Wow, it has all been going on since I upped sticks and moved back out to the country! First of all, a huge THANK YOU has to go to all my amazing friends and clients who have been so supportive throughout the last couple of months. It was a really big deal for me to make the decision to leave behind the life I had made in London, and the help, positivity, and general awesomeness has not gone unnoticed!
With my weekdays now available, I have welcomed a number of new coaching clients to the fold. I am always impressed by the dedication people show to their horses and their training, and I am really enjoying working with everyone. We have some exciting goals to achieve and it is great to see so many already well on their way to achieving their dreams. I have also benefited from some brilliant training with Paul Fielder, who has started doing a regular clinic at Half Moon Stud. Paul is such a positive, knowledgeable and enthusiastic coach, and I get a huge amount out of my lessons with him. Freya really rose to every challenge he gave us, and my confidence increased tenfold.
On the competition front, Freya has been astonishing. She has contested six Premier League classes, winning four of them and coming second in the other two. I have never had a start to the season like it. On top of her successes in these classes, we also had a really positive experience at the Winter Championships. While the first test didn’t quite go our way, it gave me the push I needed to ride more positively in the freestyle. I was absolutely delighted to be rewarded with a score of 72.1% and a fifth place – just 0.7% off the winning combination.
The next step for Freya is the tricky jump up to Prix St Georges. It has taken me a little while to curb her natural enthusiasm for going forward, and contain it enough for the canter pirouettes. She has so much ability for them, it got a bit frustrating at times, but she has now had her lightbulb moment and things are coming on in leaps and bounds (sometimes literally)! We have got Addington Premier League coming up at the end of this week, then she’ll have a bit of a quieter time before coming out at PSG.
It is so exciting to be back and dedicating my time to doing what I love most. That said, I wouldn’t change my experience in London for the world, and I have come back to riding and training with much more focus, determination and resilience. I am really looking forward to the weeks, months and years ahead!