Horse
Christmas is a distant memory, January has felt eleventy billion days long, but alas there is light at the end of what now feels like a never-ending tunnel. The new Eventing season is only 5 weeks away folks.
With sights turning towards the much-celebrated end of winter, my thoughts drift towards which equines I shall be excitedly looking forward to seeing each weekend.
Read MoreWell folks, we have reached (and probably crept past) the mid-point of the season. t’s been a hectic first half of the season, punctuated with some great moments and some not-so-great moments to keep a healthy balance. Over 10k miles covered, chasing ponies up and down the land, captured those special moments.
Onwards I go, towards the Big B’s of Autumn…
Read MoreFarewell to a legend…
Some horses just get under your skin and pull at the heart strings and ever since watching a young, relatively unknown rider called Ros Canter, on her gigantic dark bay equine companion, I have been smitten. Who couldn’t be?! For all 17hh of dear Alby were just perfection. And together they conquered the world; quite literally.
Read MoreThey say good things come to those that wait – and boy was it a long wait to drive back through the stone-walled entrance of Badminton Horse Trials once again. Three long years since I was there and to say I was giddy to be back was a monumental understatement…
Read MorePhew, with January done and dusted (was it just me that felt like January was 86789 days long?!) Whilst it was nice to slow things down…; with entries now officially open, it’s about time I awoke from the winter slumber and dusted off the gear ready for Eventing to get underway in little under a month.
Here are a few of my selections for Ones to Watch 2022…
Read MoreWhat a season! Despite Covid’s best attempts at slowing the season down, I have managed to enjoy 28 BE & FEI Eventing adventures during the 2021 season.
In the latest blog, I bravely delve into the brimming image library from the season and pick out a few of my many favourites…
Read MoreSitting on the grass amongst the crowd on Sunday afternoon, listening intently to the all-female top 3 heap praise on the Bicton team and all their hard work and effort to deliver not only the only 5* competition on British soil this year, but that they delivered it in style, had me grinning from ear to ear.
From Devon to the Highlands, Cheshire to Gloucestershire, I’ver certainly seen the sights this summer. But it doesn’t end there, there’s still some more adventures planned for September… Onwards to Blenheim, Europeans and then suddenly, we are looking at the season finale’s round the corner, with winter hibernation getting ever closer.
Read MoreThe countdown in on to the Tokyo Games, with less than four months now till the Eventing medals are decided…
There’s no doubting Team GBR have an embarrassment of riches to give the selectors some sleepless nights over. But this could arguably be the most competitive Olympics for some time. Leaving the GB dilemma to one side for now, here’s my quick look at the International medal contenders:
What a year that was! A pandemic was rather an extreme way of focusing the mind. Focusing on what mattered. What was worth the effort and what was not. What stirred the soul and what no longer mattered.
We may not have had a full season, but 2020 was definitely a year to savour ‘Quality over Quantity’ all the way.
Read MoreSo whilst it might not be the big shindig we are all used to, Christmas has flown around the corner, presents are wrapped and there’s just the exclusive bubble to finalise…
Most of us are probably somewhat thankful to see the back of this year to be honest, so my mind has already turned towards the countdown to next season and all the stars I am eagerly awaiting to see once again.
Read MoreDear Santa,
I’ve been a really good girl, no really! I actually have this year - I’ve been socially distant all year, not just for lockdowns and I’ve done all my Eventing chores (well kinda….)
So how about a treat or two under the tree this year... Just in case you or Santa need some inspiration for what to put under the tree this year for me, or any equestrian mad friend or relative,, here’s some ideas…
Read MoreSeptember continued where August exited stage left, an action packed month with just enough spare time for a spot of seashell collecting….
Cornbury House had been murmured to be worth the wait and it was definitely that and so much more. After the doom and gloom of this Eventing year, this shiny gem emerged from the pack and really made their presence known that weekend.
Read MoreYou know that good things must come to the inevitable end, but when they have been this good, it’s a hard pill to swallow.
Gorgeous Gary has taken me on a memorable journey as his number one fan, he has taken me to courses I’d only ever dreamed of attending. It has been a complete pleasure to follow him all the way from the Highlands of Scotland to the French Pyrenees.
Read MoreWith the continuing restrictions, I have done the obligatory garden and house tidy, then I started the online tidy. The trawl through the archives to tidy and refresh. And this got me thinking - now I will admit the search initially started with my top 10 photographs and this became a little impossible, so that grew into 15 before settling on my 20 favourite images. The soundtrack to the afternoon would have gone ’99 photos and I can’t pick 1’!
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Best moment
There was only ever going to be one contender here wasn’t there - Gary completing Badminton
Read MoreThe advent of digital has been seen as a great technological advance, access to endless images online is a revolution, but has it made us all somewhat de-value the photographic production process along the way?
Read MoreThe season started and finished with Oasby, so off to Lincolnshire I headed with my now located towing eye (I was a Girl Guide, be prepared and all that!). Autumnal back-drops and the last chance to see the Eventing family this side of the winter solstice beckoned……..
Read MoreOn writing this the postman has just been and delivered the most exciting of envelopes. To everyone else I am sure it just looks like a normal white A4, if a little crinkled by Royal Mail. But to me it was the culmination of a lot of hard work, 1,000s of photos and a sprinkling of courage.
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