Delighted to be writing that Super Nova & I had a fantastic run in the Intermediate at Tweseldown International! It was Nova’s first run at the level, and my first run at that level since my accident in 2018.
I have produced Nova from a green 4 year old and have seen her grow in confidence hugely over the last 4 years. She consistently puts 100% of her efforts into doing her best for our partnership, and I get a great feeling knowing that she is giving her all.
Our journey is incredibly special, our bond is exceptional and whilst we both look incredibly competitive in public we are best friends. We know each other inside out and upside down, we keep learning and our performance at Tweseldown and our recent British Dressage wins when we passed the 75% mark certainly makes the future look exciting!
6 months of our 4 year journey was spent without me able to ride after suffering severe traumatic brain injury at Little Downham on another horse in 2018. Last week (1st June) marked 3 years since my fall. I left hospital after a month, feeling physically and emotionally broken. I stayed local to the hospital with my grandparents for another month really struggling to get back on track and motivated to get started on a long road to recovery. Going home to Nova’s smiley personality in August immediately gave me the lift that I needed to keep fighting. I woke up everyday knowing that I had something to work for, something to improve for and more importantly something to enjoy. 2 months at home and I had changed from thinking negatively the whole time, struggling to get up and maintain any form of activity, to long-reining, lunging and running with the horses on the road whilst my clients continued to support me with coaching business. June to September and my mindset had changed, things were still difficult but I returned to my Business Economics degree at Exeter and proved to myself that hard work does pay-off as I earnt 85% in my first assessment (Policy Issues in Global Economy). I was set after that, I had proved to the doctors that I could get back to university without taking a year out!
I share my story because it proves that if you loose your way in life for any reason it is possible to get back on track. This self-perpetuating cycle relit my passionate and motivated personality. I do spend time looking back at my journey and remember how lucky I have been. Support from family, friends and sponsors enabled me to work towards goals and feel proud of the progress and achievements along the way, however big or small.
Another reason I like to share my journey is because we all have a personal journey with personal factors that influence how we feel. It is important to remember we are all individual and have our individual strengths, although progress requires us to acknowledge our weaknesses, it is important to make the most of our strengths and not let our weaknesses define us. Yes, be competitive and have the desire to win, but strive for personal progress, be patient and fair to yourself.
Thank you Nova and everyone who has joined me along the way 💚
New videos on YouTube:
Super Nova British Dressage Wins – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=maJo6aWno7c
Tweseldown International Intermediate – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YJQV5B1kZNo
Greenhays Blueberry – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ss4tQP5cN2M
Greenhays Elegant Mail – https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6kAmZTgLLCc
