{"id":2177725,"date":"2021-10-12T10:56:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T09:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forelockandload.com\/?p=2177725"},"modified":"2024-03-13T14:13:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T14:13:58","slug":"its-a-balancing-act-the-ups-and-downs-of-managing-horses-and-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/its-a-balancing-act-the-ups-and-downs-of-managing-horses-and-life\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a balancing act\u2026 the ups and downs of managing horses and life!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This month our Essex based event rider Sophie Hyde talks about the ups and downs of managing horses and life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think it is fair to say that things never go to plan with my life.  After my Dad\u2019s operation his one remaining kidney has been failing, so my focus has remained on family. It\u2019s been a balancing act to manage caring for family, horses and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, horses still need work and I have some news to share. In March I bought a young horse from Ireland (unseen). This is always a gamble, and things didn\u2019t quite work out as planned so he went away for a few months to Ruth Hole, based in Suffolk, to re break.  He came home recently a very different horse, and I can highly recommend Ruth if you need your horse breaking in, re schooled or just a bit of boot camp!  I have been taking Cass to lots of different venues to continue his education and even managed our first British Novice at Codham with a really pleasing double clear.  I will continue show jumping Cass and may enter a dressage competition and wobble our way round but I won\u2019t start eventing him until next season now as he is very green and confidence is key for him and I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Out training with my Mum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am someone who firmly believes in listening to your horses and Pebbles hasn\u2019t been happy in the Amerigo saddle that I bought her. Ruth tired it on Cass and he really likes is so Pebbles has gone back into her original Prestige X-Breathe.  Pebbles is now sound and is enjoying life, had her first jump lesson since December and was feeling well.  I am hoping to take her to Codham shortly… although I won\u2019t be telling her that as she will immediately find a medical issue why she can\u2019t possibly go! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also attended a dressage clinic with Sarah Turner recently at Writtle College and had a real light bulb moment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pebbles and I have always struggled with being straight and Sarah set us an invaluable exercise of riding a diamond in walk, trot and canter, rather than a circle.  It really highlighted how Pebbles bulges through her outside shoulder on the right rein and then leans in on the left rein.  By the end of the session the difference in Pebbles was apparent and her trot suddenly looked vaguely dressage like.  I am heading back to see Sarah with both Cass and Pebbles towards the end of September and will update you on further lightbulb moments!<\/p>\n\n\n

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My lovely Pebbles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Oso has been taking a back seat, but I think he still looks amazing considering he hasn\u2019t been in any serious work for 2 years now. He still always makes me smile.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gorgeous Sonny<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

My sad news to report was the loss of Sonny in a freak field accident. The yard has been a quieter place without him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had a ball at Borde Hill 90, finishing 5th, and then Little Downham 100, finishing 10th and I was so excited for our future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For such large creatures, horses are seemingly very fragile, and it is so hard to keep them sound and happy as well as maintaining their fitness to compete.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the tough part of owning horses, and it never gets any easier to experience the loss of a horse. I hope that this will be the end of run of bad luck we have had, but for now my family are so important too, a balancing act for sure!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This month our Essex based event rider Sophie Hyde talks about the ups and downs of managing horses and life!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":2200348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[45,166,106,61,170,171,63,141,57,119,115,157],"class_list":{"0":"post-2177725","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-equestrian","8":"tag-british-eventing","9":"tag-british-showjumping","10":"tag-equestrian","11":"tag-equine","12":"tag-eventer","13":"tag-eventers","14":"tag-horse","15":"tag-horse-riders","16":"tag-horse-riding","17":"tag-horse-trials","18":"tag-showjumping","19":"tag-suffolk-equestrian"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2021\/10\/Sophie-H12.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"nikkigoldup","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/author\/nikkigoldup\/"},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t