Saying goodbye

"He's in the sun, the wind, the rain, he's in the air you breathe with every breath you take. He sings a song of hope and cheer, there's no more pain, no more fear. You'll see him in the clouds above, hear him whisper words of love. You'll be together before long, until then, listen for his song"

After 15 years together, yesterday morning I lost my best friend, my first horse and my greatest treasure 💔 They say the greatest act of love is letting go, so I did just that for him.

I just hope Basse knew how much I adored him and how lost I feel without him.

See you in the next world my love, please wait for me and come get me when the time is right 🌈

Dealing with the hot weather

The UK and the rest of Europe has been bathing in not just warm weather but an intense heat wave, and this week we've experienced the warmest day so far where in the early afternoon it was +35C here in Wiltshire! PLEASE be extra careful with your horses and ponies if you're out riding, hacking, training or competing this week as it looks like that the hot summer weather has truly arrived ☀️ Due to the cooler weather last week, horses are not used to the heat and are not acclimatised to working in such warm temperatures and with a sudden change like this, there is a huge risk for heat stroke. 

Here's what I do to deal with the hot weather:

1.) Either avoid riding in the hottest parts of the day (11am-6pm) and/or reduce the intensity and duration of your rides. It tends to get hot from 9am onwards and truly doesn't even start to cool down until 6pm. I know lots of people ride before work, but as I prefer having the horses turned out at 6am rather than riding them I ride after work late into the night, starting with the first horse at 7pm #nightowl 🌙 

2.) Remember to have lots of water. This seems like an obvious point to make but it is SO easy to forget to continuously drink throughout the day and you know just how important it is to stay hydrated. I have a glass of cold water before I get on each horse and another glass of water as soon as I've taken the horse's tack off, because that way I feel like I can successfully keep the dehydration at bay! It’s also essential that your horse has access to plenty of fresh water on hot days. Ours get fresh water when they come in from the paddocks at midday, another set at 3/4pm and once again the waters are changing during evening stables. If they've drunk lots over night they get extra water at 6am too. I also offer them new water straight after I've ridden as this is when they're most likely to drink! If you don't have automatic waters you do have to keep a close eye on their waters 🕵🏼

The unlikely return of Basse

"Good things come to those who wait. Better things come to those who don't give up, and the best things come to those who believe"

I've waited over 7 months for this moment 💜✨ I'm finally back on board my Basse for little rides - shoeless and sound! I have begged and prayed for a miracle and it seems to have happened, after over half a year out of work Basse looks and feels sound enough to do a little bit of work.

I've given this blog post the title of 'the unlikely return of Basse' simply because truthfully, a few months ago I was at the stage where I was seriously considering having to have him PTS because he was 1/5th lame in walk and a lot worse in trot - if he's not even sound enough for retirement and to spend his days in the field, then I don't want him to suffer. He went suddenly lame at the end of October 2018, and whilst I initially thought it might have been a muscle tear or some form of bruise or abscess, after two months I had a heart breaking moment where I realised that it was more likely that the navicular disease and the long term effects of having suffered a bout of laminitis were all catching up with him and causing arthritic changes in his legs. Although he has a heart of gold, he's not made from the best ingredients and I've always been prepared for the fact that there is a high chance I won't get him to 20+ years. 

31 Day Social Media Challenge Day 12: What are you most stubborn with?

Nearly half way there! Today is day 12 of the Equine Business Assistant's 31 Day Social Media Challenge: What are you stubborn with most?

Being stubborn often gets a rather bad rep in society nowadays, because if you're stubborn then you're also set in your ways and difficult to deal with. BUT... I'm my opinion, to be stubborn it means you have to have a strong belief that supports it, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to keep up your determination to argue your point of view and what you believe in.

I honestly believe that when it comes to our dreams and the changes we desire that being stubborn IS fantastic. We need to be stubborn about certain things in our lives. For example, I am stubborn about my happiness, ensuring my mental health stays good and keeping horses in my life. Instead of giving up horses when going to university like most junior riders do, I took Vallu with me to the UK for 3 years and completed my bachelor's degree (with a good result too!) I then decided to carry on with my university career and got in to the University of Helsinki to a master's degree in Politics, but I also had Basse and Vallu to ride and look after during my master's degree. But I was stubborn and wanted to have both things in my life, so I worked hard for it. And then to top it all, when I had 3 months left of my degree and was spending every possible moment writing my thesis, I decided to take over the ride of Erkki so that he wouldn't be sold, because I knew I would regret not taking the chance to gain such a fantastic horse in my life so I stubbornly decided to finish my master's degree with 3 horses! Yes it meant 6am starts and 11pm finishes for 2 months straight with no days off but my god it was worth it! Even if I had to do it al over again, I would do it without hesitation. 🌸

31 Day Social Media Challenge Day 4 - What do you love about going to shows?

Day 3's challenge was on the blog's Facebook page, go check that out and tell me your opinion about the article!

Day 4: What do you love about going to shows? 

I love competing. I love being able to see how my horse and I improve over time, and a small part of me loves competing against other people too! I've heard that studies have proven that experiences make people happier than having possessions. And let’s face it, if you love competing like I do, you'll love the experiences that you gain with competing. I also love going to shows because you’re surrounded by people who love doing the same thing as you 💖 The sense of comradeship is astonishing, and I've had wonderful friends who I've only seen and caught up with at shows, who have always encouraged me and made competing into a lovely day out, rather than it being just a load of stress and anxiety. Also, the energy at shows is amazing. Whether it’s the nervous "go to the loo as soon as you arrive" type of energy or the excited "I've had too many energy drinks and don't what I'm doing" kind of energy, unless you’re a stone-hearted iceman, you will be excited when you’re there. And that feel-good excitement glow lasts at least for me well into the next week.  Which leads me to my final point, going to shows get us out of our comfort zones. As riders it's SO easy to get into the habit of doing the same thing each and every day. Leaving my normal routine helps me to get unstuck if I'm in a rut 💪🏻

Introducing a double bridle to your horse

This is a topic that has been coming up recently with a couple of my friends, who have been worrying about when to introduce a double bridle to their horse, or to even use one on their horse. I've had several conversations where people have been SO worried about the double bridle that they have avoided using it for years! In my opinion, a horse should be willing and able to carry his weight on the hind legs with uphill balance in the snaffle bridle, and only after then introduce a double bridle to them. I'd never put one on until I’m totally happy with the way the horse goes in a snaffle, which has little to do with age - Basse is now already 16, but this was the first time when I felt like both him and myself as a rider were ready to use a double bridle on him whereas Vallu was 7 when he first had a double bridle on (not introduced by me, we bought him when he was 9 years old)!

I think what needs to be remembered is that depending on how the horse is in the mouth, you need to pick the correct bradoon - I'd opt for a loose ring bradoon for a horse who needed more 'play' on the mouthpiece (e.g. Basse) and an eggbutt for one who responded better to a mouthpiece which stayed relatively still (e.g. Vallu who I'm still trying to find the right eggbutt bradoon for!)

HayGrazer E-Rider January competition, part 2

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about entering my very first online dressage test with the HayGrazer E-Riders, but I certainly was not expecting my results to turn in up in Finland SO quickly. We got the results on February 2nd and on the 9th I had the score sheet and rosette in my hands! Whilst I was really nervous to open up the scoresheet to see the comments, I shouldn't have been because the judge had written such lovely and encouraging remarks both in the comments for the movements as well as the final comments.

 (This blog post includes a free entry for a dressage test that was obtained in cooperation with HayGrazer E-Rider)

Like I've said before on numerous occasions, the reason why I stopped competing when we moved to Finland was that I was suddenly found the thought of going to a competition nearly panic inducing as I had made it into such a big thing in my head. Also, once my parents gave the ride on Vallu to me, there was no way that I could ride a very hot and spooky Vallu anywhere else than at home - even that was a terrifying experience some days! And once Vallu and I had moved to the U.K for my bachelor's degree at Nottingham University, the first year I was too nervous and then the following two years I had no transport. So the years accumulated up and then coupled with both boys' injuries it has taken me a while to feel like I wanted to compete again. So the opportunity to get back into the swing of things with an online competition was too good a chance to miss.

HayGrazer E-Rider January competition, part 1

A few weeks ago I was contacted on Twitter asking if I'd like to enter a class in the HayGrazer E-Rider's online dressage and showing competition, and of course I said YES because what better way to start the new year by prepping for competitions with an online competition that didn't require me to leave home! At least in Finland there are no competitions held over the January-Feb period as the weather tends to be too horrible so it was lovely to be able to 'do' a competition where I was guaranteed the chance to ride in a warm(ish) indoor arena where there weren't other riders riding over me. And the weather is totally abysmal that day, so having to leave home and drive an hour to get to a competition did not sound inviting at all. Instead I plaited up, then tacked up as normal and we walked over to our neighbour's indoor arena! 🙌🏻

(This blog post includes a free entry for a dressage test that was obtained in cooperation with HayGrazer E-Rider)

Is he even listening?

To say that Basse and I have slightly different understandings of the meaning of "go forwards" would be an understatement! It has led to plenty disagreements between us throughout the years, but not as much this year simply because I have been 100% consistent on making sure that when I give even the slightly leg aid, he shifts his ass!

It has taken me longer that it should have to realise that I very easily fall into the trap of slightly nagging him, even in silly stuff such as just riding a 20 meter circle in walk! 🙄 But like I've always been taught, to keep the horse in front of your leg you have make sure you are not nagging them, or you will teach your horse to ignore you.  Once I picked up on the fact that I'd be nagging him, I went back to using one small aid followed up swiftly by a sharp-er one if he didn't pay attention. And then being still myself.  I've take away my spurs, but I have my whip which I use to tap him if he doesn't move when I ask him to.

Wait... what?

After changing saddles so that Basse is now using Vallu's saddle (bigger head plate and different panels) with a sheepskin pad underneath, Basse has been on fire! 🔥 As in let'sgoeverywherereallyquicklyanddonothingelse fast type of on fire... This has meant that I have  suddenly a lot more forwards and a lot less balance so riding him suddenly felt like riding a motorcycle as I could not do corners without fearing that Basse might just fall over ⚖

However, luckily I follow Anna Ross - Altogether Equestrian on Facebook because she posts daily tips for riding (not just for dressage riders!!) and a couple of days ago she posted this: "Make a halt transition after every corner to help your horse learn to stay in balance. So many horses fall in on corners and run making it difficult to set up movements. Teach your horse to wait and you can turn it into a half halt later."

Ride more, worry less

It's been well over 6 weeks now that Basse has been off work. He's not been lame or anything like that, but the muscles in his back and around his pelvis were inflamed and sore so I've just been waiting and praying for him to get better. There's always something that we can worry about our horses isn't there? He's had lots of days off and lots of turn out, as well going hacking and a little bit of lunging work, and I think I've ridden him 'properly' a maximum of 5 times during this time.

Last weekend our chiropractor came to treat all the horses once again and I was incredibly nervous! I didn't think I would be, but I could feel myself shaking a bit before she started to work on Basse. I was very pleased to be told that his back was much better and that now I just need to get him moving a lot. I have 2 to 3 weeks of riding him mainly in trot and always long and low, which is something that he loves to do, but only once he has actually figured out where he his head and neck are meant to go - before these pictures he mainly resembled a giraffe.

Keep going

I've been reluctant to blog about Basse for a few weeks now since he's been going through a bit of a phase where we've had to take so many steps back and it's never fun to acknowledge that you're not progressing with your horse...

But anyway, if you've been following our Facebook page or my Instagram, you'll know that nearly a month ago we had the chiropractor come do the horses and Basse was the worst that he's been since starting his rehab last year... ☹️ The muscles on the right side behind the saddle and around the pelvis were really sore. He'd been feeling fantastic, so I had no idea that he was so sore bless him. I feel terrible looking back now but I still can't think of a single ride where he would have given me any signs that he wasn't happy!

In defence of the short and quick ride...

The other night I saw on Facebook someone bragging about the fact that they had ridden their horse for 2 hours to get the horse going well and it made feel a bit anxious and to feel sorry for the horse. Now don't get me wrong I go hacking out for hours and I do get that for example some cross country training sessions take up nearly 2 hours, but this woman had been schooling her horse in the arena for 2 hours and it sounds like the poor little thing hadn't had a lot of breaks during it. I didn't have anything nice to say, so I didn't comment on the thread but it seemed like a lot of other people were also concerned for the horse.

I had a terrible ride on Vallu last Sunday where we were so close to having an argument about going on the bit in an extended walk, but the moment he gave me one step of what I wanted I ended the ride there and then, instead of riding for 2 hours trying to get him to go perfectly. He then had the following two days off, and on Tuesday before I even got on I had decided that I was going to have a quick, short ride. I wanted walk, trot and canter on both reins and nothing else because I didn't want a repeat of Sunday's ride...

Riding exercise of the month: serpentines and figure of 8s

 I tend to have a main exercise that I focus on every month and for the most of July I've been using serpentines and figure of eights with both boys as the first exercise after my warm ups.  I've found that having some sort of a plan/goal before going riding has been really helpful now that I've been riding on my own and I've not had any lessons for a month as everyone is on holiday! 👍🏻 It's been a great way of checking what mood they're in when they come out for work - if the serpentines go well straight away then I know I can ask for a lot more from them than if I struggle to get them on the bit and flexing correctly on tenth attempt! I've included both serpentines and figure of 8s as 'one' exercise because I think they are quite similar and I've alternated between them or then used both of them.

Happy birthday Basse!

Ahh, happy birthday to my forever baby Fat Unicorn who is 15 today! 🦄💜 He's been mine since he was 4 years old and gaaaahh this has made me a little teary. I'm so blessed to have had this horse in my life for so long - we were never going to be world beaters, but who cares when you have a horse with a heart of gold!

 If you follow me on Instagram or this blog's Facebook page, you'll have seen that on Saturday I had a super ride on Basse. I was really really pleased with him, and like I stated earlier he wouldn't be so happy to be back working properly if he wasn't feeling good. So I think we will just have to crack on with the work once again and try to get him to lose those extra pounds that he has gained recently! 🐷

The problem with Basse...

The problem with Basse is that he is essentially a very lazy horse by nature. He would far rather walk than trot and he would far rather go forwards than sideways... Which is why when we train, I mainly focus on getting very quick reactions out of him from very small aids because like everyone knows, hot horses have to learn to be ridden with the leg on but lazy horses have to be ridden with the leg off! 

Happy Basse

I often write about the fact that I want to give my horses the best and most fun life that they can have. Since we are lucky enough to have the horses at home, we aim to have them out as much as possible and every week I try to engage their brains in different ways so that they don't get bored with their work. Yes they need to focus when we are training (2-3 times a week), but especially with Basse I don't want him to turn sour from work and like it's often said "variety is the spice of life".

Since hacking on the roads is too risky (read as: lethal 💀) here, I like to take the boys to our neighbour's sand track in the middle of their woodland. It's only a short track, but it's bloody hard work with really steep hills that makes them focus on where they are putting their legs! I really love going out for a hack and sometimes I miss going hacking like we used to in England, but it's SO nice not to have to worry about silly car drivers who try to overtake you on a blind corner. Here the biggest thing I have to worry about when hacking in the woods is that I don't fall off when either of the boys decide to have a sneak snack attack when I'm not paying attention and they just suddenly stop and put their head down to eat!

11 years together!

Yesterday my wonderful Fat Unicorn had officially been mine for 11 years! It's amazing how so much time has passed, yet I still feel like we have so much more to achieve together ✨

I have so many beautiful memories with him and so much of my teen years are totally entwined with him that I feel like he has a part of my soul. I really really hope I get another 11 years with him, and even though this is probably unrealistic and won't happen, I still wish for it. I know for some people horses are just something to be sold on and a way to make money but luckily for me they get to stay with us as long as they can and become a part of the family.

Dressage training with Jane Cannon: be more authentic as a rider

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to get two consecutive lessons on Basse with our old trainer Jane who used to teach us for several years before we moved to Finland. We calculated that it must have been nearly 7 years since our last lesson together!! 🇬🇧 I've been very reluctant to take Basse anywhere to find a new trainer for him because I'm so overprotective of him and I don't want to take him to a lesson with anyone who won't understand him, so when Jane came over for a short holiday to visit my parents I jumped at the chance to have a few lessons with Basse with her!

On the first day it was all a bit difficult. Basse's inherently lazy gene came out full force for having to work harder than he's had to for well over a year and this resulted in the funniest temper tantrum where he resembled a giraffe doing tölt/canter because he didn't want to canter like we wanted him to. Once he gave up he was obviously tired because he's not at full fitness level, and then we had to end the lesson soon after that because we didn't want him to get too sour. But before the temper tantrum and before getting too tired he produced some fantastic work that I was really pleased with.

The next day we were both ready to work our best so that the lesson wouldn't be as tough (I was also having lessons on Vallu and felt like death!). It was so nice to get on and realise that Basse was feeling happy and good in himself, I had been worried that he would be too tired. Instead I had a horse who went on the bit as soon as I picked up the reins and also relaxed through his neck straight away! #success

Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful

In my last blog post I mentioned that both boys had recently been feeling a bit blerghy for two weeks and it was making me feel quite bad. I've also had several people ask me about my competition schedule I was also freaking out about needing to go and compete until I realised that I have no rush to get competing until the boys and I feel ready. But then the following day both boys were fantastic! I think this maybe due to the fact I had been worrying so much about this until I wrote it down in the blogpost and having verbalised it, I then felt determined to figure out how to fix it.