, I would fail miserably at learning this if I didn't do A-level biology! It goes into the respiratory and circulatory system, how gas exchange occurs and how the oxygen goes from the respiratory to the circulatory system to deliver it to the muscles in order to work. All pretty straight forward it may seem, but try learning all the technical terms and names for everything! Luckily it is just like AS biology revision, but as I said, if I didn't know it I would be in serious trouble in this short time!

The practical side of things doesn't get much easier, for example today I was taught how to tack up a horse for cross country. My god, there are about five different types of breast plates and you need an over-girth and the right kind of boot and to bandage correctly for the specific type of work. Then of course you need to have the horse secured in the correct way with the headcollar when trying to put the bridle on - you can't just let the horse stand free! It is good to learn all this but having someone watch your every move while you tack up is very nerve-racking and you start to question whether everything you do is right!

Okay, back to revising.... Give me strength!

Addington Summer Regional

2011-08-14T09:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Seb, Julius and I all went off to Addington regionals together with Justine in her lorry, the first time I have ever taken two horses to a competition in England and for about four years since I rode my ponies back in Australia! I remember we always used to load two and sometimes three up and head off competitions, and if we could only take one there was never any point in us going. Oh how things have changed... however now, the one test I would do a day would be international instead of four tests a day at local level.

I set my alarm for 5.10am but oddly fell straight back asleep after turning it off and went into another terrible dream about doing a bad competition. This time I was showing and went off to do my work-out but forgot what it was and then the judge was some horrible posh lady who was quite rude and I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die cuz again nothing was going right. WHAT IS WITH THESE DREAMS!!?? They can't be good for my mental state! So mum comes in at 6.20am and says 'Casey are you going to get up?' and I say 'Oh gosh, what time is it?'
'20 past 6...'
'OH MY GOD we were supposed to be out of here at 6! why didn't you wake me up earlier?'
'I though I got it wrong and you wanted to leave later' dammit... So 15 mins later we were out the door - thank god I went back to the yard at 8pm the night before and packed Patrick (my car) with all my gear. In fact I even managed to plait Seb quickly in the half an hour we had before leaving at 8am. We ended up leaving in the lorry at 8.15 anyway but at least that bit was out of the way.

We were worried about Julius travelling in Justine's lorry because last time he was in it (earlier last year) he managed to get his feet up on the feeder in front of him and the result was a lot of blood all over the walls and ceiling of the interior. But I sat in the front and watched him on the camera and he seemed fine! In fact what we have discovered is that Julius and Seb are definitely 'best friends forever'... they are just mad for eachother! Whinnying everytime they see eachother and always touching noses and talking in their own little way... how cute, I love it when my boys all get along like brothers :)

So we get there at 10.45am and settle them into their day stables. Julius was such a good boy, he was eating his hay and drinking his water, not stressy at all! Hallelujah! Honestly, my biggest worry is actually getting him to the competition without blood (he once had a serious nosebleed when I put travelling boots on him last year because of the stress... well later I found out he had liver problems so that could have also caused it :/). I got straight on Seb to give him a stretch and take the edge off him because this is Addington, and Addington means spooky-time for Seb. I'm glad I did that as he was quite fresh, but good. I then got on Julius to take him out and around just to make sure he didn't freeze on me in the proper warm-up and we end up with problems, but my god he just strolled out there like he's been ridden there every day and totally used to a competition atmosphere. He was just such a dude! He always perks up and performs when he is out because I can feel that he really enjoys himself which is so nice to feel as a rider.

I then got Seb ready to compete and warmed him up, but he felt like he was going to drop behind my leg in the test again because I can't say our warm-up felt perfect. Well, he surprised me by literally leaping into the competition arena and spinning in a 360 right in front of the judge in his playful way. He likes to do this outside at Addington, he finds the hedges, the judge's boxes and the photographers all extremely exciting. At least I had good energy but the few blow ups throughout the test brought my score down.

Then it was time for Julius. He warmed up well and I was focusing on getting him really in front of my leg but without tiring him. I think our warmup was good for how we performed in the arena. The only thing was that the surface was deeper than he is used to and he found it hard (especially since he still isn't as strong as he can be) to pick up his legs to get the expression in the trot that we had developed only in the past week. He's got the idea though, and as soon as I pick up the whip it feels like he's barely touching the ground compared to the trot I'm used to feeling on him. He is a very quick learner so if I train something one day, he will have the general idea in his head for the next day.

Julius's lack of expression and weakness brought his score down too but I'm super proud of him and I enjoyed every second of our test because it was such a good feeling to ride down that final centreline in his lush extended trot, finishing his first ever regional after everything he had been through. He deserved to be there so much, and I think he knew it as he didn't put a foot wrong and he felt like he was enjoying it as well.

Although I enjoyed it, I feel that I need to step up a level in my riding to get the good scores. I am inspiring myself by watching and reading about sports people and their journey towards success and making a list of things I feel I need to do and work on to get that extra 2% higher by the end of the year. Small steps make big differences, but half of the success is the passion and desire to do well, and loving what you do. I have that, and now just need to make that happen.

What a hectic week!!

2011-08-12T08:51:00.002+01:00

Wow what a week I've had, it feels like I've spent more time on horse back or driving in the car than anything else! Literally, I have had 13 hour days where I leave the flat at 8am and dont get back in until 9 - 9.30pm. It's crazy but I love it, busy is good!

I arrive at Talland at 8.45am in time to either start a group flat lesson or a group lecture at 9am. We swap over at 10am and do the other group section until 11am. I've had a couple of staff lessons with Pammy at 12 which have been useful as it's always good to have a new eye on you. At 1.30 I have a private jumping lesson which can either go really well or just end up with a demolished course (like yesterday!). In between I sit and watch lessons and talk to old friends. The whole thing is like a bit of deja vu because it brings back so many memories of what I used to do last year with Julius and Blue.

After I finish at Talland I head off to the yard at about 3pm to ride Jules and Seb and try and get them ready for Addington Regionals on Saturday. The other day it took me 2 hours to get to the yard because of horrendous traffic (which is an every day occurance) and I went the wrong way and got lost, plus I was super tired so it was a bit scary trying to get my way back to civilisation when I found myself in the middle of the country.

By the time I finish up at Wyncolls it is about 8-8.30pm and I get home at 9-9.30pm, have dinner and shower and crash on the couch with my stage 3 book and study. Then go to bed and do it all again the next day.

Today is a bit different though - I am going to the yard to ride the boys first, and bath and pull their manes and pack the lorry ready for addington tomorrow and then head over to Talland in the afternoon for a cross country lesson at 3pm. Lets just hope I dont fall off and break a bone and cant do regionals.

Actually last night I had this terrible nightmare that I was doing my test on Julius and it was absolutely terrible and I kept trying to retire but the judge wouldn't let me and she was helping me along the way. Then people started coming in to the arena to set up for prize giving and parking land rovers everywhere, and I yelled at the "Oi I'm not finished my test!!" and they said "Oh sorry we thought you were just pottering around". So eventually I really did retire, and on one of the test sheets the judge wrote that the horse was nice but the rider was incompetent and should not move up from this level until I learn how to be supple in my body and ride the horse properly... GULP!!! Let's hope to god that situation doesn't happen tomorrow... in fact let's hope it doesn't EVER happen!!

Wind down from Hickstead, but back at Talland for stage 3 training!

2011-08-09T07:21:00.000+01:00

After all the hype of Hickstead the past week has been a bit of an anti-climax. We've all had time to recuperate and settle back into the pattern of our daily lives, and I've had a good amount of time to practise my driving.

I am now driving every where by myself, which is particularly ueseful because I have just started my Stage 3 training at Talland! :) So I drive from the flat in Cheltenham to Cirencester every morning to be there for 9am, haave 2-3 lessons both jumping and dressage, and then drive from Talland to the yard to ride Julius and Seb. It works perfectly and I can even pop in and see all my old friends from Cirencester when I have a spare moment! I miss Cirencester so much... it is the town that I called home when I moved away from my real home in Sydney and have so many memories there and also at Talland.

It's also good to be back at Talland where I can jump and ride school horses and have lessons with different people. I was a bit nervous about getting on a school horse again after a year of not riding one, but it has been absolutely fine and it is actually quite nice to ride a horse other than your own, as you get back to using your instincts of what to do and you learn to 'feel' a lot more.

I've got lots of Stage 3 study to do before my exam next week. The Care and Stable Management is the hardest part in my opinion because you have to learn muscles, respiratory system, feeding and nutrition, fittening etc.

As I'm writing this I am about to leave to head off for my next day at Talland but just watching Sky News and they are reporting on the London Riots which started yesterday. I am absolutely disgusted by what's happening there, I expected more from England. They just have to look at the misfortune of those in Africa, where they have no food, and the Middle East where the countries are war-torn, and realise how lucky they are to live in Britain and have a relatively good quality of life. They are just proving their selfishness and are acting completely barbaric.

Hickstead International - a journey in pictures

2011-08-02T22:19:00.000+01:00

About to load on to the lorry!

Mr Matt Frost and Sebastian ready for trot up

Seb in action at the trot up

Mr Adam Kemp watching over the international arena during exercising on Wednesday

LOOK! we have an AM Dressage banner!

Matt and his amazing horse Zipp

Rach and I getting Zipp ready to compete

Rach and Adam throwing some shapes on the dancefloor at the Friday night party

Oh stop it! How exciting!

Seb and I doing our thing in the international arena

And again...

Good boy seb :)

Anddd we are done... last ever ride as a Junior!

Junior Freestyle... last time competing as a junior, amazing experience!

2011-08-02T21:26:00.000+01:00

Well again, my phone ran out of battery so couldn't post to tell you guys that I GOT 3RD IN THE FREESTYLE WITH 68%! Actually, I was equal 2nd but I think they took it on technical marks and the 2nd place was one technical mark higher than me, but I actually got into the prize giving this time!

The FEI Junior Freestyle was in the international arena which was absolutely amazing to ride in. To be honest, I went in and didn't even look around and realise the enormity of it as I was in my 'bubble', but afterwards when everyone was clapping and clapped again as I walked past the granstand on the way out, I just froze! I didn't know how to respond to being applauded a 2nd and 3rd time! Seb did though, by leaping in the air and freaking out, so thankfully that distracted me as I was just trying to stay on and think "smile and pat, smile and pat.... yes I'm having a great time leaping in the air, no need to gasp everybody!"

I had really positive feedback from everyone which was really nice. It was really special to have my last ever Junior test be watched by a heap of people, especially the ones I know from the yard to came to watch and support. Its competitions like these that make the whole year of hard work worth it, because the feeling you get from being appreciated for what you do is absolutely amazing.

The prize giving was straight after the class finished so didn't have much time to freak out about how he would behave. It ended up being a piaffe at the entrance to the arena and getting left behind, then a passage down to A where we were supposed to stand, then a shuffle all through the national anthem, and a bolt out which sent the stewards running. It was a good laugh though, but cant help thinking maybe he would have stood still for the Dutch anthem rather than the British?

We stayed right until the end of the show to watch the Grand Prix which was really inspiring. Again, Uthopia was stunning, as was Parzival. I very nearly shed a tear as when Emma Hindle finished her test on Lancet, it was announced she was retiring him and he had just done his last ever test. Emma was in tears as the announcer rattled off a long list of his achievements, it was very emotional.

As we stayed so late, we only got home at 11pm and Seb was extremely glad to be back in his own stable (he nearly jumped on me with delight!) with his buddies to look out and talk to. He had a well-deserved day off yesterday (Monday) but today it was back to work as we have lots to work on and I have been given a massive boost of determination after this little taste of international competition! We have to scrub up for Young Riders now, there is no stopping us! and Julius too! :D

Friday and Saturday at Hickstead CDI

2011-07-30T22:19:00.000+01:00

Note to self: Never go to competition without a phone charger again. I have been updating my blog on my phone but when there is no battery, there is no internet. So I am on my mum's Mac in the hotel, here to give you an update of yesterday and today at Hickstead International.

Yesterday was the FEI Junior Individual test. I rode him throughout the warm-up and test much more positively and actively, rather than riding a bit defensively and just waiting for the horse to do something wrong so I can correct it. I definitely felt the difference, as Seb hardly dropped me at all. It is hard work though, literally riding stride for stride, no backing off. I came fourth again but I was very pleased with our personal progress.

I have been reading some of the Australian riders blogs on Equestrian Life Magazine's website and it was Lyndal Oatley's account of her ride at Aachen on her horse Potifar that was of particular interest to me. She commented that she was losing 3% of her score in her walk tour, and I have also realised that I lose about 3% in a particular section of my test. I must either fix that, or make everything else nothing less than a 7 to make up for it. It is frustrating because I know we are capable of achieving higher marks, we just need to fix this section. What she says is actually really interesting, espcially the part about how she has gone back to training in a snaffle to get a feel for the true contact - something I do about twice a week. Read it HERE

Fortunately all five international judges gave me some really positive feedback, especially on my riding, and that gave me a huge boost of positivity and makes me want to strive even harder to get those marks I know we can get.

Hicksted wouldn't be Hickstead without a good bit of partying, so after I took Seb out at about 7.30pm to go through my freestyle, I hit the hospitality tent with the crew. We had a good dance and a laugh (though I gave up my idea of hitting the champagne when I had to fork out £9 for one glass! I stuck to the wine on the table after that) and I even gathered the courage to talk to Australian Grand Prix rider Brett Parbery, who used to teach at the Young Rider clinics I went to in Sydney, and we competed at all the same competitions. He was really lovely and it was nice to hear that familiar Australia accent.

Today was a day off from competition so I helped Rach get Matt's horse Zipp ready for his class this morning and watched him do a super test for 71%, then headed off to the showjumping to wander around the shops and have a change of scenery. It is so funny to see the difference between the structured and regimented dressage and the hectic and muddled showjumping/showing/carriage driving.

We watched the Grand Prix special in the afternoon where Carl Hester came out on Uthopia... OH MY GOD. It was the most beautiful thing ever. Totilas watch out, Uthopia is hot on your heels! Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival were also stunning of course, but Carl made Britain proud by winning the class on 80%. Watching dressage like that makes you realise why you do it... because when it works, and the horse and rider are so harmonic with eachother, it is just beautiful. To get anywhere near that kind of riding would make years and years of hard work all worth it, it seems.

I have my FEI Junior Freestyle tomorrow at 12.02pm so no partying for me tonight. I'm back in the hotel and about to go to bed. Really looking forward to tomorrow, I finally get to compete in the International arena! I'm definitely going to make the most of it and just go out and enjoy it.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Reflecting on day 1

2011-07-28T19:30:00.000+01:00

Well I didn't make it to the prizegiving... Not because he was unridable and I fell off but because I didn't actually come third! They had gotten the scores wrong initially and I ended up coming 4th, and prizegiving is only 1st to 3rd so just missed out!

Bit annoying really, as I had actually just gotten on seb when I found out. He was glossed and sparkled up all ready to go, then Rach got a phone call just after she got me on with the news that I had just missed out. I should have been relieved really but actually more disappointed cuz I had fully pumped myself up ready for seb's stallion display!

I'm handgrazing seb right now actually, after having a pimms with mum and nan in the big food tent. We discussed today's performance and the marks and all in all I'm just proud to be here, and it doesnt matter how well someone can ride because it's the experience that makes all the difference, and that's something I don't have much of as a 17 year old.

The test sheet showed the real international marking, giving 4s for any mistake. However, you can't learn if u can't make mistakes which is what I've been learning for the whole of this years season, so can now only look forward to next year!

First test done!

2011-07-28T15:47:00.002+01:00

The team test is done! He was no where near as electric as the past couple of days but that's fine, he was still good enough as long as I didn't make any mistakes... Well that didn't happen.

Very unfortunately both my left to right flying changes were slow off the aid and I think that was quite expensive. I got 3rd though, so I'm in the prize giving! I'm about to tack up for it now, and I'm a tad scared. Prize givings are the only time I get a bit frightened on him because he does go wild with the atmosphere... I just have to sit on my butt and deal with it I guess, and hang on!

Everyone said it was a great test and lots of people have commented on seb, so I'm still happy :) 3rd in an international with 5 Olympic judges is pretty good!!! Right, now to gather my wits for prize giving... :/

First day... I'm ready to go!

2011-07-28T07:24:00.000+01:00

Right, I'm up and ready to go! My face is washed, makeup is on, and ready to head out to the show. Just waiting for mum to finish her coffee then she will drop me off at the showground then come back later to watch me ride.

Hopefully I'll get there by 8, I need to plait, get dressed, polish myself up, polish sebby up, tack up, and be on by 9.30am. Can't wait. Fingers crossed this all goes well!!! Excuse me while I just get in my bubble....

First time in the international arena... Oh wow.

2011-07-27T22:50:00.001+01:00

I'm curled up in bed in a really cost hotel down the road from hickstead. Although it would be ideal to have our own lorry to stay in at the showground, I can't deny I do love a good shower and double bed! This morning I woke up with a devilish cold and it has gotten worse through the day, so now I can't really breath or see cuz my head feels so congested.. Oh well, soldier on! This is too good a competition to let it be spoilt by a cold!

This afternoon we had the trot up, which is always the worst part of the competition because not only do u have to plait up and wait for ages for a 30 second presentation, but it could also be the end of something that hasn't even started if u don't pass.

Luckily, seb did pass, in fact he made a bit of a show of himself by standing himself up all the time and flying around a little bit. It got me a bit worried about riding him afterwards as he was so pumped up by the atmosphere and a bit crazy. It was a little scary the first few minutes being on his back, as there is lots of scary stuff around like buggies and lorries and banners and flags etc, but not once did he misbehave, even though he felt like a ticking bomb underneath me.

I had Matt help me work, and he was super in helping me control all this power and energy that seb had. I finally feel like seb and I have a great partnership where he can be all fired up but I embrace it in a way that he puts it into his work and just knows his job. We gradually worked our way into the international arena and being in there was the most intimidating yet amazing moment ever. There was so many scary things in there combined with music and top riders everywhere, the only way I could survive without being eaten whole was to go into my bubble of positive energy. Seb and I were in that bubble the whole time and nothing could touch us, he worked amazingly. Very, very proud of my boy :)

I'm really looking forward to the next few days, not only because seb and I are really working together now, but because I'm surrounded by only people that I care about and who support me. I have my mum, my nan, Matt, Rach and Adam all here to support me and I think it is so important at times like these to have people around you that make you happy and feel good.

Im riding at 10.16 tomorrow morning so I'll get to the show at 8 ready to plait and tack up. Bring on the junior team test tomorrow!!! My last one ever!!!

We're off!!!

2011-07-27T10:55:00.000+01:00

We have officially set off for hickstead! I'm in the lorry with Matt and Rach, with seb and matt's horse zipp in the back. We just stopped off for food at the services and are about halfway there.
When we arrive we just have to settle in our stables and I'll plait seb and get ready to trot up at 3.30. After the trot up I'll work seb and put him to bed. I don't know what time I'm riding tomorrow yet, I guess I'll find out after the trot up!
Because mum and my nan are coming we have booked a hotel to stay in. Usually I would stay in Sabrina but mum needs the car to get around in and there is no way I'm heading out on the road in Sabrina just yet! At least I'll be able to shower this time though! Even brought my bikini just in case I feel like having a little swim at the hotel :)

Preparation for Hickstead International!!

2011-07-26T22:16:00.000+01:00

The countdown is on to Hickstead CDI and after a mini-break of a couple of days spent in London, I am well and truly ready to go! Well, not really, there is still lots to do, but I'm pumped for it!

On Sunday I went through my freestyle with Seb which luckily worked perfectly with the music. We are a little more prepared than the Addington CDI! It is enormous help for my mum to be here as she does the music and works on all those fine details. I rode him in the snaffle because he had a day off the day before, and I like to ride him in a snaffle on stretching days just to re-establish an equal contact without the double hiding the problems. It wasn't exactly a stretching day though, considering I was doing my freestyle, but he was still okay. Just a little fresh and excited!

On Monday Seb was being very difficult, even though he was now in the double he was not giving in his neck or letting me access his hind legs. We did work through it though, mainly by gymnasticising and putting his body in positions where he was to give like shoulder in and traverse into halfpasses and leg-yields. Tried not to stress too much though, still had two more days of work before the first competition. I gave him a pre-bath before his proper bath today.... I was pretty sure he would need two baths to get him sleek and shiny rather than dull and dusty from his daily playtime in the pen!

Today Seb worked amazingly. He had so much positive tension and was really supple and over the back. Instead of my normal small spurs I usually put on my roller spurs before a competition for that extra lift. I hardly have to use them at all actually, I let him know they are there and then he doesn't dare fall behind my leg and I can just relax and use my seat. I went through the Junior team test (which I think I could do backwards by now!) and polished a few movements like the flying changes, which are all done on the centre line and it always looks professional to do it right on the line, not before or after. Accuracy is so important, it shows skill and discipline in the sport.

After a nice cool-down in the field and a stop-off at the apple tree on the way back to the stables, he got a nice bath so now he is nice and shiny :) It took about an hour to pack the lorry, but I had to laugh at Rach our show-groom (and great friend of mine) who was packing as well for Matt as she was so excited she was bouncing off the walls. I don't think she will get much sleep tonight! I'm excited too, the big bbq is packed in the back of the lorry all ready for our hot summer nights of pimms and burgers :)

I panicked a bit tonight because I couldn't find my union jacks to put on my saddlecloth... I don't think it occurred to me after Addington CDI that I might just need them again! Luckily I went through all the random junk I store away and found the flag from the 2009 Australian Youth Olympics that my horses wore when they were on loan to Emily Cousins and Charlie Hutton. I knew it would come in handy one day ;)

So I'm off to bed, ready for an early start tomorrow morning. Arriving at yard at 7.45, leaving at 9am, arrive at Hickstead around 12pm, trot up at 3.30pm! Not feeling as anxious as my first international in April... I kinda know what to expect now. It will also be my last ever competition as a Junior rider so I want to make the most of it and have a bloody good time!

The AMD Mice....

2011-07-17T11:31:00.000+01:00

The other day Sam and I were walking through the rug room to go pull a youngster's mane, and just as Sam was about to take another step I stopped and said 'OH MY GOD!' and Sam froze, thinking what the hell I was on about. She looked to where I was looking on the ground, and we saw a tiny, naked baby mouse, all curled up with its eyes not even open yet. Then I looked around the ground and there were three more, all laying there having been just born!

We screamed and ran out, being the pansies that we are, then crept back in to inspect and decide what to do. We couldnt just leave the poor things there, they would get trodden on! So, being the goddess of logical ideas, I picked them all up on a piece of paper and take them over to an unused stable.

Sam and I put them in the feed manger with lots of straw, then went to the feed room and made up a feed of mix and sugar beet in case they got hungry. These youngens need to keep their energy levels up to grow!

So there they lay, in the straw, with food surrounding them just in case, and they lasted until the next day. RIP micey.

Growing up but missing the family :(

2011-07-17T10:11:00.000+01:00

Now that I've passed my driving test, I can officially drive to and from the yard! I still need my mum to drive with me though, as I'm not confident enough to completely go out on my own. The hardest bit I find is getting used to driving a different car, especially as Patrick is quite big so I tend to find myself veering off towards the pavement because I think I have a lot more room than there actually is! I do feel a lot more grown up though, despite having driven the road to the yard a million times as a passenger, but not knowing at all where to go as a driver!

This weekend my Nan is here, and also my mum came back from Aus early last week so I am spending the weekend with them. Although the yard does feel like my family when I'm living there, there is nothing like your real family and I really do miss having that love and support. When I go back to the flat for a weekend or just for a night, I am completely alone and I don't know anyone in town just yet. It makes me realise how much I took for granted coming home to a mum, dad and sister that loves me and will always be there for me, as I am for them. I think it is healthy to have someone or a few people in your life that you can tell your true feelings to, just so it doesn't get all bottled up. It takes quite a lot for me to trust someone so family is the closest thing I have, as I have been continually proven that friends always come and go and not all of them you can trust. I just find I'm a lot less stressed in a family environment, now that I've been away from home for over 18 months now the novelty of living alone is definitely wearing off.

At least I have my horses though :) If I didn't have them, I don't know what I would do. Actually, if I didn't have them I probably would have tonnes of friends, as it is because of the commitment and time they take up that isolates me from people at college or in town. However I can't say much for the type of person I'd me if I didn't have horses in my life... they have probably taught me more than any human can. Patience, responsibility, decision-making, compassion, respect... gosh the list goes on. I'm sure that if you can get a horse to respect and get along with you, you will be able to get along with almost any person too!

I'm supposed to be competing at Hartpury today but as I only got on the waiting list, I was waiting to hear if I got in or not. Well, I havn't heard, so considering it is 10am I assume I will not be competing today! Or at least I hope not... that will be a mad rush. It feels really weird only being half-prepared to compete. I don't want to get all pumped up for something that won't happen so I wasn't sure how to prepare!

We went to Hartpury to watch the CDI Grand Prix on Friday though, which was a nice little outing with mum and nan. The sun was shining and we were sitting on the grass bank overlooking the arena. I was so tempted to take a trip to the Pimms tent actually! But no, must lay off the alcohol I think... I was getting a bit of podge on my belly so I lay off the alcohol and now its gone back to being normal thankfully. I really love going to competitions here because there are so many people that I admire and look up to, and I get so excited when I see them sitting on the grass a few metres away from me!

I just gave the boys a stretch yesterday... well with Seb it was trying to get his manners back and Jules is at the stage where if you want him to work correctly, you have to do a full session to get there. It is really hard to 'just stretch' him because then he drops on the forehand, has a piddle trot and ducks behind the contact. Then it feels like he has just gone down a few notches in training so I try and keep him up and working properly until he gets used to doing that all the time and those correct muscles develop and get strong enough so that he soon finds it easy. With Seb I can take him down and round because I know he will always come up, but with Jules I tend to refrain from taking him down because I know he will happily stay there. Only if he is really tight in his back will I stretch him a little bit.

Seeing as there is no competition today I better get cracking and go and work the boys... IF I make it alive driving Patrick there!

PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!!!!

2011-07-12T20:19:00.000+01:00

Ahhhhh everybody I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!!!!! oohhhhh yehhhh :D And, with only ONE minor fault! How good is that!

I am so excited to go out and finally drive Patrick, I just need to get my insurance sorted out and I'm away! My mum arrived in England yesterday and drove him to Gloucester to meet me after my test, and I must say he is seriously lush!

Lets just hope I don't crash him! And keep him extremely clean. Ohhhh loving the feeling of freedom :D This is the start of a new era!

Today's lesson on Seb... stating the obvious.

2011-07-11T22:16:00.000+01:00

Today I had a lesson on Seb after he had two days off.... well it was interesting to say the least! He started quite fresh as expected, but after 10 minutes of bending and stretching I had him in his mind and body. After our rest though, he gathered up all his energy again and leapt about a bit. I don't mind the energy at all, in fact I love it, but it just means that I have to ride tactfully enough to contain it and use it positively.

We worked on PSG movements, and i was told something interesting that is so obvious but I've never thought of before. You can work on movements as much as you like, but at the end of the day a half pass is a half pass, but its the quality of the gate that makes it an 8 instead of a 6. I have to ride the walk, trot and canter the best I can throughout the test because the movements are only going to be as good as the gait. When we watch Totilas we dont sit and think 'wow that half pass is so parallel', no, we think 'wow he can stretch his legs so far over and barely touches the ground'.

Now when I go into a test, I'm going to focus a lot more on the quality of the gait I am riding, especially seeing as Seb will always do a good half pass or flying change when I ask. So obvious, yet so technical and hard to do!

The boys in July :)

2011-07-10T19:15:00.000+01:00

Julius's new bridle! Very well deserved, now he doesnt have to share Seb's and I don't have to change bits twice a day!

Haha Seb made friends with the cows the other morning... I was mucking out and turned around to look out at him err... getting to know them. No Seb, you cannot shag a cow. Even if her name is Daisy and she has pretty black and white spots.

Another week of summer at the yard....

2011-07-10T19:06:00.000+01:00

Another week at the yard has passed and although the weather was extremely random (rainy and windy but still hot and humid) it was still a good week. There were quite a few clients around which always makes for interesting lessons to watch and good times in the gallery at night (and really yummy dinners!). I'm back at the flat now though for this Sunday afternoon, again needing to catch up on my internet work. It's strange coming out of the 'horse bubble' and get back in touch with the world via TV, facebook and emails. Once a week is enough for that though I think. I much prefer the great outdoors and my marriage to my laptop can be saved for the college days.

Seb was a star on Friday - I went through this little stage where I lost my confidence on him a bit because he was so good at Hickstead, and after that competition I just lightly worked him in the snaffle so he got a bit big-headed. I had two lessons with Adam on two consecutive days, and the third day (Friday) the minute I started trotting he was brilliant and we could do everything from shoulder-in to one-times no problem no stress. Rides like that can make at least 3 months of hard work worth it. I now know that he really loves to work so it is worth just doing even 10-15mins hard work a few times a week and the rest stretching, rather than trying to do a whole week of just stretching. Pick up the whip, do a bit of 'pow-pow' work, and he is happy :)

Julius has been working really well all week, he is well and truly heading onwards and upwards. He got a little treat yesterday - we jumped!!! There is an irish girl at the yard at the moment who is doing her BHS teaching exam soon, so she was able to practise her jumping teaching on Julius and I. We could only build one jump (and even then we had to use skip buckets and mounting blocks as wings) but it was still fun! A little rusty at first, but by the end Jules and I had our strides sorted and my body was back used to being in 2 point position. Gosh it felt weird, havn't had short stirrups for about 10 months! :O

Speaking of jumping and short stirrups, I'm heading back to Talland in August for some intensive training to do my BHS Stage 3 exam. I've booked all my lessons - a group flat lesson at 9am and Stage 3 lecture at 10am and a private jumping lesson at 1.30pm nearly every day. The actual exam is on the 17th of August so I think I should be ready by then. I will still stay at AMD to ride Julius and Seb in the evenings, especially as I have Addington Summer Regional Championships on the 12th of August so need to get in plenty of preparation for that. Throwing up wether or not to lorry Julius over to Talland to do a few of my jumping lessons on him... He does love jumping and it will be so good for both of us. Maybe after Regionals... hate for him to do an injury just before his first championship event!

Ohhh I have disappointing news... I only got on the waiting list for Hartpury Premier League in ALL of my classes :( I'm not sure how far down the waiting list I am but I'm hoping there will be a few withdrawals and I'll be able to still go! I was really looking forward to taking Julius to his first Premier League, otherwise now it will have to wait until next year and come out in Young Riders/PSG with both him and Seb.

Gosh it's strange to think I am now entering the realms of Prix St George... I practised the test the other day with Adam and it was all fine, but I've been limited to Advanced level for over 3 years so to finally breakthrough that wall feels great!

Patrick the Polo!

So it's Sunday evening, I'm chilling out big time watching 'Come Dine With Me' on TV and doing my blog/website work. Lush :) Oh gosh I have my second driving test on Tuesday :O I'm a bit scared cuz there is so much pressure, as I have already got my car 'Patrick' downstairs in the garage waiting and ready to go! I just pray it all goes well and I can drive into the yard in Patrick the Polo. Fingers crossed! I'll let you know how it goes :)

How things have changed....

2011-07-04T20:37:00.000+01:00

I'm sitting in my flat in town eating dinner (i've given up on cooking for just myself so chicken chow mein microwave meal it is), catching up on all the things I have to do that require internet. I am in the process of having a website and an official blog site created, which is super exciting but a lot of work! I have to transfer all my early blogs from this site onto the new site, so I have been reading all of them from way back in 2009 when I started this.

It is amazing to look back on my thoughts and feelings at the time, and reflect on how they have changed. I was so upset to leave my school and my friends, but now none of them ever talk to me, in fact they don't like me at all anymore because they say i've "changed". Well yeh, of course I have changed, I have gotten myself out of the bubble that they all still live in and we don't see eye to eye anymore.

Way back when... first visit to Leonies'...

Also the first time I went to train with Leonie, I remember it was the hardest couple of months of my life because it was in the middle of winter and really hard work, but I had forgotten all the little things... like how I passed out in front of her, went for a run around the town and got lost, had to live off soup because I didn't understand the menu, the joys of Christmas markets and the movie nights my mum, nan and I had because it was too cold and dark to go out after dinner. Now, it seems like nothing to just drive over and train with her for a week or two.

Also in those posts I seem so naive to what I was getting myself into... I sound so jolly and flippant, yet in the whole scheme of things it was a huge move that changed my life. I can tell you, when I was writing those posts I had no idea that I would be representing Great Britain 16 months later. I would have never dreamed of it, in fact I was supposed to be competing for Australia. Oh how things have changed.

Beginning of Summer, off to a good start!!!

2011-06-27T18:31:00.000+01:00

I feel so guilty for not writing for such a long time! It seems every time I go through a transitional stage in my life I never have the opportunity to write. This latest transition is finally finishing my first year of college, moving out of my room there and into my lorry at the yard to spend the summer riding and helping out. So much has happened between now and the last time I posted, so here's a quick rundown...

My last post was about Julius going out competing for the first time. Well he has been out twice more, getting a consistent 67-69% and amazingly qualifying for regionals at advanced/medium after only his second competition. I am so proud of him and he has now really proved himself! I'm so excited to say that he is going to Hartpury Premier League (Festival of Dressage) to do the FEI Juniors. He deserves to step onto the big stage now and it would mean so much to finally have him out in a Premier League.

I've moved into the yard for the summer which I am soooo relieved about. The first morning I woke up to muck out I immediately felt so much happier. Even everyone at the yard has said that I'm like a different person now. I love working outside all day and then at night sitting down with everyone to have dinner and just talk about random stuff. Actually our conversations can really go to the lowest level, it is absolutely hilarious!! I love it though, they are once again like my family. I don't have college to always drag me away so now I can just immerse myself in the hilarity and uniqueness of AMD.

Seb all ready to set off to Hickstead

On the weekend, one of my dreams came true when I competed Sebastian at Hickstead Premier League. To even ride in the warm up arena where I had once sat and admired all the top-level riders a few years ago was just amazing. And then to look to the side and see multi Paralympic Gold Medal winner Lee Pearson watching me ride nearly made me fall off. It was only a couple of hours later I was sitting next to him watching the Grand Prix and playing with his two little dogs! That is something I certainly always remember.

Hickstead is known for its parties and yes, there was lots of partying. Damn me being underage, as my friend and I went on the dinner run so picked up some chinese from the pub/restaurant that all the showjumpers and a few wilder dressage-ers go to and we weren't even aloud inside the pub as I didn't have ID. Had a bit of an argument about me just drinking coke and how it was a pub, not a nightclub, but oh well. We still had a good time back at the showground!

Oh I guess I should let you know how I went! Seb was super, warmed up so well both days and was an absolute sweetheart. Thursday's Team test was a bit flat as he kinda dropped me again, but instead of panicing and then making more mistakes, I dealt with it and made every movement as mistake free and accurate as possible which gave me a high score of 68.78% and got equal 2nd in a very competitive class! I was so pleased with Seb and myself for doing a neat, accurate test which is what they are looking for in Juniors. It was finished off nicely with a centrleline and halt/salute marked a 9.

On Friday I wanted a bit more energy and expression for the Individual and I got it right on the mark in the warm-up, however I threw my whip away just as I entered the arena and it freaked him out big time. Although I hadn't started the test, the judges saw him go mental so their first impression of him was tense. He did have positive tension throughout the test but he didn't blow and he felt really good, but I was still marked down for it especially in the walk and therefore in the collectives so only came 10th. On the bright side, I still got consistent 7s in most of the movements and a few 8s :)

Seb grazing by the Hickstead warm up arenas

Overall I learnt a lot (as always) and it was a super weekend, despite the huge amount of mud! I never want to see another bit of mud again in my life. Luckily on Sunday we were back at the yard in 30 degree heat and just chilling out. I gave Sabrina a good clean and washed pretty much everything I brought as it was covered in mud. I can't wait for Hickstead CDI now which is at the end of July. However I'm really focusing on Hartpury, our next one. We are pushing Seb up to Young Riders and I will do my first Prix St George there as we think he will enjoy the harder movements and be a little bit more inspired. It's like horses that are great at jumping big fences but useless at the small ones... he finds Juniors a bit basic and he can certainly do movements up to Inter II so why not get straight into Young Riders! Exciting stuff :D

So overall thoroughly enjoying my summer at the yard with the horses, soooo much better than college! I have actually found that my riding has improved so much by just already being looser and stronger in my body from mucking out, and so much more focused and relaxed when I ride. I'm not rushing to the yard from a lecture and rushing back to college to study, so I can really just enjoy it.

I'll try to update more often, promise!

Julius's first competition!!!

2011-06-08T08:50:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday was a very exciting day... Julius went to his first competition!!! Well at least his first in England after 18 months of being here. I took him out twice in Australia at medium level, but that was all. We entered him in two advanced/mediums and I was super anxious to see how he would behave... I tried practising the tests at home but let's just say we failed at getting through the whole thing without him having a tantrum. He seemed to find it too hard when there are no preparation circles and with the movements being so close together.

Also, Julius isn't the best traveller, despite (or maybe in spite?) having travelled half way across the world from Australia to England. When we took him out to be downgraded last year, we left him in the lorry for a few minutes and he panicked and climbed up onto the feeder and got his front legs stuck on top of it. He ended up with cuts and scratches all over him and thank god he was bandaged under his travelling boots because they got ripped to shreds and only the bandages protected his legs. One of the last times he was on a lorry was going to the vets in excrutiating pain with colic. I'm sure that doesn't bring good memories.

Poor Jules started stressing as soon as I tied him up to plait him. I never usually tie him up so he was probably thinking 'what are you doing? Why are you tying me up?!' Anyway, we got to the competition no problem, he actually travelled really well. I think he quite likes Sabrina, our little lorry.

Julius loving Sabrina

As soon as I got on him he chilled out, and acted like he had been going to competitions every weekend of his life. He seemed to just lift himself a bit more and had a look of elegance like he was showing off! Julius? Showing off? Now that is rare! He was just so easy, we had no problems at all, I just had to fire him up a bit to get him active and swinging through the back. Mum was my eyes on the ground so it helped to know if the different feeling he was giving me was good or bad.

The competition was at Hartpury and our arena was in the big main arena. When you ride into it, you get overwhelmed by the pure enormity of it and you feel like a little ant down in the middle there. But Julius didn't bat an eyelid. He went in, did everything I asked foot-perfectly and I felt he was really enjoying himself!

We ended up getting 70.88% for our first test and 69.2 for the second test. I was absolutely thrilled with the result, and although he is a very ordinary moving horse, he has a good rhythm and is completely obedient to my aids. I got an 8 for my riding in both tests as well!

Mum being an awesome groom :)

So we really enjoyed ourselves even though it was a horrible rainy day, it is always nice to go to competitions with mum because it reminds me of the old days in Australia. I am sooo proud of Julius. After everything he has been through - flying from Australia, being ill and not completely recovering for 6 months, getting colic and having surgery to save his life - he is still going strong, and even when he had the surgery I knew that it was his own will power that kept him alive, as it was such a close call. He is like one of those people that just keep smiling even through the worst situations, and his heart is so big that I don't think he will ever give up. He will be retired and needing a zimmer-frame and he will still be wanting to piaffe!

He is getting stronger every day, but it is hard work. Yesterday I managed to get a good few steps of passage and really powering in his trot. I think the main thing is to get his confidence up, as the minute he gives me that bit extra he is still a bit unsure of himself and tends to panic. Small steps, and keeping him healthy and happy is the key. He goes out in the field every day and loves it, he chucks a tantrum in the morning if he is kept in for 5 minutes too long bless him.

So after years of basics and chipping away at advanced movements, we are finally on our way. Our next competition is this Friday. There's no looking back now!

Last weekend....

2011-06-01T08:04:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm not gonna lie guys. This weekend was bloody disappointing when I look at how well Seb has been going. Seb was still going super and we warmed up really well, but the test was not so perfect. Although he was better than usually in terms of him being in front of my leg and listening (not switching off like the stallions like to do sometimes!) but there are still a couple of things that really stop my marks coming up.

Firstly, I can't afford any mistakes where marks are thrown away. This is anything from a too-large walk pirouette to a break into canter in the extended trot. At the Europeans the current percentage comes up on the board for the audience as the test is going, and you will notice as soon as something like this happens the percentage goes from 69% to 66%. Ouch, try getting that score back up :/

Also Seb still needs to be softer in the back, something I have been working on a lot but I have come to the realisation that it is definitely something in my hands that is preventing true throughness. I mean he looks fine, but if you watch carefully his hind needs to come under more and be more engaged. It is only when the judge sees the hind come right under will I start getting 8's for my 7's and 7's for my 6's. From being more engaged, I will also have more control and my half-halts can come from behind because he is giving me his hind leg to work with. Sure I can try and half-halt the hind leg under in the first place, but when, as I have discovered, there is an issue in my hands that is preventing this from happening, the fine-tuning of true engagement can't happen.

So, the issue in my hands. Thank god we picked this up. So we all know that we have to turn our hands up with our thumbs on top like we are holding ice-cream cones, right? Well, mine tend to go a bit floppy and special. I just curl my wrist in to communicate but it gives the wrong feeling in the horse's mouth and makes them resist a bit. So often I've been shouted at by previous trainers "hands Casey! What are they doing!?" but I have never felt the true connection when my hands are turned over, so it isn't something I've ever addressed fully.

Since coming back from the show and watching some of the best Grand Prix riders like Gareth Hughes, I was completely inspired to ride like them and I'm starting with my hands. I've worked on my core so that is better, and just by fixing each body part at a time I can piece myself together so that in no way I can prevent the horse's ability coming through. It helped to have one of the riders, Justine Sole riding around with me so I could watch her and try and copy. She is a brilliant rider and I was trying so hard to keep my hands as still and make my movement as invisible as hers. I had to have my hands carried out in from of me, with no weird twisting of the wrist and only finger movements to communicate. The rein action had to be directed up towards my belt buckle to keep the line of connection, and immediately, on both Seb and Julius, I felt a huge difference. And so did they!

They had this amazing perfect throughness with a completely closed mouth and were swinging through the back. Everything was more consistent, quiet and obedient. It was such hard work though, as it was impossible to ride off my hands in this position so I had to use my core strenth to hold myself. I am hurting today, not going to lie!!!

So I feel much better about things now and just have to keep working on these hands and core of mine. Hopefully, that will make him softer in the back equalling less mistakes and I can bump my marks up. And my new Prestige D1 saddle is being fitted today!!! I am so excited, I love these saddles and I ride Julius in one. Finally Seb's has arrived so he has his very own personalised saddle for him to (hopefully) swing his back under ;)

Jules is back :)

2011-05-27T08:11:00.000+01:00

Julius back in action! :D now, to find a competition....

Exams over, bring on a summer of riding! :D

2011-05-27T08:09:00.000+01:00

Yes yes yes yes yes yes exams are overrrr!!!!!!!! I had my last one yesterday and overall I think I did quite well. I'm not going to lie, I think I totally aced the English exam on Monday. I think it was probably the best exam I have ever done! Biology and History was average, but I can't predict my grade as in January I thought I did really well but I got a C and a D. So we just have to wait until August to find out!

Right now my focus has switched immediately to Somerford Premier League this weekend. We are leaving today and I am competing tomorrow and Sunday. Seb has been going absolutely super this week so I really hope we do well. I am planning on just pulling out all stops and taking a risk with him because I have nothing to lose. If I pull it off then I may get a step further towards continuing the international competitions, and if not we will just get the same scores and nothing is lost.

I have been riding Seb with a lot more power recently, and I just have to say I never imagined dressage could be scary. Well I tell you what, when a 600kg horse full of muscle is powering with his legs above his ears and right on the edge, it is bloody scary! Miss one half halt, kick a tad too hard, lose the stability in your core for a 10th of a second, bam its gone. It makes me think of what riding Totilas would be like... I would probably faint. It also makes me realise how in tune you have to be with your horse, and you have to have complete harmony to achieve work of a truly high standard. The minute you start working against the horse it just falls to pieces. My trainer was excellent in reassuring me that every time Seb slips over the edge and gets a bit out of control, it is just a step further to achieving what you want. It is definitely wrong to punish him, as he is only trying so hard that he doesn't know what to do with himself!

I have been told by the supportive team at the yard that it's only your brain that thinks you are scared and you have to tell yourself you are excited. Apparently fear and excitement have the same effect on your body, it's your brain that tells you which one it is. So no I am not scared for this weekend, I am excited!..... :/

Something that I can truly say I am excited about is the summer holidays! I am just going to ride ride ride ride and work work work work. I miss being around the horses so much, and I actually highly doubt I am going to last another year at college... a change is on the cards. My college period was the first time I have ever lived away from my horses, and not had the luxury of being able to walk out the back door and see them. I find that so painful and frustrating, and there are so many mornings when I wake up and want to give the boys a kiss, muck them out and all the rest, and have that refreshing feeling to start the day with. Being at college is a bit like being in a prison when you are used to doing that... When you wake up, or come back into your room from lectures, you are stuck in there. There is no yard to go and sweep, horses to groom and tack to clean, there is only a corridor to sit in and talk about revision, boys and spots with friends. I think you know which one I'd prefer.

But it is all over, and honestly I think the lead up to exams has been one of the hardest times of my life with the added stress of my first international competition and all the premier leagues. Not having the horses to refresh my mind whilst revising is extremely difficult and as I said, I highly doubt I can do it again next year. At least now I know where my heart lies and I can't say I didn't try it.

Early morning post, great weekend but have english exam this morning!!

2011-05-23T06:23:00.000+01:00

Seb in our new little lorry Sabrina!

It is 5.45am and I am awake, having only gone to bed just after midnight. Well I got into bed at 11 but didn't get to sleep till then. And I have a 2 and a half hour english exam starting at 9am. Just a tad annoyed and tired, so I thought what's better to do than write a post! :)

I had a pretty super weekend; I seem to be getting used to this exam stuff again so somehow just relaxed on the weekend and enjoyed myself with a tinnnnyyyy little bit of revision here and there. On Friday I had two amazing rides on Seb and Jules. It has been a while since Seb has really powered like he did so I was really pleased that we have gotten back on track. Julius was made to work hard as now it is time for him to start using his hind legs properly! I have really missed having my mum here as she is the best eyes on the ground and absolutely invaluable for when I ride, and we went out to a small competition on Saturday with Seb and it brought me back to the old days in Australia when we would head off to anywhere with the horses to compete.

Mum and I displayed some amazing teamwork skills on Saturday at the competition. She helped me a bit warming up (though she knows not to say too much cuz anything drastic will just stress me out, its too late to fix anything that should have been fixed at home!) and gave her opinion of my first test so that my second one was much better. It seems that Seb's way of going is greatly affected by my position, which I have never doubted but just didn't know exactly what I was doing.

Mum picked that I needed to sit more over the shoulders so I wouldn't lean back and stop the hind coming through, and once I did that (and even yesterday when I rode him at home) he was much better and I couuld control him a lot more. Seb had so much power and spark like the days when we first got him (we had calmed it down a bit cuz it was a bit too much for the first couple of competitions), and I wasn't used to it so I was feeling a bit out of my comfort zone but having mum on the side as a support just boosts my confidence a bit because I know I can always discuss what I'm doing with her and she will help me. When he is powering along like that, I often just have to use pure instinct as I don't have time to think anything through, because by then it has already happened. I seem to have lost my ability for good judgement and insinct through not riding as much as I used to, so mum is definitely a big help there.

I have been riding Seb every day with the whip (now that may not sound like much but once you have a whip in your hand his legs hit the roof) so he is very, very forward. There was no chance of him dying in the tests on Saturday, and he was very well behaved - no leaping and scooting around! Julius however, I would prefer for him to leap and scoot around cuz at least he is active and energetic! To be fair, he does move when you give him a kick up the backside, but any opportunity to stop working his hind legs he would gladly take.

On Saturday morning I rode him at home before the competition and he was super, doing lots of passage - medium trots to get him sitting and powering. We then went through a couple of tests... oh boy is that a different story or what. Keeping in mind I havn't ridden a test on him since 2009 (I know I should have but there has never been a need to as he hasn't been competed yet because things keep happening to hold him back), he could not comprehend why I would make him do shoulder ins, half passes and flying changes even if he wasn't feeling spot on. In training, I only ever do a movement if he is ready underneath me to do it and I have a good feeling, but obviously in a test you can't go circling and what not to get him through again. So we just did it, just to see how he would react, and it was the hardest thing in the world for him, bless him. So I guess we need to do lots of test practise, one every time I ride him! Then hopefully by next month we can take him out and compete :)

Spending the weekend with mum really was relaxing though. We had dinner on Friday night at our favourite Italian down the street, made our own dinner on Saturday on coming back from the competition, and went out for a Sunday roast for lunch on Sunday. I havn't had a pub lunch for ages, let alone a roast! It was amazing, soo yummy :D Now I really should get geared up for this english exam.... oh gosh. How about I just sleep for a couple more hours.... ;)

Premier Leagues, Exams and Injuries

2011-05-17T20:50:00.000+01:00

Again, it has been over a week since I last wrote so here is a quick re-cap of what has happened since the last post:

- My dad has gone back to Australia
- I competed at Addington Premier League on the weekend
- Exams started yesterday (Monday) and I have been revising like mad
- I seem to have ruptured/strained my achilles tendon and am finding it difficult to ride
- Between exams this week and next week, I have to go to a competition this Saturday and Somerford Premier League next weekend
- My iPhone is still broken.

I'll start with Addington Premier League. Mum and I drove Sabrina (our lorry) over on Thursday night after lectures and Seb went in the big lorry earlier in the day. We had to stay in a hotel and no joke the only time I got to be out of that room was in the morning to handgraze Seb, and in the afternoon to ride/compete. I was locked in to study, and it was actually really productive! I got covered a lot of content in biology and history, and my mum even got involved and looked up revision resources on the internet. It was amazing what she found, voice recordings, revision notes, powerpoints, mini quizzes.... maybe she should be my lecturer?

It was strange to not be out and about all day at the competition, but I actually didn't think it affected how I rode that much. I have always been one to think that I have to be 'in the zone' and bond with the horse so you are in-tune with eachother for the test, but I have come to realise that no matter how you prepare, at the end of the day you can only do what you can do and any preparations that will actually affect your performance are long term.

Seb and I ended up coming 3rd in the Junior Team test which I was pleased with, and 2nd the next day in the Junior Individual. We again warmed him up a bit differently to make sure he still had enough energy for the test, though the weather conditions were just right for Seb. Gosh he is a snob, he likes it at about 20 degrees, which a light breeze, in an outdoor arena with not too many horses in the arenas around him. I also find in the warm up you have to keep his mind happy... on Sunday I did a lot of basic stuff with him and just getting him really reaching out and free but still soft, and he seemed to really enjoy it and got very excited going around the arena. He didn't drop me in the test either, so we made some progress.

This weekend I am going to just a small competition and trying out taking the whip in with me, so if he decides to drop me I can give him a whack which he will hopefully remember and won't do it next time! Then he should be all set for Somerford Premier League next weekend, the day after my exams finish. Unfortunately I have to miss the Hartpury Summer Ball, but would I rather do a super-important premier league, or go to a ball? Which would most benefit me? I think you know the answer.

With these competitions coming up, it would be good if I could actually ride before then. My heel, oh gosh my heel... I don't know what I did to it. I was at Addington and just put my riding boots on and started to run towards the stable, and I think I took off too fast and pulled the tendon in my heel, the achilles. So now whenever I move my ankle I can feel all the tendons pull and I tried to ride Julius yesterday and it was prettttty painful. I didn't ride today, but I hope I can ride tomorrow. I have had it bandaged so hope it works! The internet says it can take months to heal... No, can't be dealing with that thank you.

Exams started yesterday, God help me. I had biology yesterday morning and History this morning. Biology went okay, there was nothing I didn't know, and in history I knew all the information but just found it hard to put it down in an essay to answer the question. I think I probably got a C, but I can always retake in January. A-levels are honestly one of the hardest things I have done in my life and I have studied so hard but it seems that no matter how well you know the content, if you can't put it down on the paper in the right way that matches the marking scheme, you don't get the marks. I have gone from being an A-grade student at GCSE to a C student at A-level... although I do get As for my english practise essays, but guaranteed I'll freak out in the actual exam and have a mind blank. No Casey don't say that, positive thoughts!!!

Tomorrow I have no exams so Mum is taking me through to Bristol AGAIN to fix my iPhone. I don't even want to talk about it, the thing doesn't even deserve a mention. Though its quite peaceful not being obliged to text people everyday.

Right I best get back to revision... my brain hurts. After these exams I don't want to have to think about anything academic for at least a month.

The parents are in town!

2011-05-09T14:23:00.000+01:00

Okay so it's been a while since I last wrote, but I can tell you that not much has been happening until now! After the international I've focusing on studying for my A-level exams, which start next week (help! :O) and just having chilled out rides on Seb and working on consistency with Jules. However my parents arrived in England on Thursday, so all the study went down the drain and I had an amazing chilled out weekend with them!

I actually didn't get to ride all of last week for one reason or another, and if you know me then you will know that I get extremely depressed by the third day after riding. My phone is broken (more about that in a minute) and my trainer didn't get my text saying that I would be there to ride, so I travel over an hour to the yard to find they had already been ridden which is great as I know they will always have good work done with them but I could have cried. I just hopped on the bus and went back to Hartpury, as my plans to go and have dinner with my parents after also fell through. I decided I would just study for another night, but I sat in that little student room for an hour and fell apart. I had been so stressed by exams for the whole week, and I couldn't handle being in a small enclosed space anymore (riding relaxes and refreses me). Knowing that my parents were in town and I wasn't seeing them was painful! I ended up calling my mum in tears because I missed them and needed a big hug to make all the stress go away. She jumped straight in the car and came and got me. Pretty standard reaction from her actually haha bless her :)

So mum and dad came to get me and we had our emotional 'hello's' and had a nice meal out. The next day, we had to go through to Bristol to fix my iPhone. Okay so this is the story with this bloody phone...
I went to Bristol last Sunday to finally get the smashed up one replaced. Then that afternoon my messages stopped working and I couldn't back it up on my laptop. So on Wednesday I went into town with some friends and took it to Vodafone where they did a manual reset. That worked... for a couple of hours. Then I realised everytime it conked out on me I had to manually reset it and restore everything from my laptop on to it. What a pain. So on Saturday I had the fortune to be driven to Bristol (no trains or buses... yay!) but because I had restored it that morning and it was still working by the time I was at the Apple store, the girl said that I probably just needed to put the most recent version of iTunes on it which I would have just done. So she assumed it would now continue to work... Nope. 3 hours later it broke again. On Sunday I walked from the flat down to the high street and went into Vodafone, where they changed the sim as it may have been a sim card problem. That seemed to fix it, until 4 hours later. So now I'm still stuck with a dodgy phone and mum is bringing me a £10 one from Tesco to use as an emergency one.

Despite all that, I loved spending the weekend with my parents, being driven to the yard rather than catching buses (although I really have gotten used to that routine now and it feels strange not to do it anymore!) and even got dinner cooked for me on Saturday night... My dad's amazing spaghetti bolognaise. YUM I haven't had his bolognaise for agesssss and it was even better than I remembered :) No one can make bolognaise as good as my dad!

Its Monday and I'm back at college now and getting straight back into revising. I have Addington Premier League this weekend but I'm not stressed about it because my mum is here to help me if I get stuck and I will be able to get some study in hopefully when I'm not riding as she will take me to and from the Bed and Breakfast. After that, its 10 days of serious revision and exams, then I am FREEEEE!!!!! Well, I have Somerford Premier League the day after my last exam but that will be good fun, despite missing the Hartpury Summer Ball. Oh well, I can't have everything right?

Okay, back to revision... Ohhh no.

Massive learning experience at Addington CDI

2011-04-26T08:49:00.000+01:00

I am back from Addington CDI-YRJP, and for my first international it didn't go too badly. I got two 8ths and a 7th, but the lower scores came from the fact that I still don't know Seb well enough to know how to prepare him under for different conditions. This weekend was so hot, it was a three day show and he was away from home for five days. His stamina doesn't stand up to work and heat too well, as I found out on Friday.

I love this photo... my first time wearing the flag! :D

In the team test he just died, nothing I did could make him go forward. If you have been reading about my previous competitions, you would know that he often 'drops' me in a test because he has run out of energy for the test. Well finally we changed the warm up so that he got about 20 mins before the test then in, which made Saturday and Sunday better.

We had electrolytes left, right and centre, and he was getting an extra feed during the day. I will clip him this week too, and the pen we bought for him has been moved onto the grass so he can spend a lot more time chilling in there hopefully.

Haha definitely Seb's good side :P

Although I didn't do as well as I know I could, I was still so grateful to have the opportunity to ride at an international for GB! It is all good experience, and if you don't learn from mistakes to get better. Nothing is good all the time. It is definitely a different league of riding at internationals level, one little mistake in the test can lose the class for you. The judges don't let you get away with anything and are not afraid to crucify. There is none of this 'Mr Nice Guy' stuff. I did tests that would have gotten about 66 - 68% at a local competition, but I only got about 63%. It was definitely an eye-opener and this international stuff is not an easy road!

On Sunday we did the music class, which I have never done before. I was anxious to know what riding a test to music would be like when its the real thing in front of the judges, because apparently its always different to when you ride it at home. Well when my music started, I thought "what? is this MY music?" haha it sounded sooo different in the big indoor arena! I had so much fun in it though, my music (which my AMAZING mother spend hours on end putting together!) is so upbeat and funky and really suits him. I only did a simple test because it was my first time doing a music class (never mind the competition is an international!) but it was good enough to get 67.9%.

Pretty much Seb and I are a new partnership (I have only had him 6 months) and I don't have the experience or mileage in big competitions to get amazing scores. It all takes time though, and as I said, the fact I even got to an international is just overwhelming for me. Thank god I never freak out before a test because if I did I would never have gotten through this!

We left our mark by destroying the flowerpot in presentation

This week it is back to what I vaguely remember as being called college... Haha I haven't been to college in like a month, with competitions, half term and long weekend, I just never get round to going to lectures!

Exciting times :)

2011-04-18T07:43:00.000+01:00

The amazing red jacket I have always dreamed of wearing!

Apart from that traumatic event of trying to get my iPhone fixed (see post below) my week had been exciting!

So yes, I got picked to represent Great Britain this weekend coming, which is HUGELY exciting, and on Saturday night I recieved my team jacket and fleece rug for Seb. When I opened the parcel with my jacket in it and saw my name embroidered on the front, with 'RIDER' underneath, I nearly cried. I can't explain what it felt like, but it was like I should only be experiencing this moment in a dream, but it wasn't, it was real life. the fleece rug has my name on the side too, with a union jack and Great Britain written underneath, with 'Seigneur' written on the other side. That is very special, because he is the horse that is taking me to where I want to be so he deserves his name on the rug every bit as much as I do! Everyone that was sitting in the gallery there applauded and were so excited for me, it felt so great to have everyone's support, and the huge amount of congratulations and good lucks I have been getting is overwhelming!

Another exciting moment of my week is that I got a new little lorry! It is sooo helpful as I can stay overnight at the yard whenever I want and keep all my clothes and competition gear inside it, which saves me lugging huge bags around on buses all the time.

It is a little Oakley Supersport, which is a two-horse with a sleeping area above the driver and passenger seats. There is even a little table between the seats, with a long back seat that flips up to create a bunk bed. It has hook-up, plugs (so I can plug in my laptop and do work, or charge my phone) and an internal heater that keeps me reallllly warm at night.

We have named her Sabrina, Sabrina the SuperSport. I have kitted her out a little bit with a new duvet which has a big blue Union Jack on it, with Union Jack mugs and plates too! Definitely in the spirit of the British team! I have the best nights sleep in it, and we can bring it to competitions loaded with shavings and haylage and we can get there before the big lorry to set up the stables ready for when the horses arrive. It is only 3.5 tonnes so I can drive it when I finally get my licence too! Another good thing is that if there is an emergency on the yard, and a horse needs to be taken to the vet, 'Sabrina' is lighter on fuel than the big lorry and A LOT faster! So a HUGE thank you to my parents who helped me out massively by getting me this lorry! :D

My bed in 'Sabrina' my new lorry!

Yes, about my licence, I apparently am ready to take my test and it was booked for next monday, but that is the day after Addington International and I'm really not confident I can do my best after a tiring weekend and not driving for over a week. So I've rebooked it for the 3rd of June, after my exams are out of the way.

Not looking forward to May though, I've got my AS exams, international competitions, and driving practice to all fit in! Oh well, autopilot gets switched on, and it all gets done :D

In the spirit!

Quest to fix an iPhone...

2011-04-18T07:18:00.000+01:00

This last week of my half-term hasn't been bad at all really, except for Friday where I had an evening from hell.

I smashed the screen of my iPhone really badly 3 weeks ago, and was going to leave it to be fixed when mum came back. However now chunks of the screen have started to come off, and I'm getting a little tired of trying to decipher what everything on the screen says (texting is a nightmare!). After having no luck at Vodafone because I'm not insured, and the phone not being answered at the company they referred me to to get the screen fixed, I decided my quickest and easiest option was to travel nearly an hour on the train to Bristol and go to the Apple store.

I had a couple of days rest from riding so both Seb and I could refresh ourselves before Addington, so it was a perfect time to head to Bristol. It turned out the only time I could get there was at 5pm on Friday evening, but so be it, it must be done! And with these light evenings it doesn't make much of a difference.

I missed my first train (WELL, I got on it, then paniced because they didn't say my stop and was worried I would be dropped off in the middle of no where, so jumped off at the last minute :\) then waited an hour for the next one (which turned out to be exactly the same route as the last one, but this time they mentioned my stop). I wasn't too bored though because I happened to find a couple of guys from Hartpury in the cafe that were waiting for their train home after a week's rugby training at Hartpury. I even scored a free chocolate bar from one of them!

Eventually my train came. After that it was smooth sailing until I got into the town centre (Cabot Circus for the local readers). One of my friends works at Hollister there so he texted me the directions to the Apple store, and I got to the street but stupid me didn't notice the store right in front of me and was walking up and down trying to find it. I gave up and asked someone on the street... BAD IDEA! The guy turned out to be a COMPLETE freak, and was determined to get my iphone fixed for free so he followed me into the store, and took complete control of the whole situation. He had a rant and a rave at the techinician who told me I had to pay £140 for a replacement, and sure I wasn't happy about it either but what else can I do, it's their policy! So after about half an hour of my life wasted by his arguing, I put my foot down and say 'It's fine! I'll pay! I just want it fixed I don't care' so that shut him up a bit.

However his "small talk" while we were waiting worried me a bit... it went along the lines of 'why isn't your mum here supporting you like I am now? Do your parents let you just hang out in Bristol by yourself? Cuz you know, there's weird people out here now, and things happen innit'. Well that just tipped me over the edge and I wouldn't be surprised if I was shaking. I didn't say much back and obviously didn't tell him my parents were in Australia and was here by myself! So I just said 'oh yes of course my parents know where I am ALL THE TIME and always call me to check up on me and see if I'm okay' hint hint.

Anyway back to the phone issue, turns out to replace my phone, I would have needed to update all of the data on my laptop so the recent info is on my itunes, then I swap it at the shop and I have no info on my new phone, no numbers no nothing. Then I have to update it when I get home and restore all the info onto it. That is okay, except I wouldn't have gotten back to my laptop (which is in storage for Easter at Hartpury) until Sunday night, so I would be left without contacts over the weekend. Can't have that! So, pretty much he made a file for me, reserved a new phone and gave me a piece of paper that let me come back at any time in the next few weeks to swap it. Yes, with what time, may I ask?

So I'm just going to have to leave my screen in a shocking embarassing state until such time I can get back to Bristol. When I left the store, I was worried the weird man would follow me or something, but nope he just said 'okay nice to meet you, bye!' and walked the other way... I even checked all the way back to the train station! Hmm. Okay, maybe just wanted to help.

I could have cried on the train. Not much upsets me, but I was really expecting to get the phone fixed and I was tired and it was late and I was far from home and I was freaked out by that man. I got back to the flat at about 8.30, and chatted to my friends on Facebook whilst eating spaghetti bolognaise which made me feel a load better :)

INVITED TO COMPETE AT MY FIRST INTERNATIONAL FOR GB!!!!

2011-04-12T13:24:00.000+01:00

I have the most exciting news of my life.... I have been invited to compete for Great Britain at the Addington CDIYJP!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! That was my reaction when I opened the email! This is my first ever opportunity to represent a country in an international event, and I am actually so proud that it is Great Britain. Since moving to England my life has been nothing less than amazing and my riding career has progressed in leaps and bounds, and can't help but feel loyal to Britain even though I grew up in Australia.

I am really relieved to have gotten the invitation, as we went to Keysoe this weekend and although it wasn't bad, it wasn't the best competition I have done. In the Junior Team test on Saturday he was lacking energy and impulsion, which led to mistakes on my part as I was preoccupied with trying to get him forward. After my test I had a good long think about how the test went, and I decided I was trying too hard to get Seb to go like he has been at home (which is absolutely super) because I won't be able to get that in a competition for another 3 months. And that is a fact. I needed to focus on riding a perfectly accurate test, because Seb is good enough to get decent scores without me pushing him to the best of his ability. I am a very lucky rider!

On Sunday I thought a bit more energy wouldn't hurt anyway, so I warmed up aiming for a more forward test. Oops, maybe we got a bit carried away because Seb was a tad explosive! After one spook down the centreline, he was fine until the canter work where there was a scary corner which lost us marks. I can usually contain the energy with a ridiculous amount of half halts, but he took me by surprise this time as he was not at all explosive in the warm up. Now I know for next time to be quick thinking, as I could have saved the spook with just one more half halt.

At the end of it all, we got 7th and 6th in quite a big class, which wasn't too bad but it definitely could have been better. At least I know exactly what I have to do now for Addington, and I feel extremely prepared! Thank God for that, because it is next weekend :O

Seb will have an easier week this week, but back into action leading up to our first International! I think I may be more excited about the fact I get one of the red 'rider' jackets for team GB, and a Union Jack Pocket badge! I never imagined I would be wearing that team jacket... The girls that wear them at the Europeans always seemed like God to me, it is amazing that I will be part of that higher league!

Certainly must say a HUUUGEEEEE thank you to my mum, dad and sister, who put all their energy into supporting me all the way as I definitely couldn't do it without them. Kudos to them from doing it on the otherside of the world in a different time zone! Talented family ;)

And of course my trainers, Adam Kemp and Matt Frost, who help me so much at every competition and give me the best advice to give me knowledge and confidence to go out and do it all again, just a little bit better each time, at every next competition.

WOWWWWW!!!!!!!

Half Term! Relaxing? I think not...

2011-04-04T21:46:00.001+01:00

FINALLY it is half term! Though unfortunately, so far it hasn't been the relaxing break I was expecting it to be. I'm not complaining for one minute because I like to be kept busy and I am so used to being on the go now, but I would really like to be able to sleep for more than 5 hours a night!

So what have I done during these first few days of my break from college? Well lets start on Friday afternoon...

Friday: After my lectures I had to move all of my belongings out of my room and into a temporary room (like usual... I have given up complaining about it now). It took five trips with heavy bags up a big hill to clear my room, though I was a bit sneaky and put the big bulky furniture-style stuff under my bed in the storage box ;) I swear I had turned into iron woman by the time I finished, I was hot, tired, sore and sweaty! Perfect mood to go to student services to fight about whether I was allowed to access my room over the holiday to pick up some clothes etc, as I can't take everything I need for 2 weeks (including competition gear for the premier league next weekend) in one bag on a bus all the way to the flat we rent in the next town! Eventually they agreed to let me come in and out during the day, but I wasn't allowed to stay overnight.

Saturday: I was determined to spend the morning doing something I wanted to do by my own free will, and predictably that was shopping. I slept until about 9 (after only going to bed at 1 - I watched Tarzan!), made myself some bacon and eggs for breakfast (what luxury!) and toddled off into town to see what nice clothes I could find for Summer.

In the afternoon I took the bus to the yard (that in itself takes an hour and a half) and was riding till 9 at night. I was so relieved to come back into the gallery for dinner, it is always delicious! I was staying the night so I settled with my plate of chicken and rice (two servings worth thanks to my trainer!) and bread and butter pudding, with a cheeky glass of wine. Perfect. I found a free bed in the lorry so set up camp there for the night, and I must say had a fairly comfortable sleep!

Sunday: It felt amazing to wake up, pull on my breeches and just go straight out to the yard and ride! No buses, taxis and traffic to mess around with. I finished riding at about 2 and took the bus back to the flat. All I wanted to do was sit down and rest but I had no food so went searching all around town for a supermarket that was open at 4.30 on a sunday afternoon. I found one! Did the shopping (skillfully budgeted - no I cannot afford Ben and Jerrys ice cream for 5 quid) and came home to make some delicious spaghetti bolognaise, made just the way I like from back home in Australia. I have to say, I do enjoy chilling out in the evenings watching TV, even if it is only for an hour or so!

Monday: Right, up early this morning to get the bus out of town to Gloucester at 8am. It felt like I literally stepped out of bed and onto a bus. Annoyingly we hit traffic between the towns and I missed the bus that would take me to Hartpury by two minutes! I made the most of being stuck in town by going to Costa Coffee for breakfast, then just took a taxi to college. I was there for about half an hour to pack all my competition gear to take to the yard, then powerwalked about a mile to get to the public bus stop to catch the bus (this one wasn't missed thanks to the powerwalking!) back into Gloucester to then get on the bus that takes me to the yard. Phew that was exhausting to type!

Julius was good, but a lady came to check his back after I rode him (I noticed he was a bit flinchy when I groom him) and she said he was seriously messed up mainly in his neck and shoulders. She asked if he had colic or any trauma that caused him to be down on the ground. I said yes, he had very bad colic and was thrashing about badly. Obviously the cause of the tightness in his body.

Seb, wow, he was just AMAZING. Probably one of the best rides I have ever had on him. I had a lesson and we worked on getting him to constantly think and listen to me, and not take for granted the fact that he is doing a shoulder in, or a half-pass. He finds it easy, so by changing from shoulder in to shoulder out, forward to back, deep frame to lifted frame, he gets little challenges that keep him switched on. He was perfect in the contact, had the best expression I have ever felt, and I just thought "okay... what am I supposed to do here, he is doing everything perfectly!" I really live for rides like those, they make everything sooo worth it :)

When I put the boys to bed I went into the office quickly to check the bus timetable to see what time I could get my bus back to Gloucester. Well, I had three minutes to walk half a mile. If I wanted to make the bus and not miss it AGAIN, I had to sprint. Woahhhh the muscles in my legs were stinging as I had only just finished riding! I made the bus though!

Tomorrow will be a challenge: I have to leave the flat at 6.45 to get the bus into Gloucester, have breakfast there quickly, then get an 8.15 bus to Hartpury so I can be taken to the doctor's surgery at 8.30. My knee has been playing up a lot lately... I've had pains in it for a couple of years but only when it gets cold, but now it is constant. I had x-rays on it last week so tomorrow the doctor is going to tell me what's there and help me fix it! I'm really hoping I won't have to go in to surgery. If she tells me I do, I won't! At least not for another few months! I can't afford to be off riding at all right now, and I don't want to either.

I leave for Keysoe Premier League on Thursday and get back on Sunday, so I'm hoping next week will be a little more relaxed! Just have to remember that the hard work always pays off :)

Relaxing week of training at home :)

2011-03-30T11:40:00.000+01:00

I havn't had a competition for a week and a half, so I've taken the pressure off Seb a bit and worked on Julius getting to the "next level" in his sessions. Just because Seb is having it easy doesn't mean it isn't productive! It was actually one of the most producive weeks I have ever done with him. Julius too has improved by leaps and bounds ever since our lesson with my trainer.

I put Seb back in the snaffle (if I ever have more than a week between competitions I will always do this to refresh them and check the contact is still true) and he has never felt so light in it before! I have still been working on his straightness, stopping him from sticking his left shoulder out against my hand and curl to the right. By doing loads of shoulder-ins, traverse and transitions I picked the precise problem of having a weak left hind leg. If I did a left traverse and really used my inside left leg to get him to bend and engage, he would protest because it was making him work! It was one of those 'ah hah!' moments that leads you on to the next solution.

After a bit more gymnastising, I rode straight to check he was in both reins and legs. He was better, but had a tendency to fall back into the curling right habit. Instead of riding his shoulders and head, trying to straighten them, I decided to switch my mind to his back legs and ride from behind (as all the books say you are supposed to do... err, hah :/) and amazingly it worked immediately! Just by looking up, sitting down and straightening from behind, his shoulders came right into alignment and he was just "there" as they say.

This week has been the first time I have truly felt him swinging right through the back and moving forward with my total control and balance. I really think it is all due to the gymnasticising, it has just loosened his whole body so that he can move with ease and athleticism. The most amazing moment of the week was on Monday, when I went for a half-pass across the short diagonal, one which we find it hard to make without a sturggle/push. But then, he flowed right across and with every half halt I gave his legs stretch out more and more until he was doing an almost passage half-pass, covering loads of ground! As he got to the long side I threw my arms around his neck and he was done for the day and got Tuesday off :D

Julius has been working hard, getting fit and buff! He is actually surprisingly fit for havinf so much time off actually, he just needs to build muscle and strength... may have to borrow some protein shakes from the rugby boys at Hartpury :P We just keep working on those transitions within the trot and canter from my seat with the backup of my legs. If I use my seat and ensure he accepts it, he has no choice but to lift his back and work from behind. I think it's just a matter of time until he will be half passing around, he is already doing little piaffe/passagey transitions in and out of medium trots!

I've got one more day left of college, then it is half term! Can't wait... if I'm not riding, studying, or having a driving lesson, I will be getting some much needed sleep!!!

Snapshots :)

2011-03-24T05:34:00.001Z

Seb chillin at Myerscough

Mummy loves you Jules <3

A peek into a ride on Seb!

Bit of an update on the training side....

2011-03-24T05:29:00.000Z

On the training side of things, both the boys have been doing great. I got up early on Sunday morning in order to have a productive day at the yard. I had been noticing more and more that Seb gets curled to the right, sticks his left shoulder against my outside (left) rein and then doesn't go into my right rein going around to the left. I was at a small competition on Saturday and found it really obvious, as its always competitions where the problems get magnified! I used yesterday to fix it. It was supposed to be an easy stretching day but I intensified it a little by focusing on just getting him into that right rein, and that was all. It was all done in rising trot with a deeper frame. I just leg-yielded to the right everywhere, from the centre-line to the track, down the long side, spiralling in and out on a 20m circle, anything that pushed him from my left leg into my right rein.

It worked and he ended up going super straight and forward into both reins from both legs, my favourite feeling in the world. Usually he gets a darker patch of sweat on his left wither, but yesterday he got more sweaty on his right side, which is good as it means he was evening up!

At the competition I noticed I tended to resort to my spur before asking with my whole leg, and a fellow AMD team member advised me that she rode without spurs for a bit so she was forced to use her leg properly. I used this session to ride without the spurs and found it helped a lot! It was actually a bit easier because you could give them a bit 'boot' with your leg (especially my left leg on this occasion!) and not be scared about your spur jabbing him. He felt even more in front of my leg actually, because rather than sucking away from the spur and tucking up, he moved into the leg pressure. Now I just have to ride with spurs but pretend they aren't there and not use them somehow!
After giving Seb a bath, I had to get Jules in from the paddock which he didn't really agree with. There was no way he wanted to leave all his friends (he will bond with absolutely anything, even a sheep) and carried on like a spoilt child all the way back to the stable. Did it stop there? Nope, there was a lot of whinny-ing all through his work too! I have to say, I have never ridden a horse that can be doing medium trots and canters whilst neighing.

Some good came with his lunacy though, as he was up, bright and perky which is perfect to get his shoulders and poll up and getting him to engage and work uphill. Often you have to sprite him up with loads of transitions but there was no need this time, and he worked super! Despite the neighing... I got quite offended really because he wasn't listening to me. How rude!

In fact, Julius had his first lesson yesterday night! It was like deja vu though, as it was exactly the same day, lesson time and trainer the last time I rode him before he got colic. Four months ago, he would have gone down with colic about 3 hours earlier this morning. In some ways it is scary, but a really nice realisation of how far we have come.

In the lesson we just worked on getting him stronger through the back (which is MUCH needed because he feels like his back is a big dip that doesn't carry you at all) by using loads of transitions. It is interesting that Seb and Julius are completely opposite - Seb needs calming down through lateral work to get his concentration and access his hind legs and back, and Julius needs firing up with transitions to get him sitting and working behind so then you can work on laterals without him tipping on his forehand and doing everything in a handstand.

It is amazing how different I ride Julius now though as a result of everything that Seb has taught me. Instead of focusing so much on getting his head and neck down and into my rein, I just sit and drive with my legs and seat making sure he is on front of the leg as first priority, and not worry about the contact because once he is engaged and working through the body the contact comes naturally. Plus I am no longer afraid of having the horse's head in the air... up is good! But obviously not up and bracing against the contact, just up so that the energy heads up to the sky.

I think I am going to set a goal for Julius, and that is to qualify for the Summer Regionals in Adv/Med in August. Seb is already qualified, and I don't think it should take too long to get him going well enough for a competition! And hey, gotta have goals!

More study and more care...

2011-03-21T08:07:00.000Z

The last few weeks have been quite full with competing and quite intense training, but this week after Myerscough Seb, Mum and I had a bit of relaxation time. No, we didn't all go off to the spa (would like to see Seb get his hooves painted though!) but I had Tuesday and Thursday off, Mum could finally get an early night to bed instead of us leaving the yard at 8-9pm, and Seb enjoyed a couple of days hand-grazing inbetween gymnasticising workouts.

I have made the agonising decision to, in future, not ride on Tuesday and Thursday. Reasons why:

I got the results back from my January AS-level exams for History and Biology... not good. I am normally an A-A* student, but to put it plainly, A-levels are ridiculously hard! Very different to GCSEs/School Certificate. I realise now that my results were poor because of how I answer the questions. I write too much, for example in biology I try to fill all the lines with sentences, but really I can get the marks by putting plain bullet points. In history I waffle on and miss the whole point of my paragraph, so the examiner thinks I don't know what I'm talking about.

The worrying thing is that back in Nov-January, I had a lot more time to study and I thought I prepared really well and I knew the content inside out, which I did but I just didn't answer the questions properly! But after those exams, I guess I have eased up on the study and really focused on Seb and Jules, competitions and caring for the boys (spending more time bonding, more on that later), and driving lessons. PLUS I lately I've my Mum here to drive me to and from the yard, so I have been saving about an hour of travelling a day. But now she has gone back to Australia, it's back to catching buses and I'm dreading to think how much time that will waste. I find I don't have much time to study now and I don't even really know what I am learning about, so I have figured I need to change that. Tuesdays and Thursdays are full days of lectures, so I finish at 4pm. If I stay at college for those evenings I can get work done so I can focus on riding on the other days. I know that if my grades go down the drain, the riding will be taken away bit by bit. That is my only motivation to study!

Seb has been working really hard lately and the competitions and travelling must really wear him out. I know his previous owner only rode him five times a week, and I agree with that. He knows what he has to do, he doesn't need any more training, only suppling and tuning. Therefore, on Tuesdays and Thursdays while I'm at college he gets hand-grazed, put out for a play in the pen, or lunged. This is good for his mind and his legs and I want to keep him as happy as possible, because I think it is quite easy for a competition horse to get sour if they are overwork. This system works well because when I ride him during the week I just do lots of suppling and gymnasticising, getting his mind to cooperate with me, and it preps him for the weekend's performance.

I know it is only two days, but by the time Friday comes around it feels like I have hardly ridden at all! I will get used to it, and it will pay off in the end.

So back to what I said about bonding, I think it is so important to not see the horse as just something you ride. It annoys the hell out of me when people treat their horses like machines and expect it to just perform for you whenever you ask it. It doesn't work like that, horses are animals with instincts and funnily enough moods, and if they feel save around their owner/rider and are honest, they would give you their all. Especially in Seb's case, he is such an intelligent horse but if you abuse that or take advantage of him he won't give you the respect back. He is a stallion that demands respect and the only way you can get what you want out of him is to work with him, not against him.

Sometimes I come to Seb's stable and he might be having an off-day, where he gets this look where his eyes empty, half closed and his ears don't prick half as much as they should! In this case, lots of cuddles, kisses and carrots are required! Even in riding, I try to make it exciting for him. Like in the warm-up, we will go a little more forward with more jump and freedom, and he loves it! Julius rarely gets down, but it has taken him a few weeks to get back into the routine of being handled to much. He got handled every day during his box-rest, but now he is getting ridden, walked around, taken to the wash bay, into the paddock etc. I think he gets shocked that all these things are happening to him, like yesterday he was a lunatic in the wash bay because I gave him a bath and it was like he was saying "Oh my God, what are you doing with that water? You're not putting it on me are you?... Ahhh! I'm clean!" However he is getting much better and isn't so flighty when you try to to something a bit different with him. I like to regularly scrub their feet and wash their socks, mane and tail, and if I have a few hours to spend I will give them a full bath and groom to keep on top of things and make sure they are always used to these different things happening to them.

I had a great day yesterday (Sunday) as I got up early and got to the yard at about 8 so I could have a productive morning before my driving lesson at 1.30pm. The sun was shining and it was so relaxing to ride with no one around, and I gave both the boys a bath afterwards and cleaned all my tack! So that is my update of the more theoretical side of my life rather than all the action of competitions! It's easy for me to forget I'm still a college student and have work to do, but the horses are just so much more fun to be around!

First Premier League :)

2011-03-17T00:34:00.001Z

It's really starting to feel like the competition season is well on its way! Last wednesday we went to a small competition just to do two advanced/mediums, which went reasonably well. Then, on the weekend we drove all the way up to the north of England, past Leeds, to Myerscough Premier League - the first Premier League of the year, and my first Premier League ever!

The other Junior rider at the yard and I were the only riders that went up from the team, and her and her mum were amazing help for taking Seb up there in their lorry, along with all his gear, and for keeping an eye on him in the stable overnight! We still don't have a lorry yet so mum and I have to stay in a hotel down the road. It is always unsettling to leave your horse in a strange place overnight, so having friends there that can keep an eye on him for you is a great help.

We arrived on Saturday evening from beautiful sunny Gloucestershire to rainy, muddy Myerscough College. Welcome to English competitions. The FEI Juniors was the last class of the competition, late Sunday afternoon. We drove nearly four hours there, had a whole Sunday to kill, ride a 4-minute test, then drive four hours back. That's horse-people for you. Crazy, aren't we?

I was determined to make that one test (FEI Junior Team test) worth it, and I think it was! Although Seb was bordering being a maniac in the warmup, my trainer was such a life-saver (as always!) and he went around the test like an angel. It felt a bit strange to compete with a sort of subconscious high expectation of him, since he has been doing quite well, and I didn't know whether to push it more or leave him as he is. I guess only experience will tell, as we take him out more and more and try to get a little bit extra out of him each time.

Despite a really stupid mistake that was my fault which happened in the first 3 seconds of coming down the centreline (he broke from his canter to a trot!) he did a great, clean test in a good rhythm with suppleness. Perfect, that's what I aimed for. We got 4th with 68%, which I was really pleased with especially for my first Premier League! My trainer was thrilled too which I am glad about because he also drove all this way for us two Junior riders, and I'm pretty sure on his day off too!

I also did my first ever prize-giving! Unfortunately it was all a bit much for poor Seb who was really smelling the freshness of the spring air, if you get what I mean, and we had to go out in a passage combined with a few levades. No problem, I still got my rosette :)

It's these moments when you think back to all those years where you watched other people's success and wished you could do what they did, for example Juniors and Young Riders and European Championships (the ultimate achievement in my eyes). Even those who compete at Premier Leagues, you aspire to be like them and admire how they ride and all of their achievements to get to that level, and it always seems just out of reach to you. Until you finally get there and look back to how you got there, you realise just how close that goal was but until it happens for real, it always seems to be something that "other riders" do, never you. It only hit me on the way home that I was now one of the riders I had spent so many years watching and wanting to do what they were doing, to be able to ride like them.

I know there is definitely a long way to go and a long, hard road ahead, but to even get to this stage is just amazing, the stuff I only ever dreamed of. Of course none of it would happen without my amazing family who support me through absolutely anything, and never say 'no' to any dream I have. I am so fortunate to have them and appreciate them everyday because I know there are so many kids out there who aren't as lucky as me. Not only do I have the support of my family, but of my trainers. They believe in me and know how badly I want to achieve, and how bloody competitive I am! The wheels would just stop turning all together if I didn't have them... in fact, they would have never started turning! From organising my competitions to helping me prepare for them mentally and physically, they are there for me 100% of the way.

Now, it's up to me to make things happen.

One step further....

2011-03-10T08:47:00.000Z

Apologies for not writing for the past week or so! I havn't really had time or energy to sit down and write a proper post, it takes a lot of brain power you know! I've been trying to put it into my schoolwork but that isn't really working either... oh well.

As you read in my last post, Seb and I broke the 70% barrier in both of our Advanced/Medium tests. Well, what happened from there was pretty unbelievable. The next day, I get a phone call from Horse and Hound Magazine. I nearly dropped the phone when I answered the call! I tried to sound like I wasn't going into cardiac arrest as I answered a bunch of questions about Sebastian and my goals.

I also got invited to the Junior and Young Rider squad training clinic for the next weekend, over at Bury Farm in Buckinghamshire. We stayed there for two days and did test-riding and training sessions which improved the weak areas of our tests, as well as a psychology session and 'sitting-in' session where we watch other's tests in the judges box. It was while I was there that it hit me: Wow, this is step one. I have my goals so clearly and strongly set in my mind, and I didn't even realise that I was already on my way down the road to get there.

It was actually quite overwhelming to be recognised, and have the huge amount of support around me from my trainers, friends and other riders, selectors and BYRDS officials. The system to spot potential international riders is so set and efficient and is a great learning experience for anyone who goes through the 'squadding' process. I am so pleased to even get to this stage as I have already learnt a huge amount in the past couple of weeks about myself, Seb, and my capabilities under pressure. It is definitely a test of maturity too, and I realised that I am stronger than I thought.

As a result of the weekend squad training, I made it on to the Junior Progress Squad. It is such a huge motivation for me and although there is pressure, it only makes you stronger.

I went out competing again yesterday and Seb was a really good boy, extremely well behaved! We are getting better at this, and the more I take him out the more I learn about him and I feel like we have a much better relationship, like we are now a real partnership both in the stable and out riding. It's a really heart-warming feeling!

Wearing my super-warm new trousers at squad training :)

Just before I wrap up this post, I must tell you about a new discovery I have made.... trousers that you wear over breeches. AMAZING! I know that trainers wear them when they teach and the workers wear them around the farm, but honestly I always preferred to show off my breeches and my effort into colour coordination rather than cover them with unflattering trousers. However, they had them at the tack shop at Bury Farm and I tried them on. I have been having troubles with sore knees and hips from the cold (even though I wear thermals) so thought I'd give them a go.

Oh my God they are the warmest pair of trousers I have ever worn! You won't get me out of them now, it feels like I'm walking around with a duvet wrapped around my legs! And my bones in my legs and hips no longer ache, they are all toasty :)

I seriously recommend them!

A successful first few days back in England...

2011-03-02T17:32:00.000Z

There was no messing around once we were back in Gloucestershire on Friday, as Seb and I had a competition on the Sunday. My trainer had been riding him and of course did a great job, so it was quite easy to get going again. I was hardly out of practice too, as I had been doing some riding in Germany. I told you about our lesson on Friday and how it went well so I just had to keep everything the same, and see how Sunday went.

It went well... Really well! We did two advanced/medium tests and I broke the 70% barrier... 72% in both tests. I was very proud of Sebastian, he was calm, consistent and correct (wow... that should be abbreviated to "The Three C's") and that obviously gave him more marks than being too extravagant and tense. So we went home with two red rosettes... that sounds weird for me to say that, as red in Australia is second and blue is first, but here red is first and blue second! :S

Julius looking good after 3 months box rest

Not only is Seb going well, but Julius is powering on forward in getting fit and healthy! We are cantering now, and although he feels as lame as a cow he still feels like home. I'm sure you guys know the feeling of getting on your old favourite horse and just feel perfectly in place, like you are more comfortable on his back than walking on your own two feet. That's what I now love about Julius: in the past 12 months we have just 'clicked' and we can read eachother like a book, and fit together like two puzzle pieces.

He doesn't exactly feel like a bundle of softness, but that will come in time when his hind legs and back gets stronger and he starts to loosen up. For now, I am getting him in the right frame of mind to start proper work by pin-pointing his outstanding problem - taking the contact. I spent years trying to lean how to get him to accept the bit and now I think I've got it. It only takes me 15 minutes now to get him loose enough to go into the contact and I can fix all his little quirks of slipping behind the leg, out through one shoulder or losing the hind legs quickly. Again it goes back to being in-tune with eachother. He is a good horse to develop 'feel' on, especially since you have to hold your reins like a baby chick is in each hand! It's a bit of a different feeling to Seb and his big muscly stallion neck.

Since the weather has been quite nice, I've started taking both the boys out to hand-graze if I have time or give them an extra day off. Along with bonus apples and carrots, it makes them really happy and there is nothing nicer than seeing your horse happy, because there is nothing more terrible than seeing it sad and depressed.

GERMANY GALLERY!

2011-03-01T13:51:00.000Z

Filling up just after arriving on the Continent... Bonjour!

French/Belgian border

Cheap labour.... :P

One of the amazing services in Germany, had our first schnitzel of the trip for dinner here!

The E-centre... our favourite supermarket in the world.

Riding outside at Leonies'.

A baby's first steps out into the big world!

Bonding time...

Making friends :)

Driving to the yard at 6.45am, this was the sunrise!

-10 degrees... riding in that kind of cold is just painful :\

Oh yes, the Autobahn... step on it mum!

My wardrobe... You wouldn't want to live with me :P

Services in Belgium on the way back to England, it was snowing!

Temperature back in England... Ahh that's more like it!

Changing the Balance from Germany to England

2011-02-25T22:01:00.001Z

After a great week in Germany, we arrived back in England last night after the long 12 hour drive. We nearly didn't make it, as after travelling over 7 hours across Europe and reaching the Eurotunnel on French coast, mum realised she had left our passports in the safe in the hotel in Germany. Fortunately she had scanned copies of them on her laptop and managed to prove we were british. Close call!

The last couple of days in Germany seemed to have a theme of the balance of the horse. I rode quite a few young horses and could immediately feel the difference in the balance of each of them. It was mostly due to the fact that some were built downhill or without the ability to push the hind underneath them, and some had a naturally uphill build with good hind legs. The horses with a downhill balance relied on the hand to keep themselves from falling on their face and also had poor balance latitudinally. The well-built horses were lovely and light and could readjust themselves if they came out of balance in a corner or circle. They were much easier to ride! In fact, the horse that had only been ridden for two weeks had better balance than some four or five year olds. There is a video of me riding him on YouTube, so you can click HERE to watch it! You can see especially towards the middle/end how he is so balanced that it looks like his front legs are barely touching the ground.

This is balance in the raw, natural state without any training towards helping the horse go more uphill. The horse naturally has 60% of its weight on the forehand and 40% on its hindquarters, and the rider's job is to even out this ratio, and even make it 40% in front and 60% behind in order to prevent injury and the breakdown of horses throughout their working life.

Feeling the raw balance of a young horse

This is why when we train, the aim is to shift the balance back even if they aren't naturally built to have good balance. The rider can help the horse. When warming up, the horse will be more towards its natural balance and throughout the work session the rider works to shift the balance back on the hindquarters using a series of half-halts and transitions. We have all ridden horses that are heavy in the hand, and the way we fix this is to half-halt continuously and be light in our hands to give the horse nothing to lean on and revert to its own balance from the hindquarters.

Feeling the highest degree of collection and balance on Prinz

I felt the ultimate moment of weight being carried on the hindquarters when Leonie put me on her Grand Prix horse, Prinz, and let me feel his piaffe. I had done piaffe before on other horses, but never thinking of what is actually happening to the balance. So often you so horses tip onto their front legs and bounce their bum up and down and hey presto they are piaffing! Well, no they aren't. All of the energy has to be produced and weight carried on the hind, and I felt that on Prinz when his whole front end seeimingly automatically came up in front of me.

To my satisfaction, balance was also a key focus in my lesson today on Sebastian. My trainer had been riding him while I was away and said he aimed to make him more condensed, something I was having a problem with before. I felt like I couldn't connect him from back to front, and engage him and make him carrying the weight behind without him running away from my activating aids. I knew it was something to do with my technique of coordinating the half-halts and activating aids, but if I think more about where his balance is, it becomes a whole lot easier.

I have to be brave enough to put his head up so I think he is looking to the stars. It felt so foreign to me because the focus always seems to be 'throughness' with his head low and connected through the body. But, after sticking it out, I found it was so much easier to activate because the energy was being pushed forward to keep the forehand up, rather than the horse running faster and the energy being pushed out behind. It certainly wasn't long before Seb relaxed his neck and found it quite comfortable to push from behind and have his neck up in competition frame. So yet again, his balance was shifted back and he became lighter and it wasn't such a struggle for a little rider like me to control a big muscly horse. Perfect :)

Today was a good day not just because of my great lesson, but also because Julius and I did some trotting! Okay, he was so stiff I doubted he was even sound, but we managed to work it out and by the end he was doing a nice little trot stretching out and chomping the bit out of my hands! The German's would have been impressed by that ;) I also got to spend nearly the whole day with the boys and actually spend time bonding with them and not having to rush around like a mad chicken tacking and untacking and brushing and cleaning and rugging etc. It was very nice :)

So now we are on a new path heading towards a plugged-in seat, square aids which tunnel the horse between two legs and two reins, and good balance!

More Germany :D

2011-02-20T21:06:00.001Z

A trip to Germany wouldn't be complete without going to a stallion show. Leonie and Volker (her partner) are very enthusiastic about breeding and often take us to nearby shows and parades in Vechta and Verden when we are here. This afternoon we went to a stallion show in Vechta, a place which always brings back great memories as I did my Little Bronze Medal there in 2008 - I always spot the part of the road we drive down where I crashed my bike.... numerous times. The four studs that displayed their stallions today was Ahlers, Lodbergen, Jens Meyer and Wiesenhof stud.

There were two stallions which stood out among all and got the crowd going. 'Charmeur' (Florencio x Jazz) and 'Bretton Woods' (Johnson x De Niro) are both KWPN, something that the Dutch definitely emphasised on Facebook! Another horse that Mum and I were keen on is called 'Sean Connery' (Sir Donnerhall x Rotspon) who is a really lovely type with a sweet nature.

A very blurry photo of Chameur (the iPhone isn't good at action shots!)

One thing that continually annoys me at these shows is that I can't understand what the presenter is saying! Everybody laughs, or gasps, and I'm sitting there like "what? what?". However this time round Leonie was sitting next to me and gave me a running commentry on all the horses which was awesome. She pointed out things in a horse which would be great for Young Horse classes but would be difficult for advanced training later on, and vice versa. It's amazing how much you can learn by just sitting and watching!

Me making friends with mummy and baby :)

Speaking of young horses, this morning was a very exciting moment in the Bramall-Dusche barn... a baby was born! Yes, a lovely little Vivaldi colt came into this world in the early hours of this morning from Leonie's old competition mare who is now their successful broodmare. Volker took mum and I to see it after I rode this morning, and I have never seen such a delicate little being in my life! It was so sweet and it was hard to believe that such a tiny, vulnerable animal could grow up to be a huge powerful warmblood.

I only rode one horse this morning because we had to go to the stallion show. Leonie was giving a clinic a couple of hours away so her Bereiter kept an eye on me. I rode the mare again - I have ridden her every day - and really focused on just taking my time to think about how to correct her in a really 'warm' way which doesn't make the problem worse. If she is resisting against the left leg, for example, giving her a sharp nudge with it is the last thing you want to do. You have to fix the problem on a larger scale. So half-halt (always always ALWAYS half-halting anyway!), and channel the horse through both legs and reins. I have the problem of riding more with one side than the other rather than both sides working together, so if I imagine I am riding her through a tunnel, my legs and reins the walls, I can't let her hit the sides or else she will crash.

So, if she is leaning against my left leg (say my inside leg), I put a bit more pressure on my inside left leg but also apply my oustide rein and leg to give her something to push into and stay straight in the tunnel. Even do a bit of shoulder in but keeping her quarters with you and not swinging out against the left leg. It's like you make her accept the left leg by using your right leg to push her around it. So often the first reaction is to 'give her a boot', but really all that does is upset and confuse the horse. Gymnastising is the answer! However, it is also the only option when there are 3 year olds on the end of lunge lines in the arena, some of which have never been girthed before! Try keeping a horse calm (a nervous horse, too) in that scenario! A good test for your riding ;)

Three more days left of riding bootcamp and schnitzel, all of which will be filled with lots and lots to learn, and then back to healthy eating once past the German border! :D

Germany!!!!

2011-02-18T17:28:00.001Z

It's been about 7 months since I was last in Germany, so I am well and truly craving some schnitzel! I have been here for two days now, and it feels absolutely amazing to be back at Leonie's riding a variety of horses and getting down to the nit-picky details of riding. Riding unfamiliar horses really shows up the faults that are hidden by your own horse who is used to you. Although I am pleased to say that I didn't feel like a complete numpty and was actually quite capable of putting one of her horses to work. I think it's her system of training - once taught and you see it proven to work, you never forget it. She is proud that I havn't, too!

Leonie has a bit of a breeding programme going on, so she has quite a number of young horses ranging from only being ridden 10 times, to a year or two in work. Yesterday, a lifetime first happened... that young horse's 11th ride ever was with me. Leonie trusted the horse enough (it was an absolute honey, has never even thrown in a buck) and my ability enough to put me on, his first completely strange rider, and do a session. It was brilliant. To ride such innocence and naivity made me realise what a huge amount the advanced horses have learnt through their time and how much we take it for granted. To ride this young horse, and also another 4 year old today, it was all about showing them what to do and helping them out all the time, because they just don't know any better. Even turning on a 20m circle was the hardest thing ever, they can just run all over the place! The best way to do it was to channel your reins and hands and guide them left and right.

The biggest difference I found was between just riding a young horse, and actually training it. I have ridden plenty of young horses that are auction-ready and programmed to just do what they have to do. But training a young horse makes you think a lot more about what aids you give, and how you train it will affect it in the future. You need to ride the the future in mind, and think "three years down the track, I want this kind of contact, lets see if we can get him to accept it now".

I also ride a green 7 year old who is really sensitive. I think Seb must have made me reallllly strong because it feels like I am giving 1/8th of an aid and that is all it takes for a reaction! No problem with that at all, much better than sweating it out for an hour! Throughout my riding I was told I was twisted in my body. It was obvious to me too, because as I said, riding unfamiliar horses shows up all your faults and I could feel it. Trying to straighten myself proved difficult though, as I had no idea where and which part was twisting. I had to stop and just ask "what am I doing", and found out through lots of demonstrational moving and twisting that it was in my seat bones.

Leonie's bereiter, Jill, explained to me that my two seat bones need to be like a plug that fits into a socket. So pretty much I need to sit in, and not move, and drive without those plug prongs coming out. Simple enough. But then I asked: "what about when I need to use my inside seat bone, or put more weight in one than the other?" and she said that you just drop down to that side. Drop your heel, your leg and your bum to that side, but keep the pelvise straight and those prongs plugged in. Ahhhhhhhh, I see now that what I had been doing was twisting one hip forward and the other back, rather than sinking the weight down. That sounds so bloody simple, but I obviously took the books too seriously when they say "push the hip forward".

After I fixed that, I felt so much more effective! And the sensitive horse relaxed and could calm down when she realised that my seat wasn't doing all sorts of funny things on top of her. That is certainly something I will take home with me! Who knows the things Seb could do if only my seatbones were plugged in!

Well that will be all for now, can't spoil you guys too much ;) haha no just kidding, I will write again in a couple of days!

Fell off Julius... concussion!

2011-02-13T05:54:00.000Z

For the first time in my life, I fell off Julius. It was bound to happen eventually! It wasn't bad at all; I picked my spot to bail (waited for some distance from the gallery window), fell, then jumped straight back up to run after him. A horse in rehab running down the road is not ideal. However, I have concussion.

There was a bit of machine work going on outside his stable block when I was tacking him up, so he got in a bit of a stress over that. In the arena he was also quite fresh and jumping around, but my trainer and I agreed that we could control him better if I was on his back, and he would settle. We were wrong. After about two laps of the arena, another ride patted his horse, the kind of pat that makes a slapping noise, and he just pinged straight up in the air and went on a little bucking spree. My god he is agile for a horse recovering from surgery! I managed to stay on for about 5 secs then decided to get out quick when I wasn't going to smash my face into a window. Instead, I smashed my face into the ground.

As I said, I jumped up quickly and went to catch him which wasn't hard. He went over to the other horses to make friends, bless him. My head did hurt quite a lot, but I could hardly expect it not to after falling off! I went into the smaller school to lunge him. I know I'm not supposed to, as he is only supposed to walk, but if he feels fit and well enough to leap and buck around like that, I'm sure he can do some circles of trot to get the energy out. After letting off some steam, he was fine again, back to the normal Jules.

I had to ride Seb after, and by the time I left the yard at 7pm my head was throbbing. I just got home, layed on the couch, read a bit of a magazine then went to bed straight after dinner. I thought I would be better by morning.

Nopee, I woke up a walking zombie, dizzy, confused, foul mood, pounding head. I got myself ready to go to the yard and ride and was lying on my bed waiting for my mum to leave, but she thought I should go to the hospital to get checked for concussion. I was very reluctant - I don't like hospitals and doctors - but we went to A and E and they said I was concussed and needed to rest for at least a couple of days (no riding!).

On a day when he didn't decide to buck me off :P

Sooo.... cancelled my driving lesson, called my trainer, and then got changed and went on a road trip to Cambridge with mum! That was good enough rest, sitting in the car, and we needed to go there to look at a little horse lorry so this was a perfect time, when we had a whole day free.

I just hope I'm better by Wednesday, as I am off to GERMANY!!!!!!!! It's half-term at the end of next week so I am making the most of the break :)

Julius's first ride in 2 months!

2011-02-07T13:25:00.000Z

I have some exciting news! Yesterday I rode Julius after 3 months of box rest from his colic surgery! I think Jules was more excited than I was when I put the saddle on him. I could tell he was thinking "ahh, just like the old days :)"

This weekend has been so wild and windy, it's like the Queensland hurricane has made its way over to Gloucestershire! We had planned to get on him this weekend but with all the wind I didn't think we would risk it, as it was seriously scary doing the walk from the stable to the indoor school trying not to get blown away. However that afternoon mother nature decided to do us a favour and stopped her wild windiness for a couple of hours.

20 mins of walking round seems to take an eternity, but I have to say it is right up there on the list of best rides of my life :D

He was very well behaved and I think just grateful to be having a change to his routine of box rest and handwalking. I always think he looks at Seb with envy and thinks "I was you once, you old whipper-snapper, doing my one-times and half-passes" and deflates from the thought of never being out of his pyjamas these days.

At the end of next week I will do a lap of trot, then work our way up from there. Just wait, we will be doing Grand Prix in no time!

My Mojo is back!

2011-02-02T08:04:00.001Z

Thanks to all of you wonderful, kind and caring people out there, I have my motivation back :) I have been getting tons of messages over the blog, facebook and email supporting me and giving me advice regarding the schooling situation. My mum and rest of family have been amazing through all this and back me up 100% with whatever decision I make, yet stil push me in the right direction. I don't think it would be acceptable to them for me to leave college as they know how much I will regret doing it. Everyone's ideas and solutions have made me think and realise a few things.

Having education as a back-up just in case something goes wrong is one thing, but gaining the experience and life skills required to go through college is another. Your organisational skills get a real work-out. Trying to juggle lectures, riding lessons, bus times, appointments, driving lessons and meeting friends isn't a skill... it's a gift! And then you have to remember to fill in all the authorised absent forms for college with all the lectures that I am going to miss, and to make sure there is time to walk to the other side of campus to the office where you have to sign in and out.

Toleration for many different people is also learnt, as I live in a block of about 18 girls and I am the eldest of my friends (for once!) so you have to deal with the different maturity levels. Despite them blasting music until midnight and knocking on your door and spending an hour telling you the latest goss about whichever guy they are seeing when you seriously have to finish an essay due the next morning, they are a great bunch. But still, you do have to learn to do some communication that doesn't involve the relaxation of the back or engagement of the hindquarters.

What I have realised too, is that these skills are needed to be successful in running a yard, something I would definitely strive for in the future. It's not all about riding eight horses a day and mucking out. When you run the yard, you are running a business. This means communicating with clients and owners (however difficult they can be!), managing accounts and amount of money spent on feed, shavings, rugs, equipment etc, organising a timetable weeks and months ahead of competitions, lessons, clinics, time-off etc, and most importantly being able to be in charge of your team and take the lead in the running of the yard. Your workers need to have respect, and they will be much more likely to respect you if you have a ton of knowledge behind you and are confident in dealing with any issues that arise. Just sitting on a horse in the next few years will not teach me any of this!

A very respected and trusted friend and mentor in Australia sent me an email explaining all of this, and in particular she said :

"Maybe you have to reduce a little the time spent shampooing, skipping stables etc during the week so you can get your schoolwork over & done with so you can enjoy the weekends more when you do have more time."

This dropped on my head like a brick... duh Casey you are getting so worked up about not being able to scrub and shine your pony, and pick up every little dropping in their stable and feed them carrots all day making them feel loved and warm inside.... but so what? Really, how important is putting some shampoo in a bucket and making the horse stand in the cold for the sake of a bit of shine? This makes me feel so much better and the guilt has eased. Riding is my priority, and then there is all the schoolwork to be done afterwards. If I have time on the weekends I can do it then, in between the homework, driving lessons, and helping mum get all of the essentials for the apartment.

It has been suggesed to me that I do a National Diploma course in equine studies. I would do a business course in equine, but I know from Hartpury that they tend to be a little basic and you are better off just working in a yard to experience it first hand. If you were do to a science degree in equine then it would be a little different, however. I have always considered going to the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester to do an Equine Business Management Degree, as I went to a taster course there for a couple of days and it looked awesome. In fact I wrote a blog post on it ages ago when I went there.... for a blast of the past, click HERE to read it!

You need A-levels to go there as it is an actual land-based university, but I have heard that the RAC is a bit of an easy option. Does anyone know anything of how beneficial these degrees are? I think it would be great to learn how to run a business, and because it is in Cirencester (only about 40 mins away) I don't have to move too far away and can still ride easily.

One of the main things people have been telling me is that so what if I can't ride as much as I want now? Just get my schooling over and then I'm free, with a qualification under my belt. Sure, that makes sense, and I know I will still achieve just as much later as I would now, but from my perspective, I'm trying to be a successful Junior and Young Rider so the effort and time needs to be put in now. I guess there isn't much else I can do though, and hopefully one day if I am successful I can look back and say "oh yes, I juggled the A-levels and riding, and I made it through!" It's better than saying I gave up and took an easier option.

Thank you again to everyone who gave me such great advice, it really means a lot to me to know that so many people care and are behind me in this. I don't know how my mum copes with me sometimes, I put so much pressure on myself and drags her into it, yet she is always so patient with me and my stresses. She would climb Mt Everest to help me and she really does pull out all stops to try and find the right solution. I can't believe how lucky I am to have the support I have. Without my family nothing would be possible, and they are behind me 100% of the way :)
And as for all you amazing readers, I actually don't know what I would have decided if you guys weren't here to counsel me! :P

Love to you all :)

Too serious too soon?

2011-01-28T08:56:00.000Z

Two absolute dressage legends, and my idols, Lendon Gray and Debbie Mcdonald talk about young riders specialising in dressage too early.

Love Debbie's quote: "being a good rider doesn't make you a good horseman...."

I know what they mean when they say the pressure to get on the North American Young Rider team is huge, and after that you MUST do the Brentina Cup, and then this, that, it's everything that you as a rider MUST achieve it seems.

Click HERE to listen on DressageRadio

Frustration meter is rising, rapidly.

2011-01-28T08:15:00.003Z

I am going through such a frustrating time right now. I feel so close to making a life changing decision that I could very well regret, but if I take the risk and pull it off it could be one of the best decisions I have ever made.

It is college. Right, I'm doing my A-levels (HSC equivalent for the Aussie readers) at a sports college which has HUGE international equestrian facilities, is massively famous for rugby, and also has netball, football, golf and pentathlon. It is FULL of sports heroes. You make think "Great! International equestrian facilities on colleg campus, what more could you want?" Well, no, they are crap. Not the facilities, I mean the training and rules with keeping horses there etc. So I keep Seb and Julius half an hour away at my trainer's yard.

That is all fine, couldn't be happier there. But that is the problem. I love being there so much, riding and looking after my horses, but I dread coming back to college late every night, and find sitting in lectures all day an absolute waste of time. I used to think "yeh it's fine, just stick it out a bit longer and it will be over, I will have qualifications, and can do whatever I want" but now I think it is really affecting me.

I feel like I could be so much further ahead in my riding and training if I just rode more horses. I only have Seb, because Julius is still only being hand-walked from his colic surgery, but it isn't enough. A rider with good feel rides as many different horses as possible, which I always used to do at Talland, and in Germany. I feel like to get to the level of riding I want to be at, and achieve my goals, I must ride more and be more involved. It is not enough to ride just once a day. If I worked at the yard, I could be riding up to seven a day. Imagine how spot on my aids and reactions and training sessions would be then! Practise makes perfect!

It's not only the riding. I am so attached to my horses, I want to be there for them, look after them the best I can and make sure everything is okay. Of course I trust my yard, but I still can't get used to leaving them in the hands of someone else, and I'm not one to just rock up, tack up, ride then leave. I spend till 8 at night grooming, pulling manes, scrubbing feet, giving their stable a late night skip out, cleaning tack and boots, and all the other seemingly pointless things horsey people like to do. And that's it, I LIKE doing it. Sitting in a classroom? Turning my own college room into a classroom because all I seem to do is study there? No, it's not for me, I want to be up at 6, work and ride all day, come home at night after a hard day's work, and chill out and read some horse training books, watch some training videos, or organize comps or anything else to do with the horses. That is relaxing, not coming back to college from the yard and having to do another hour or two of study late at night.

So my decision.... Do I reallllly have to do A-levels? Mother, Father, trainer, everybody, says yes. But they know my passion for riding and the horses is huge and can see why I don't want to do them. I just feel it is making me unhappy, pulling me away from pursuing my dream, because that's what this whole thing is about, this blog, it stands for following my dreams. A-levels, you can get out of my dream thanks!

Any suggestions? I'm unlikely to go to university if the riding turns out well, but its just if say, I can't ride anymore, or i just get some extremely bad luck, I need a back-up. That will be education, a job, etc. Is it worth the risk???

The learning process never stops!

2011-01-26T20:38:00.001Z

What an awesome weekend I had! Seb and I went to our first high profile show at Addington with the AMD team. I was really excited as this would be the first time I would compete in FEI Juniors, and wear a top hat and tails! We had ten people from the team competing, with about 20 horses, so there was plenty of support going around! I have never experienced such a great team atmosphere, it makes competing a whole new experience, one I have never had the opportunity to have in Australia.

As you know from my previous posts, I've been loaded with exams, so when I finished my AS-level History exam on Thursday morning, I immediately changed to competition mode. I was so pumped, I couldn't wait to compete! I am really competitive so the competitions really get the adrenalin running, so much that I get the shakes when I finish a test!

It turned out I needed the adrenalin for the weekend, as Seb was a little fiesty! Before my first day of warming up, people were telling me that it was a bit wild out there, and I didn't know what they meant until I went out there and saw horses flying everywhere. Seb thought it looked fun, and got quite excited when he heard heavy galloping hooves come up behind him! At one stage one of the little FEI ponies sped past him and he jumped away, smacking me in the face and I bit my lip. There was blood all down my stock and now my lip is swollen! They have rules to protect the horse's welfare if they start bleeding, but what about the rider's welfare!? Obviously I had to keep riding, but God knows what people (and the judge!) thought had happened to me, having blood everywhere!

Although he was a bit cheeky, it was okay because we still don't know him well and we have to figure out how he works, and how to get him into the right frame of mind. Everything is moving ahead positively, as we learn something new about him every day! I absolutely love competing him as he really does put so much effort in for you, and the combination of having a horse you enjoy to ride and a whole support team around you, makes a competition a huge amount of fun. Stress is certainly kept to a minimum, which is a great relief.

On the last day, we found what we think is the key to him. Balance. We worked him in nice and slowly, concentrating on keeping his shoulders straight on not falling out through one or the other. We used the corners as a re-balancer, a place to half-halt and push out of whilst remaining completely straight. In the warm-up and in the test, I made rhythm, straightness and balance my main focus, and there was not even a hint of explosion. Yet again, it is proven that everything comes down to basics.

Despite his little hiccups, he still got decent scores! On the test sheets, the only place where he lost the marks was at the moment of explosion, which would count for 2 movements (e.g a transition would be affected too), but other than that, everything was mostly 7s with a few 8s. That is promising!

The focus of balance was further confirmed when we got back home and I went to see him on Monday night. He had a day off, but I still wanted to go and groom both Seb and Julius and take Julius for a walk. My trainer had a free slot in his lessons, and suggested we try lunging Seb. What a good idea! Previously he had always jumped and bucked around on the end of a lunge when he is free, but we put on the sidereins, and after a few attempts he realised there was no point in trying, as he couldn't get very far off the ground. I could just see the respect being absorbed into his mind!

After a bit of racing, he calmed right down into a slow trot, and by the end he was doing walk, trot and canter transitions perfectly. He might have even lay down if I asked him to! But it was interesting to see that every time he put himself out of balance, that's when he would explode. The lunge teaches him to put himself in his own balance, and not rely on me and my riding. That is really hard work for him too! As my trainer said "its like when body builders try and do pilates... he pumps iron every day but still finds just lunging hard". We decided that he should have a lungeing session in the morning a few times a week, as well as me riding him at night. That will improve his balance immensely!

So things are looking really positive and we take steps forward every day. We are going to take him out to compete as much as possible, which would be at least every two weeks. Competitions are the moment of truth and all is revealed!

This week I have another full week of exams, so this weekend it is party on to celebrate the end of a VERY stressful beginning of term!!! I actually miss the Talland days where I could just work and ride all day. It was such a good life because I was doing something I loved. I would give anything to be able to work at AMD, as sitting in lectures all day and again after riding at night more study in my little college room. I just have to keep thinking that it will pay off one day!

Blog Awards!

2011-01-24T15:46:00.001Z

Yayy I have been given some blog awards!!! How exciting, awards are always a good thing :D
Thanks to the awesome bloggers that decided I was a half-decent blogger!...

A Horse Trainer (in Training)

Dressage Training Journal

Just a Girl and her Horse

The Anywhere but Here Girl...

Here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

Ok, 7 things about myself:

1) Nothing makes me happier in the world than my horses and riding.

2) I am an absolute perfectionist and put too much pressure on myself to achieve.

3) I absolutely LOVE to party.... without alcohol of course ;)

4) I say the most stupidest things in the world... eg. In Portugal when mum and I are walking along the beach and mum says she has been feeling quite light-headed... I respond with "Are we quite high above sea-level?" and when mum told me about Nicole Kidman secretly having a baby through a surrogate mother and I say "how did she keep it a secret? I mean isn't it obvious she has a huge belly?" DUH Casey... there are so many more, I should start adding them to my posts actually, but then again you will all just laugh at me :\

5) I am in love with coffee... it makes everything better, lifts me up, gives me energy, leaves a scrumptious taste in my mouth :)

6) Procrastination is my favourite hobby

7) I find college a complete waste of time and dream of the day I can work at a yard and ride 7 horses a day....

And my Top 13... not 15, I am so inefficient I couldn't come up with two more as I want to get on with my next post!

1) Pia Virginia

2) Letters from a College Student

3) Notes from a Horse Trainer (in training)

4) Dressa-crosse in Steel Shoes

5) Grand Prix Someday

6) Freeland Instructors Diary

7) Gray Dressage

8) Horse of Course

9) Anna Trinder BHSII

10) Adventures of a Horse Crazed Mind

11) Dressage Training Journal

12) Just a Girl and her Horse

13) The Anywhere but Here Girl...

Seb's first comp and yet another hectic week ahead :\

2011-01-17T13:37:00.000Z

I apologise for the long gaps between my posts, but as soon as college started things have been hectic. But then again, when are things not?

I successfully studied and completed my biology exam last Tuesday, which I thought went quite well. I took advantage of the few days break I had and focused on riding, and chilling out with my friends when I got back at night, anywhere between 7 and 10pm. I have ridden Seb everyday since I have been back (except for yesterday, his day off) as I need to get cracking on preparation for the shows coming up.

We went to our first ever competition on Friday! I was amazed at how well-behaved he was. From the moment he got on the lorry right the way through to putting him to bed that evening, he didn't put a foot wrong. I expected some stallion-ish behaviour in the lorry and going out in to the warm-up, but nope, he was very chilled. With the slight exception of the first few minutes of trot where he got quite excited and tense, but I just had to be patient and he pulled himself together. Oh and his fetish for coloureds came through too, as there was a cremello warming up with him that he took a liking to, and he is also in love with the coloured at the yard. Who cares if its a guy or girl, if it's coloured he's all for it!

He pulled out all the stops in the warm up and gave me no trouble at all. It was the easiest warmup I think I have ever done! We just walked around alot saving his energy for the test, which I couldn't wait start. I think he was eager to start too as we turned at A to go down the centreline, and he shot off like a rocket straight past X! I was like woahhh Seb steaddddy, and I had to turn and do the centreline again. I realised that it was because at that moment a huge lorry came down the motorway (which is right next to the warmup and arenas!) and hit the brakes, which Seb thought was quite an inappropriate interruption.

As we went on through the test, there were a few spooks here and there, and I got to feel that at no point during the test can you take your concentration off him and cruise. Okay, you shouldn't 'cruise' anyway, but come one, we have all gone into a shoulder-in and thought 'yehhhhhh thats the one' and just cruised along with it. Well, Seb will not allow that. I learnt my lesson and the second test was a lot better. I kept on his case and asked for more, and tried not to let his attention waver away from me.

We got 65% in both advanced mediums, which I thought was okay considering a lot of marks were lost on the spooks, and I got an error of course in both. The first for the repeated centreline, which isn't allowed, and the second was my fault, because I always make the mistake of doing the last extended canter down the longside instead of the diagonal.... I really should sort that habit out! It wasn't about the marks or placings though, it was about taking Seb out and learning about his behaviour and how he acts in a test. I now know that he tries 150%, but only if you concentrate on him. It's like he wants you to appreciate the effort he is putting in, and if you don't he will jump around and spook to smack you back into gear.

You all probably think I'm strange, characterising my horse like this! It's the easiest way to understand him, and I swear if he was human he would be my boyfriend... Okay now you probably think I'm just plan crazy! But really, we get along so well and I enjoy every moment I spend with him, and I hope he feels the same! I had such a fun day out too, and felt an immediate 'team' atomspere as some others from the yard came along with their horses, and they helped me tack and untack, and sponge him off etc. It was so strange though, as I have never had help at a competition before!

As a treat I went to the yard on Seb's day off yesterday (Sunday) and gave him a nice bath with some new Australian shampoo I ordered, cleaned his feet, tail, and made him feel all special :) We have Addington Premier League on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which I am well excited about!!!

However the next two weeks are going to be painful. I have my AS history exam on Thursday morning, on Thursday afternoon we will drive through to Addington and compete Friday Saturday and Sunday. I have an all-day biology practical exam on Monday, which will be nearly impossible because I missed last week's lesson because of the competition, and I will also miss Thursday and Friday's lessons because of Addington. I will probably end up just standing at the lab-station just staring at the experiment I'm meant to be carrying out. God, help me. It doesn't end there... That week is my Mock exams for all subjects, which I would have to squeeze in some study during Addington, and a massive cramming session on Tuesday. That means noooo social life for Casey until next friday.

When next Friday comes around I swear I will celebrate like I've just finished my entire A-levels course. Unless some more unimportant stress enters my life again. Oh and between all of this I have to do at least 6 hours of driving lessons a week. Wish me luck!!!

Hello 2011

2011-01-06T08:12:00.000Z

2011 is here! I hope everyone had a brilliant Christmas and New Years, and are nice and refreshed for another year.

I had an amazing time in Australia and am now back in the UK. My experience of going back home was unexpected, I didn't feel the way I thought I would. To be completely honest, I was dreading the thought of going home and not wanting to leave again to go back to England, and get depressed that I had left Australia. Thankfully, that didn't happen. Quite the opposite actually!

As I said in my previous post, when I first arrived I was overwhelmed by the quality of life I had left, and really felt like I was 'home' and was so excited for the next two weeks. Things didn't go downhill at all, I still really enjoyed it, but realisation kicked in pretty quickly.

The culture of the two countries are so different, and the English is one I actually prefer. It's just little things, like how you can just start talking to any stranger in a queue, in a lift, on a bus, and they will gladly have a longggg conversation with you. Not so in Australia, they are more likely to give you a funny look and walk away. There isn't the sense of humour or banter that is in the UK.

I actually missed all my English friends so much and was often talking to them on Facebook catching up with how their holidays were going. We all couldn't wait to get back to college, obviously not for lectures, but to see eachother again! It was still good to see my Australian friends though, or at least the ones who were bothered to see me. A lot of them had just moved on and forgotten, so it makes you see who your real friends are, and they are the most unexpected people too.

Despite the differences and the ironic unfamiliarity of my 'home', I had a really relaxing holiday. It was so nice to be with my family and hang out with my sister. We spent our time chilling by the pool, shopping, lazing around on Christmas day and of course partying it up on New Years Eve, so it was a good break from the daily grind of catching buses and taxis and going to lectures.

But now it is back into the swing of things in the UK. College has already started and I have my biology exam next Tuesday, which I am trying to study for... yes, trying. I have ridden Sebastian a few times, who had a break over Christmas, and Julius still has one more month left in the stable. He is still happy though thankfully! Things are a little easier for me now though, as my mum came back the England with me so can drive me back to Hartpury at night instead of getting a taxi, and depending on the day I will catch the bus to the yard or she will drive me. Not long till I can drive actually! Can't wait, my life will be complete when I get my licence :P

Finally, just want to give my best wishes to everyone for the new year, and thank you so much for reading my blog and supporting me! It means so much to me :)
xxxx

Home sweet home!!!

2010-12-23T17:13:00.000Z

Don't get gardens like these over in england... was absolutely stunned when I saw it!

My stables and arena

Xmas tree up, decorations out :)

I'm Home!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-12-22T10:33:00.001Z

Poor baby!!

It is all over.... I'm home!!!!! Things didn't get any easier on Monday morning when our flight was due to fly out, and I wasn't expecting them to. After a 45 min wait early in the morning at the Qantas check-in, it was announced that the only two flights leaving that day was QF002 and QF10. My flight was QF002... YAY! I didn't get my hopes up though, as there was still the possibility that it could start snowing at any time between queing and boarding the plane at 9am.

Once my bag went through, stage one was over. Up to security and through to the departure gates. It took ages for our gate number to come up on the screen, but it appeared eventually. My eagerness caused me to half-run/half-skip in a slightly retarded way to the gate, which proved pointless since the air crew were caught in traffic and delayed the flight by an hour and a half. So there I am stuck in the gate lounge with no food, no shops, no nothing. Just seats. I had to get out of there, there was no way I was sitting there doing nothing!

Our plane... how beautiful

I went to the desk and pleaded them to let me out because I needed to go to the loo. They let me go so I went back to the lounge area and got some food, a fruit salad, yogurt, and a pastry. The intention was to save it for the flight, but that didn't happen. I was so bored waiting back at the gate that I ate it all. Oops.

Finally the crew arrived and at 10.40am it was finally time to board. I had the best seat ever, first row of premium economy where the babies go and with lots of leg room, on the aisle, and with no one sitting in the two seats to my left. There wasn't many people on the plane because a lot of them couldn't even get to the airport because of the snow.

We sat there for 5 hours. I'm not kidding. It took them 3 hours to de-ice the plane because it was so thick, and then when they only had 20 mins to go it started snowing again and the airport had closed. At that point, we all thought we weren't going to get home. We thought we would have to get off the plane and wait another day. There were people swearing, crying, the atmosphere was intense! Since it had snowed again, the plane had to be re-de-iced. That only took an hour this time, and then we managed to get a guaranteed take-off slot at 3.30pm. Thank god for eating my boredom away, as I would have been starving if I hadn't had anything to eat!

When the brakes one the plane were released and the plane moved slightly, there was plenty of excitement. It built up as we were in taxi, and it exploded into cheers and applause when we lifted off into the air. We were on our way home :D

The flight was smooth and simple, and from Bangkok to Sydney the plane was even more empty. I stood and looked out over a sea of empty seats with a few heads dotted about. Cool, even more free seats to stretch out on :)

Arriving into Sydney was the easiest thing ever. We were the only flight going in, as it was 11 o clock at night and had only just made it before the flights were stopped from landing. It took me literally 5 mins to go through passport control and get my luggage. I was the third person out, and was greeted with TV cameras and a presenter with a microphone.

I ignored them and ran straight to my mum, sister and dad and gave them all massive hugs, emotions running high. Then, I turned around and there was this great big microphone in my face. I was interviewed. And filmed. On TV.

I turned on the TV this morning and yep, there I was, on Channel Nine's Today show. My dad's work mates also sent him emails saying how nice it was that I was home, and sent him another link to me speaking and hugging my family. You can watch it here!

It is so amazing to be home, I never realised how lucky I was to have a house like this and have such a good lifestyle. I guess of course it is because I have lived without any luxuries for over a year, so when I come back home it feels like I am walking into a resort. It is very different here, the smells, the houses, the trees, and of course the absence of snow! But to be honest, I wouldn't move back. This life here isn't real, it is too closed and protected, too monotonous. There is so much more to be experienced in England and I am so grateful for this year and for all the people I have met and things I have done. Things that wouldn't be possible here in Sydney. But it is nice just to come back to paradise for a week or two :)

Day Two... Still in England :\

2010-12-19T19:24:00.002Z

After a simply gorgeous sleep in the HUGE king size bed, where I can't even touch both sides at the same time, I woke up super early pumped and ready to go home. That is, until I looked outside. Oh my God... more snow. I didn't think I was going to go anywhere today. But still, keeping positive, I packed my suitcase again and headed down to checkout and get on the bus. This time the Hotel Hoppa... no way I was going to endure that arctic expedition again!

Check out the bed!!!

I was overwhelmed by the sight I saw when I walked through the doors of terminal 3... thousands of people, mostly on the floor, huddled together with silver foil blankets around them. It was shocking, dehumanising, disgraceful. I was only 20 mins early this time but the check-in booths still weren't open. I was waiting with a bunch of other Qantas people waiting for various flights, none of us knowing what was happening but just being there was the best we could do. The QF32 people were telling me they sat on the plane for 7 hours yesterday in hope of getting off the ground, but no, it didn't happen. I guess they had it made up to them though as it was announced that their flight was the only one going today as the plane was still there ready to go. Everyone else, including me, was told to go away and contact the airline.

I called my mum and told her the update, and my dad called Qantas who said that there would definitely be no more flights out today. Okay, fair, back to the hotel as luckily I had booked a second night just in case and it wasn't past checkout time yet, so I could check back in. I tried to get some photos of the people so you can get some idea of what it was like, but didn't want to seem rude and target the people with the silver blankets! They must have felt like zoo animals :\

After waiting 45 mins in the freeeezing cold for the hotel bus that is supposed to come every 15 mins, all I wanted was some food and my big warm bed. The breakfast at the hotel (included too!) was amazing... scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown, perfect :) There was an old guy sitting at the table next to me who was also alone and he was quite the chatty one!! Telling me about his grandkids and all... Although he was also quite a deaf one as he thought I was talking about going on Swissair to Australia when I was actually saying that I was going to do some study today. But we managed to have an intellectual conversation comparing the writing of Scott Fitzgerald and Ian McEwan to Charles Dickens. I did actually want to take a bit of my scrambled egg, but felt rude to be talking with a full mouth, so my breakfast went a bit cold. Still good, all the same :)

I spent all day studying for my history exam in my room on my huge bed, which felt more like a floor because it was so big. Very relaxing, so relaxing in fact I had to take a few trips down to Starbucks to get my caffeine hit so I could focus! At about 4 I decided to call it a day and took a nap whilst watching TV. This felt SO unnatural.... it is just something I would never do. But I had no choice. And it was quite nice! Could get used to this.... nahh would rather be out in the cold grooming, tacking up, and riding with numb fingers and toes :)

I have been told my my father, who I swear is God, that my flight is now heading out at 9am tomorrow morning, so I'll be out of here by 5.30am! I just hope it actually leaves, because I have no more nights booked here so I would have to spend tomorrow night on the airport floor! That is quite a contrast to a king size bed... don't know if I can handle that :P

I just want to go home! I wish I could be Dorothy and say 'there's no place like home' and tap my red shoes together 3 times and go back to the Land of Oz... Literally!

View from my hotel room. Looking out onto the only runway open.

The journey to Australia begins.... anything but smoothly!

2010-12-19T18:59:00.001Z

This is a disaster. I can't get out of England! I was supposed to flight out to Australia last night, but there are no flights out of Heathrow because of the snow. Thankfully my mother, who is an absolute hero booked me into a hotel yesterday morning just in case, and thank god because I am now spending my second night here! Luckily it is a lush hotel and I have a HUGE king size bed to sleep in!

This is what I woke up to at the yard!

I have already had quite a journey, and I swear I am going to come out of this a new woman! It started early Saturday morning when I woke up, looked out of the window at the yard and saw that a blanket of snow had covered everything. My plan was to ride early, go back to Hartpury and pack my suitcase then catch a train to Heathrow late afternoon. No no, I had to get out as soon as possible and get to heathrow as quickly as I could as God knows how many train delays there would be!

I managed to plead the taxi company into coming to get me and take me back to college, and as I am friends with them they did me that favour. I packed as quick as I could and headed out at 12.30pm instead of 4pm like I had planned. I changed my train tickets and managed to get the price of a new ticket down to £27 from £77 (score!) and the train was only 4 minutes late.

The scene at Hartpury around the accommodation blocks.

Whilst waiting for the train at Gloucester, I was talking to my friend on the phone and all of a sudden everybody stood up and started walking over to another platform, but I had no idea why as I wasn't listening to the announcement. I said to my friend "oh my God everyone is moving... where are they going!?" and had to ask a young blonde guy what the announcement said. The London train had moved platforms, so I followed him to where I was supposed to be.

When the train came, he came up to me and said "Sorry, do you mind if I follow you to London?" and I thought umm okay a little weird... but then he said "I've never caught a train before and I don't know what I am doing". Sure! I said, and we helped eachother with our cases on to the train and sat down. I could hear he was South African, and turns out his family lives in Kenya and he went to school in South Africa, and is doing university here in Gloucester. He was on his way home to Kenya for Christmas. We spent the whole 3.5 hour train ride talking which made it 100 times more interesting. When we got to Paddington I had to point him in the right direction for his next train to see his uncle nearby, and I had a bit of time before the Heathrow express left, so he stayed with me while I waited and I got something to eat and stuff.

Here is a trip for lone travellers... NEVER go to the Paddington toilets with a suitcase and no one to look after it! I ended up paying 30p to get myself in, but my bag got left behind on the otherside of the gate! I thought 'oh, this is awkward' so had to pay another 30p just to get my suitcase in! And try getting it in the cubicle with you... not easy. And carrying it up and down those stairs! Nightmare! I should have taken up the South African's offer when he asked if I wanted him to mind it! I trusted him, but not enough to give him my worldly possessions and risk him making a run for it!

Enough of the bathroom and back onto the journey... We parted ways with a hug and 'see you in the New Year!' and I got on the Heathrow Express. I got stuck in the little section between carriages with the suitcases with three other blokes, and got chatting to them too. Amazingly, one of them was also South African! After our civilised and very grown up conversation we got to my terminal. One of them was also getting off at terminal three, and he offered to 'point me in the right direction'... meaning: me following him, pushing through masses of people and chaos. He was lovely and made sure I was okay when we got to the end, but honestly it was so crazy I let him get on with finding his check-in while I searched for the Qantas area. We parted not with a hug like with the South African dude, but with a mature hand-shake. I'm pretty sure his flight didn't get off the ground though.

So I finally find Qantas and since I am about 3 hours early there aren't any booths open, so I just sat down underneath one of the desks and read my book. The number of people that were standing over me crying and complaining to the staff was unbelievable... Get a grip! Crying and stressing will not fix anything, or make the snow go away! After about an hour I heard a lady ask a man at one of the desks about the QF002, my flight. I vaguely heard something about it being delayed until tomorrow morning, so I asked the lady and then confirmed with the guy at the desk. Yep, check-in at 7am, flight should leave at 11am. Hey mum, your hotel booking came in handy!

I took a public bus to the hotel cuz the Hotel Hoppa bus was ridiculously packed and the queues where a mile long. To my absolute delight, the stop for the hotel was about half a mile away, on the other side of the busy four lane road that resembles a small motorway, Bath Rd. Off I get and start to plough my way through the snow, and no, the footpath was not cleared and had hardly been walked on. Brilliant. I finally came to the pedestrian crossing where an American guy was standing, and I pull up next to him panting and breathing so heavily he probably thought I just ran a marathon carrying my suitcase over my head. "There has GOT to be an easier way to do this!" I said to him, and all he could do was laugh and make some cheeky remark about how good I will feel to not wear the same outfit twice... yeh, real funny mate.

Outside heathrow airport.

Try pulling a suitcase through that!!

Those few seconds where I walked into the doors of the hotel was like walking through the gates of heaven. It was over, the day had been achieved, and unlike the unfortunate people back at Heathrow, I had a bed to sleep in. It was the first time I had ever checked into a hotel by myself too! I felt terribly grown up :)

I was starving so after putting my suitcase in my room and calling the 'rents to tell them I was alive, I headed down to the restaurant. I sat there by myself reading my history notes and stuffing myself with the buffet. What a perfect end to a chaotic day.

Chilled week...that's different

2010-12-14T07:48:00.000Z

The past week has been pretty calm compared to the week before. I can't really think of anything super I have done, my weekend was very chilled as there was hardly anyone at the yard. My trainers were up in Scotland for a client's wedding, our cook and 'party-starter' went to a ball with her new man, the girls had their boyfriends over, and since our trainers weren't there there were no clients.

It was so strangely quiet, it didn't feel like I was in the same place. It's amazing what a difference a few people and banter can make to a yard, or any kind of centre. As much as the peace and quiet is nice (to get some homework done especially), it's definitely not as good as the craziness and loudness that usually occurs. I actually felt out of place when it was quiet :\

We stayed in the house and curled up on the sofa and watched Xfactor with some pizza, since we also had no food and lived on literally bread and butter on Sunday. Quite amusing!

Seb has been really good this week too. When my trainer rode him on Tuesday he started to be naughty and fool around, which he likes to do a bit with me. My trainer told him off and sorted him out big time, and now he has been sweet as honey ever since! This whole weekend that I was riding by myself he didn't put a foot wrong, and I'm finally feeling like I can create an effective training session on him without being guided. It is hard to do that with a new horse because you are still figuring them out, but Seb and I have become a good team very quickly I think.

We were supposed to go out to a little competition last Friday and also this Thursday, but they were both cancelled :( The other Junior rider and I were pretty much the only ones entered so they didnt bother to put them on. I guess we will just have to go to the Premier League in January blind, with no preconception of what Seb or the other Junior rider's horse is going to do. Fun!

This is my last week at school and then on Saturday I'm jetting off back home!!! Cannot wait, this is the most exciting thing ever. Bring on another hot xmas at the beach under the sun!