Friday 2 March 2018

Calming Balancer- The perfect mix!




I was very excited when Blue Chip told me they were bring out a Calming Balancer, I definitely had a horse who could benefit from some calming...

Since feeding the Calming balancer I have noticed an improvement in Finn's results...
I tend to gradually start introducing the balancer in the days leading up to a show. This means there are no sudden dietary changes and it also influences the horses mood when travelling and adjusting to the competition environment.Finding the right diet for your horse is so important and its amazing how adding something new in the right quantity can make such a difference!

Finn feels more relaxed and rideable which allows him to produce the work he is capable of.
From my experience if your horse is wound up before you get on, it is often to late to get them to truly relax, you have to do everything you can to stop them from getting stressed in the first place.
We tend to do things like allow turn out in the field the day we travel to a show, which can help keep stressing and excitement about leaving the yard to a minimum.

When competing at a Premier League show we tend to go away for about three days so we also try and incorporate some hacking in this time if the venue allows, and if not, we walk the horses in hand.




The calming balancer consists of ingredients such as magnesium and chamomile, which have proven calming effects. the primary reason for combining a calmer and a feed balancer is that stress and digestion have a very close relationship; stress can cause digestive issues, and digestive issues can cause stress.

The probiotics in the balancer restore the natural balance of the gut flora and help to maintain the natural well- being of the digestive system.

watch our video HERE..

Inspiring times!






Mid February I drove down to Hartpury College for a Young Professionals Programme training day. We had the privilege of the Gold medal winning Olympian Helen Richardson-Walsh come and talk to us...
Helen talked about her road to the Rio Olympics and what she believe gave her and her team the gold medal advantage.

She believed it was her teams Culture. By this I mean their values, behaviours, morals, awareness of themselves/others and the appreciation of difference within the team.

Helen spoke about the ‘vision’ which they lived by,
“Be the difference, create history, Inspire the future”. This vision is bigger than an Olympic gold or the individual athletes, it is about inspiring the next generation, the ultimate dream.

The reality of life for Helen was tough.. There was a lot of pain from training, constantly being assessed and competing against other top athletes who she had close personal relationships with. It was the uncertainty and challenge that made having a clear set of values and morals all the more important, to keep driven and motivated every day.



As a team they had a set of values and from these they created a written statement.

“Respect differences, Listen, Got your Back, Belong now and Forever, Connection, Communication, Stamp out fires Early, Strength, one Team.”

Helen and her team lived by these words everyday which put in place the behaviours that eventually became habits. This allowed for them to be the same team under pressure, even at the Olympics. This is what Helen believed allowed them to Win Gold at the Rio Olympics. Thank you for coming Helen!




Overall February has been a productive and inspiring month-I am very thankful to the organisations that allow me to continue to progress and grow. Physical training can be really tough in these Winter months as it can sometimes feel like you are not moving forward but really it just highlights even more how important mindset is, to overcome such challenges and find the best way forward!





Expectations Exceeded....



This month has been very educational.... what with snow and horrendous weather riding at the moment has been feeling at times less like training and more like survival mode! The weather has not stopped everything though! I have been extremely busy teaching clinics at some fantastic venues, going to training days and travelling down to Hartpury for the Young Professionals Programme.




We have had a few weeks of decent weather, luckily Judy Harvey brought some sunshine for my most recent training session! Merri was a total star! Watch a very short snippet of video from our session HERE
We have booked another session for March in already so fingers crossed the snow clears soon so we can get practicing!

Through the Pony Club I was invited to attend a CPD day at Bury Farm. Initially I was a little concerned about sitting in the big cold indoor school all day but my expectations were definitely exceeded. 



We whizzed around all morning listening to fantastic talks! Our first talk of the day was from Charlie Unwin a sports physiologist, who has coached five different olympic disciplines and has a particular interest in accelerated learning. An inspiring start to the day! 

We then went and found Russell Guire from Centaur Biomechanics in another class room, we talked about tack and some interesting new discoveries that Russell has experienced during his gait analysis controlled experiments. 
The day was very interesting, I picked up a few tips and new information and also had a chance to chat with Neue Sheule about bitting! Hopefully my horses will appreciate some change with regards to bits in the next few months.