About time

Excuses, excuses… it’s quite fashionable to write off genuine challenges as excuses, saying that ‘if you really wanted to do X you’d find a way’ – maybe, but sometimes it just can’t happen. The upshot? Disillusionment, negative thoughts, a self-energising spiral that either stays circling on the flat or descends into nothing. Max moved homesContinue reading “About time”

I am native, rooted here…

The opera-lovers may recognise the quotation (from Montagu Slater’s libretto for Peter Grimes, music by Benjamin Britten) and this post is slightly off-beam but a short reflection from horseback this morning. Max and I have had a quiet few months, punctuated by some really inspiring lessons, putting homework into practice and then the odd naffContinue reading “I am native, rooted here…”

Confidence: trick or treat?

In my day job as a choir trainer I’m often trying to get people to unlock their talents with more confidence and self-belief: I know they can do it, so they should have the same level of confidence and so on. Of course it doesn’t work like that for everyone and when you’ve had somethingContinue reading “Confidence: trick or treat?”

One foot in front of another (and no mention of the bad drivers)

I enjoyed a good afternoon with Max today – I needed to remove the pressure of a timetable and ended up having a few laughs with people on the yard and then a good hack. After a quiet and slightly frustrated feeling at the start of the year, I got some energy back with anContinue reading “One foot in front of another (and no mention of the bad drivers)”

Ring out the old, ring in the new

What a year… I’ve been a bit quiet on the blogging front and it’s certainly something I intend to attend to in the new year, but it’s quite representative of the year as a whole! After a slow reopening to Eventing in 2020, 2021 had some of the same issues and also the added complicationContinue reading “Ring out the old, ring in the new”

“And now the magic will happen…”

It’s been a tough old winter one way or another, but thanks to flexible colleagues and a yard approach that’s kept horse and rider together as often as possible, Max and I have survived and are looking forward to making the most of the opportunities coming our way. We’ve made the best of it byContinue reading ““And now the magic will happen…””