I feel Pringles and I have made some good progress this month. She is feeling so much stronger through her back and she is coping well with the increased workload. 

We are having weekly flat lessons with my dressage coach where we have been working really hard to get Pringles straight (this sounds so easy but can be a real challenge for so many horses – especially those transitioning to life off the track!). The lateral work and being able to move her flexion around have really been helping with our straightness.

At home, we have continued to hack out both by ourselves and with the company of other horses which is great and we have been continuing on with our pole work. I have started to incorporate canter bounce poles as well as walk and trot poles.

We went to our first jump club. This was in a new environment for Pringles and she was extremely overwhelmed to start with, however, I was very proud that our training was able to override her anxiety and we were able to trot around a course of poles. To me, this was a very big deal and I was very proud of her and happy our training was paying off.

I had plans of getting her out to a lot more things this month however I have been quite a time poor with trying to run my own business and also be around for my young kids and husband. I am certainly not the only person in this boat and I am trying not to put pressure on myself or Pringles to be out and about too soon. We are happy chipping away at our own pace at the moment and I feel we are building a great partnership because of this.

I have been really happy with the transition from Seedhouse Build to Hygain Micrspeed for Pringles. It hasn’t affected her behaviour and her coat and condition look fantastic. I made sure I transitioned her slowly to the new feed over 2-3 weeks to try to prevent any reactions.

Pringles is changing shape, so I had another saddle fit to check how her saddles fit.  These only needed minor adjustments but this is something I want to check regularly to make sure the saddle isn’t affecting her way of moving or causing any discomfort.

We are still continuing with bodywork.  This month when she was checked by the chiropractor he could not find anything that needed to be worked on, which shows me that her body is feeling stronger! We are continuing with her regular Emmett therapy and PEMF for her muscles as well as a physio appointment for both myself and Pringles. My own bodywork is something that I have started in the last 12 months or so. However, I should have started it years ago! I am very crooked and if I am sitting crooked on the horse I certainly am not giving them the best opportunity to work to their full potential. So this is something that I would definitely recommend to other riders too.

As Pringles is feeling much stronger in her flat work, next month I am hoping to be able to add more jumping into her training and also continue to get her out to different environments when possible.