Totally Amateur Eventing

Today marks World Mental Health Day, which is all about raising awareness of mental health issues and helping to break down the stigma that still exists. I strongly believe that you need to pay as much attention to your mental wellbeing as to your physical wellbeing, and I think everyone in the equestrian community has a part to play in progressing the conversation around mental health and letting people know that it’s ok not to be ok.

This post will be illustrated by images from Charlie Mackesy’s Instagram account, because I think his drawings always sum everything up perfectly.

Continue reading “It’s ok not to be ok.” →

So Burghley is over for another year. The final day of show jumping saw Pippa Funnell claim the title in a nail-biting finish that could have seen any of the top three take it. You couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic end: less than four faults between British big names Pippa Funnell, Piggy French and Oliver Townend. They all piled the pressure on each other by all having a fence down, but Pippa kept her cool and finished 0.1 penalties in front of Piggy. You could see how much it meant to her to win, 16 years after she last won the event, and it was so moving to see the obvious friendship and support between Pippa and Piggy, who are both such positive female role models for the sport.

Continue reading “Burghley 2019: Cross Country Chaos or a Five Star Masterclass?” →

This summer has flown by quicker than a Chris Burton cross country round, and somehow it’s Burghley time already. HOW is that possible.

I love Burghley, and I’m really excited to head down for cross country day on Saturday. I’ve got my shopping list sorted (sorry in advance, bank balance) and I can’t wait to follow some of my favourite Eventers round the course – the penultimate one to be designed by Captain Mark Phillips.

As per usual, I’ve been browsing the entry list to get a head start on who I’ll be looking out for on the day. You might remember I did this previously for Badminton, where I picked out some of my favourites including Tim and Jonelle Price, Gemma Tattersall and Ben Hobday. So this time, I’ve thrown a few extra names into the mix:

Continue reading “My Burghley 2019 watchlist” →

On Sunday 19th May, I headed to Rockingham International Horse Trials. I’d gone with the intention of supporting my friend Jo and her horse Jack in the Riding Clubs Showjumping competition, and I’ll be honest – I didn’t really know anything about the rest of the Rockingham event before I went. But when Jo ended up getting a riding time of 9am (typical!), it meant I had the whole rest of the day to hang around and check out the rest of the show – and I’m so glad I did.

Continue reading “Five reasons why Rockingham *might* be my new Badminton…” →

Badminton Horse Trials 2019 officially kicks off today, with the first day of the dressage. I love heading down for cross country day and think it’s a fantastic day out, but I’ll just be watching from the comfort of my sofa this year. They say you get a better view of all the action that way, right? But even though I won’t be going, I’m still really excited to follow the whole competition. I’ve compiled a list of the top Eventers that I’ll have my eye on over the weekend, and particularly on cross country day.

Continue reading “My Ones to Watch at Badminton 2019” →