Equestrian Life
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Packing for Two Weeks in Mongolia
Packing for Travel to Mongolia is a bit intimidating, especially when attending a 480km endurance horse race with the Gobi Desert Cup. The quiet encompasses me like a blanket, comforting in its embrace. Here, I will have no internet, no connection to the outside world I’ve relied on so long. Instead, I have the stars shining brightly above me, beckoning me with their winking glow. In the distance, a wolf howls, while the Mongolian horses wander off in search of grass. There has been a massive drought and food is scarce. But the people are welcoming and invite us to share in their culture and their hospitality. …
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The Proof is in the Pony
Having a pony after so many years is amazing. It’s better than I ever imagined. Having a pony like Ferrous? Priceless. I know it’s easy to take for granted things in life. Having a horse is not one of them for me. I can’t imagine after 40 years of dreaming of having my own horse, that I will ever take it for granted. My dreams came true. I rode Ferrous, a lesson pony at Lancaster Equestrian Stables, for perhaps two or three months prior to buying him. He was an adjustment after two years spent with the deliciously athletic Delight, whom I love. Delight and I were at an…
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Enzymes: A Natural Alternative to Antibiotics
We all know that fragile, delicate horse. You know the one that unerringly finds the solitary rusted nail along the fence line of a paddock? Or the horse that has no idea how big he is, and cuts his stifle on something he passes by every day? My pony is not accident prone. Quite the opposite, in fact, Ferrous is meticulous. So I was surprised to see a cut on his leg when I went to tack him the other day. It didn’t appear to be deep, but it had scraped off all the hair and left a wound behind. Ferrous’s first injury since I bought him in January.…
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How to Check For Hydration In Your Horse
It’s extremely important to know when your horse may be dehydrated and how to prevent dehydration. In the summer heat, dehydration can become fatal if left untreated and cause your horse to feel very uncomfortable. If your horse competes or is a working horse, dehydration can also decrease your horse’s performance. Heat waves are fairly uncommon in the UK, however when they do arise horse owners need to be very cautious and take extra care in making sure their horses stay cool and hydrated at all times. If you don’t check for dehydration your horse can become seriously ill. Dehydration can lead to health issues such as colic, rhabdomyolysis…
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What Would You Confess?
Those of you who are familiar with me, know that I’m frank and honest, especially when it comes to my self-doubt and anxiety. Meeting me in person, you would never know that I struggle from time to time with confidence issues. Of course, that all blew up when I published Confessions of a Timid Rider and it became an Amazon Bestseller! (Shameless plug). But here is the thing…in life I have a lot of confidence, until I don’t. Meeting me at an event or elsewhere I am friendly, positive, and sometimes a little too high energy (aka manic). The latter is because I’m probably nervous and talk…
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Dog Days Return to Red Bank
On Monday, June 25, 2018 the dogs took over Red Bank in the long-awaited return of Red Bank Dog Days. The perfect summer evening in Marine Park rang out with the sound of playful yips and was the sight of dogs big and small touring pet-friendly vendors and meeting new friends. This was my first event since my partnership dissolved, and the first time my new banner went up! Luckily I had a little help from my daughters who came with me to keep me organized and see some dogs. Unfortunately, one of my daughters became quite sick during set up and had to be taken to the…
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The Do’s and Don’ts of Photographing Your Horse
We’ve all been there. Your horse is the cutest horse in the whole wide world and your phone is filled to the brim with photographs of your special equine. But set yourself up for success and follow my basic (and yet often overlooked) do’s and don’ts of getting great photographs. Because I’m brutally honest I will focus on the do not’s because I did every single one of them today. {Insert head smack here.} My favorite equine photographs are candid, not posed. This is a lot more organic and tends to tell the true story of a horse and rider’s personality. In those circumstances, the rider interacts and wrangles their…
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Introducing The Timid Rider
Welcome to the new home of Bridle & Bone, now known as The Timid Rider! Many of you may ask why the rebrand? There were a lot of reasons. Bridle & Bone began as a blog for my partnership, Bridle & Bone Wellness, to address questions and concerns from our animal massage clients. Sadly that partnership ended earlier this year and I began working independently under my own name. So the question remained whether to keep the blog name or not. After some intense deliberation, a consultation with my lawyer, and the misspelling and mispronunciation of my blog name at the recent BlogPaws conference I decided a rebrand…
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Saddle Fitting- Is It Important?
We’ve all read and seen articles and videos on saddle fitting and its importance. But what do you really know about it? When I was training for the BHS exams I did a small bit on saddle fitting and would always remember the basics. I also went to an interesting demo on it by Alan Ward of Saoirse Saddlery. So I know a bit (emphasis on the bit though). It can be extremely complicated and it is getting more technologically advanced. Types of Saddles Let’s talk about saddles. There are various different saddles out there, but here are the ones you’ll see most (bar Western, which I know…
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The Gobi Desert Cup
Imagine my surprise that I’m attending a 300-mile endurance horse race in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia! You read that correctly. The Gobi Desert Cup is being held August 22-31st in Mongolia and will include riders from all over the world in this life-changing and immersive cultural experience. I’ll clarify something for all my readers who are going, wait…what? I am not trained for endurance riding and with less than two months before the challenge, I doubt I would be ready. Instead, I’m attending as the Media Contact for this race! I’ll still experience the nomadic culture of the Mongols but as the writer/ photographer and social media guru. Endurance Riding Endurance…
