The Busiest Time of the Year

The last couple of weeks have definitely been the busiest time of the year for me and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

It’s been a whirlwind of travelling, teaching, saddle fitting and preparing riders for their upcoming goals. The busy spell started with a mechanical horse clinic at Hartpury, followed by two weeks of clinics and individual lessons all over the country. 

The clinics began with a trip up north to Greenlands Equestrian Centre in Carlisle, continuing on north bound to the Side Saddle Association Area 9 clinic at Totleywells Equestrian Centre, Edinburgh, before travelling even further north to Side Saddle Association Area 1 in Aberdeenshire. To round the clinics off I headed south again for another fantastic day of teaching in Devon. My poor little car has certainly been racking up the miles recently.

Alongside the travelling, there's been plenty of preparation for the upcoming Side Saddle Association National Championships. Much of the focus has been on equitation and equitation jumping training, helping riders fine-tune those all-important details that can make such a difference in the competition arena.

The recent heatwave in southern England certainly added an extra challenge, with very early starts becoming the norm to ensure both horses and riders could work comfortably before temperatures climbed too high. Thankfully, once I reached Scotland and the north of England, the cooler weather made for much more pleasant teaching conditions.

Between the clinics, the diary has been packed with individual lessons and side saddle fitting appointments. It's always a privilege to work with so many dedicated riders, and over the past fortnight I've visited clients across Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, South Wales and Cumbria. Every horse-and-rider partnership is different, which is one of the things I enjoy most about my work.

After so many miles on the road and helping others prepare for their goals, it was lovely to finish the weekend by investing in my own training. I spent time with the talented Hannah Terndrup and her wonderful cobs, Frank and Eddie. No matter how long you've been teaching, there's always something new to learn, and brushing up on my own skills is very important to me too!

Now it's time to keep the momentum going as we look ahead to the Side Saddle Association National Championships. Best of luck to everyone who has been working so hard—I look forward to seeing many of you there!