After our underwhelming summer weather, autumn is now coming in with full force and I could not be more grateful for the indoor school at Half Moon Stud! With my busy schedule, I need to make the most of every opportunity I can ride. Without the indoor, it would be much more of a struggle than it is. I cannot thank Jon and Julie Deverill enough for having us – having access to such brilliant facilities makes all the difference.
The most exciting development in recent weeks is that Stübben has taken me on as a Brand Ambassador! I have ridden with Stübben products for as long as I can remember. The company has made huge leaps forward in innovation in the last few years, which is really exciting to see. I have already tried the Equi-Soft girth, and am really pleased with it. The whole design aims to distribute pressure evenly and help the horse show greater freedom in front. Freya can sometimes be a little straight in her front leg in the canter, and I noticed an immediate improvement as soon as I tried the girth. Now she’s becoming more confident with it, that improvement is showing in the trot, too. I can’t say I felt like she had an issue before, but anything that makes her more comfortable and improves her performance is a good thing in my book!
I took Freya to Bury Farm at the end of August to do their High Profile. To say I was absolutely thrilled would be an understatement. She was the ultimate professional from start to finish in every test and every arena. Unfortunately, the marks didn’t quite reflect the feeling she gave me. I can’t be disappointed with four scores between 67% and 69% from a seven year old at Advanced Medium, but I felt that her tests had real highlights that weren’t quite rewarded. That said, it’s all part of the sport and it’s my job now to take on board the judges’ comments and improve on the weaker areas that they picked up on. My focus from the weekend has also got to be on the improvements I felt she made and her attitude. I couldn’t praise her highly enough and it just bodes so well for the future.
Preparations are now in full swing for the Nationals next week. I have been really concentrating on getting myself in the best possible shape. In particular, I have started having some mechanical horse sessions with Michelle Hill. I first met Michelle when I was in Young Riders, and her lessons made a huge difference to me then. Now I am based in London during the week, it’s much easier for me to get over to her base near Stansted. The horse itself is a great piece of kit, but it is only as good as the person operating it. Michelle has a great eye for the tiniest of imbalances. We have been focusing on my straightness as well as allowing my leg to relax down and wrap around the horse – among many, many other little things! I feel like it is making me a more effective rider, and my aids are clearer and more refined. With a horse as sensitive as Freya, every movement from me has to be controlled, and Michelle is really helping me achieve this.
With so much focus on preparation, it could be easy to put too much pressure on myself before the Nationals. I’m trying to go into it with the same attitude as the Winters – very relaxed about the outcome as long as I’m pleased with our performance. I haven’t ridden at Stoneleigh for a few years so it will be great fun to be back, and I’ve got a brilliant band of supporters coming along to cheer us on! Wish us luck!
E.x