Grace & Skip

Grace & Skip

Hi! My name is Grace, Im 20 years old and I’m from NE Scotland.

I can’t believe I have been chosen as a Honeychop star! What amazing prizes I have won and I am so grateful for the companies support and confidence in me. I cannot wait to be modelling our goodies and representing the brand! Check in with me next month for some pics!

Grace & Skip Selfie

I have been riding for about 10 years now, I learned the basics at my local riding school and then progressed on to privately owned horses and eventually after loaning a horse from a friend who later was returned to her, I bought my first horse. In 2013 I unfortunately suffered from two serious riding accidents, one resulting in a broken pelvis and the other multiple broken ribs and a serious head injury. This led to a period in my life where there were no horses, I couldn’t even look at my beloved horse for some time and I made the decision to sell up and have a break from riding. After a few months with a substantial void in my life, I was offered the opportunity to take a friends horse on long term loan as she moved to pastures new. I got my mojo back, managed to persuade my parents that this was a good
decision, the right decision, and I got prepared to start a fresh! I had sold all of my “horsey gear” so it really was starting a fresh in more aspects than one! I bought all the bits and bobs and went in search of a yard for us to move to. It didn’t take much consideration, the yard I chose is an old farm, not far from my house or from the city centre, we have indoor stables, outdoor stables, wonderful hacking along an old railway line and an indoor school, not only that but the yard has the best bunch of liveries! Everyone is so helpful and we all have a great laugh together having yearly BBQ’s and in house shows.

So now we introduce you to Skip, Sunday name Touchstone Skipnish, I’ve had him for just over a year now. Skip is a 16.1hh dapple grey, irish draught out of Blackthorn. Skip is 10 years old but very green in his ridden career having not done much more than hack before coming to live with me. So he has only really been in continuous work for the last 14 months. Skip is the sweetest giant pony ever, he has such a huge personality and he just wants to be friends with everyone and anyone!! Skip took a long time to settle at the new yard, he had spent such a huge portion of his life in the same herd and at the same yard, so I gave him plenty of time to relax, settle and get to know the new herd and the new yard a bit better. Having been there over a year now, Skip is now super settled and couldn’t be any more comfortable in his home.

We compete locally at riding club level, currently sitting at prelim level dressage and 90cm showjumping. I would love to continue to progress with Skip in these phases and up through the levels, however staying safe and having a trusting and happy partnership is the most important thing for me!

Grace & Skip at Blair Castle

This year we have been out at a variety of events including a riding club camp, a couple of jumping derbys, dressage, showjumping, BRC areas, combined training, and riding club gymkhana type shows, all of which Skip took completely in his stride and we have had great fun at them all bringing home a great collation of gorgeous rosettes and prizes! Only a few more outings to go and then the year will be over!
Most recently we have returned home from a trip to Blair Castle Horse Trials and Country Fair where we competed in the Fingask Castle BHS Style Jumping. I had never ridden at an event this big before and Skip had most certainly never been anywhere close to being at an event this big. Everything was made 10 times more exciting and nerve-wracking by the fact that Blair were hosting the European Eventing Championships while we were there. It was both testing and great fun for the both of us but I am absolutely delighted with how Skip took everything in his stride.

Grace & Skip at Blair Castle

We jumped with just the one pole falling and I was chuffed to bits with how Skip didn’t bat an eyelid at the hundreds of tents, spectators, flags and all of the other things that could have been super scary for him!! It is definitely my biggest achievement to date. Next on the agenda we anticipate to attend the Saddle Up International Area 22 championships where we will compete in Riding Test, Dressage, Showjumping and Style Jumping. Being in October…. I really hope we don’t get rained off! …but being Scotland, you never know…we might even get snow!

Until next time…. Grace and Skip x