SPONSORED RIDERS BLOG
SHOWJUMPER , YOUNG HORSE PRODUCER , COACH AND BREEDER ...
Steph Gumn
Well , what a crazy month ! So much has happened that I don ' t know where to start .
I was shortlisted to the final 20 in the 2021 Spillers Ambassador Search , which in itself was a huge achievement . I never expected to get that far , and then I had the pressure of making a video to explain why I deserved one of the top 10 places ! I ' m not very good at videos , nor am I very good at bigging myself up ! Besides me looking a little awkward , my video turned out okay , and I was over the moon to be in the top 10 ! Not only do I get top feed advice , but I also get a training and breeding mentor to help me develop my business . This is an opportunity that I am very grateful to have , and I think it ' s going to give me some skills and insights that I can use for years to come . I am really looking forward to working with Spillers this year .
I have just moved out of my family home following the death of my mother last year . Whilst it is sad , I am also looking forward to change and some closure , even if I am homeless for a week or so between the two properties being ready ! I think of it as an adventure . For this reason , I was trying to be sensible . However , that failed when I bought myself another stallion to add to my team . I saw Nerokan ( Nero ) on Facebook , although I do know him a little bit already . He has both direct parents being 1.60m performers , and the sire is my favourite stallion , Cicero ! I am really excited to start working with Nero alongside Cupid Z ( Pig ). Pig has been going well ; he ' s jumped his first course under saddle and will be ready to hire when the world returns normal .
Cupid had an abscess earlier this month , so he ' s been mostly hacking , but I can see a big difference in him for it , and I do believe that quiet weeks are more beneficial to a horses development than the busy ones . Pig is 6 months ahead of Nero in his education , so he will be more likely to attend shows this summer ; Nero will likely be ready at the end of the year . I don ' t believe in rushing horses , more so as these two are my long term team members .
The stud side of the business is slowly taking shape , I ' m hoping to get half a season out of the stallions . My mares are getting closer to foaling , with the first only being five weeks away ! I can ' t wait to see what comes out , even if I can ' t get too attached , as the plan is to sell both foals this year to develop my program further down the line . Roll on the next few months ; I ' m really excited to see what all my horses have to give .
Keep safe , Steph x
DRESSAGE RIDER
Donna Harrison
Dancing Shoes & The Big Move
As I sit here writing this month ' s blog , I feel both apprehensive and optimistic about what the next month will bring regarding the coronavirus pandemic . I ' m apprehensive as we don ' t know what this new norm will be like , but optimistic about starting my lessons again and even having the chance to get back out to compete . I can ' t remember the last time I wore a pair of white breeches .
Graces First Set Of Shoes
March saw Grace get her first set of shoes . It has been on my mind for a while , but with her being eight years old and never having anything other than a regular trim , I didn ' t know how she would react .
She has had the same farrier ( Luke Turner ) since birth , so I was absolutely confident as , like me , she trusts him completely , which helped put my mind at rest .
On the day that she was booked in , I was running late getting to the yard due to a late shopping delivery . I made Luke aware and informed him that my mum was at the yard to help until I got there .
On my arrival , I found that mum was in Candy ' s stable and Luke was in another stable with Grace , no headcollar on with the first shoe being nailed into place ; why on earth did I bother worrying at all ? He proceeded to tell me that she was super calm , so he just made a start .
She stood like an angel for the first three shoes but then seemed to get bored and
12 • EVERYTHING HORSE MAGAZINE : APRIL 2021