Hi everyone,

Its been quite a while since iv done one of my catch up/monthly review blogs so its time for one. To be honest for the last year or so I have felt completely distant from myself and I’ve just not been me. I’ve been happy enough but just lacking something if that makes sense to anyone. But finally I am starting to feel like my old self again ☺

I got a bit wrapped up in life and how adulting makes you move away from what you truly enjoy doing in life, so my horses and riding ended up taking a bit of a back seat. The whole situation I went through has made me realise and learn to priorities what is important to me and of course that is horses ❤

I’m still needing to get back into that routine I was once in with my riding and back to feeling as good as I once did in the saddle but each day is a step in the right direction. My Instagram has also seriously been neglected in this time and I dabble in and out of it as you may have noticed. Not having the content to post made it difficult to really get that engagement and keep it but my time away from it and then returning made me realise why I started it in the first place. Being on there really makes me happy, not just sharing my content but seeing everyone I follow and engaging with them really bring me joy and a sense of community which I really miss if I go off radar for too long!

Lets get into what I have actually been doing, especially with the horses recently. I started pretty slow not putting too much pressure on myself to do loads to start with, it was winter so let face reality we don’t get much of a chance to get out on our horses even if we try. We just did light work and then built it up from there. The arena at home finally got the surface laid, it felt like it took ages to get to that point but it was probably me being impatient. It has made my life so much easier!! Plus we can now jump whenever we want to as I don’t have to worry about ruining the fields 🙈 The arena has been a super exciting moment recently.

Maisie has been out doing some British Dressage to keep her going. We went through a stage of getting pretty poor scores, mostly due to the lack of routine riding I think and not really working on weaknesses. However our last outing in January was a personal best for us and we even got out first BD win!! We have our monthly BD to look forward to and also some riding club dressage that kicks of in April .

Dino has been kept going at home and enjoying doing a variety of work. He has done a couple of jumping session as home and he has been such a good boy! Pole work has also been our best friend when schooling. I’m looking forward to getting him to some shows and lessons again so we can start to move forward a bit. I have re joined the local riding club to get my bum in to gear and do more so there is plenty going on for us to get out to. They have some showing shows coming up which I am looking forward to as I discovered Dino is quite the little show horse, well inhand. Ridden still needs some work as his canter is still a bit rushed and head in the air.

Basil and Millie have just been enjoying retired life and getting a good brush now and then especially with them shedding their winter coats. We have been doing more ground work with the horses to help add variety and work on their core strength and posture which has been something I have really enjoyed doing and I think the horses have to.

I have been putting more focus on my own fitness as I was a little out of shape and just didn’t feel like I had that core strength and stability in the saddle after my break. There are so many good equestrians fitness accounts on Instagram which have really helped me to get inspiration and the exercises I need to hit those target areas. I’ll link them below for you to all check out and give them a follow. I used to lots of extra exercise other than riding a few years ago as it was something I enjoyed doing, I found getting back into a routine with exercises even if it was just a quick 5-10 minutes made me feel a lot better and more like me again. Its quite amazing how it can change how you are feeling mentally.

I’m feeling like I have my mojo back which is the best feeling! I’m starting to Instagram more especially nearly daily outfits on my personal Instagram, which I think I have shared some of these on my stories with my horsey account followers. Here are some of my favourites from the past month.

My equine sports massage business has also had a busy couple of months with new and existing clients from across the areas I cover, which is very rewarding. I have been doing some CPD to keep my hours up including going to the Horses Inside Out Conference in February which was a very interesting and informative day. I was nice to have a couple of days away from home with Mum on a little girl trip. In amongst all of this I have also sponsored a few local shows which has helped to boost interest. I got a lovely message from one of the winners of a points series I sponsored which made my day.

Last years lot of puppies we walked returned back to the kennels in January. They are always a big miss when they leave! It won’t be long till the shows start and I will being seeing them in the show ring along with the boys from the previous year. To help with the lack of puppies I have got myself a new puppy, technically two but one is Mum’s. Its taken we a few days to come up with a name but I finally have chosen Louie.

Hopefully that has given you all a quick update and it won’t be as long to wait for the next one! Please leave blog topics you would like me to cover in the future below, I’m always open to ideas. I also want to get my Instagram engagement back up so would love to know what you guys want to see on there more.

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Equestrian Fitness Accounts:

Karzan Hughes | Equestrian Fitness & Health Coach (@karzanhughes) • Instagram photos and videos

Maeve Sheridan (@activateyourseat) • Instagram photos and videos

Amy | Equestrian Fitness & Nutrition Coach (@amyrose_equifit) • Instagram photos and videos

Haybales & Barbells ™ | Fitness for Equestrians (@haybales.barbells) • Instagram photos and videos

My Links:

Instagram – 🦕Dino the Dinosaur💖 (@jumpingdinosaurs) • Instagram photos and videos

LinkTree, lots of discount links on here! – @jumpingdinosaurs’s link in bio | Instagram and socials | Linktree

My Business – Home | Kaj Equine

Facebook – Jumping Dinosaurs | Facebook