Sam: Feeling Inspired!

Sam, Hollie & Teresa at Tim’s Yard

Sam & Ollie with their branded clothing

This month we were super lucky to get to attend a day at international showjumper Tim Page’s yard, which was very informative and I was eager to get back and try some of the exercises that we were shown, I also had a lot of tips on a more professional approach to running my yard. I really enjoyed my day and especially watching Tim and Alicia jump their horses as watching the professionals is where I feel that I’m most inspired to get to the top myself. I would like to say a massive thank you to the Honeychop staff for organising and for Tim and Alicia for their hospitality and making us feel welcome and realising that with hard work we can achieve our dreams. I had a fab day catching up with the rest of the Honeychop Stars and putting faces to names and chatting about how we found the first exercise we had from Tim and how it helped our horses.

With regards to my PTT progress, I have started work on my portfolio and am gathering my stuff together to complete that and look to do my PTT in January. I have begun my training towards it starting off by shadowing my trainer to gain experience of being in the ring and getting tips and exercises that I can use in my lesson plans. I have also been teaching some of the liveries at home including my mother, aunty and friends.

Recently we have been doing the Towy Valley training every Wednesday which is when I take Ollie or Ruby to an indoor school to have a jumping lesson with my trainer. We are working on the technical side of showjumping using grids and short courses.

Ollie with his 6th place in the 3’0

Sam & Ruby with her well deserved 3rd

I also went to the Towy Valley Halloween show with both my horses Ollie and Ruby, where both did really well. I took Ruby in the 2’6″ where she got a well deserved 3rd in a massive class, then she went on to do the 2’9″ and had a really unlucky pole in the jumpoff. Ollie was amazing and felt a lot more confident taking me into all the fences, he was a little too keen and had a pole in the jumpoff for 2’9″ and took home a 6th in the 3’0″. As time ran on I finished Ollie on a good note and took them both home.

Ruby jumped really well in the Towy Valley show on the 31st giving us a good weekend before the areas on the 8th of November. We are competing in a team of four in the novice for Towy Valley Riding club but we also have a few other teams in the novice and a couple of teams in the intermediate.

I have also re-registered Ollie BSJA and plan to register Ruby in 2016, as she has completed her first BSJA in Moor Farm and just had a pole in the British Novice, and a double clear in the Discovery.

Ollie has a BSJA competition on the 7th of November and I’m just looking to go and get my double clears at British Novice and Discovery. Hopefully we can continue our confident forward rounds which helps him and stops him ballooning the fences.

Honeychop leaflets & Welsh Rider Magazines

Chester will be coming back into proper work after Christmas and I can’t wait to get started on hopefully getting back out on him and maybe getting back into some BE.

Sam & Ollie practicing Tim’s exercise

I also received my first tip from Tim, which  was four jumps on a circle. The first time I tried it I found Ollie was drifting in and out of rhythm and over jumping the fences making it harder to get to the next fence on a nice, rhythmical three strides. I think this exercise benefited Ollie as it gave him and me a lot of confidence as we both felt very accomplished once we had got it.

It was difficult but got easier with practice and really does help! Have a look at my YouTube video and make sure you have a go yourself

I can’t wait to get started on the next tip that he has given me!

I’m still really happy about getting this opportunity to write these blogs and get a write up in the Welsh Rider Magazine and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year and next year bring!