Vicky Smith joins the Newsletter team

We are lucky enough to sponsor some great equestrians who compete and train all over the country. And we are pleased to introduce our latest columnist, Vicky Smith.

Hello! For those that don’t know me I’m a 30 something from Cheshire who currently has 16 horses and a Shetland. I’m lucky to have the horses here at our farm where I live with my partner Alan, three Great Danes and two sausage dogs. Life is never dull!

Mainly, I compete show horses but I have the odd event horse and a passion for producing youngsters for any discipline. Prior to being a full-time rider, I was a secondary school PE teacher, so I understand the obstacles of juggling a job and your equine friends.

I look forward to sharing my journey and the trials and tribulations of being a professional rider throughout the year.

At the moment, we are preparing the horses for the season ahead. This time of year seems to involve lots of bucking and squealing and horses charging around the muddy fields while I have my head in my hands shouting “please be careful.”

This year has proven tricky as we have had more grass than ever before. Our little Shetland showed very mild signs of laminitis on Christmas Day and I urge you all to keep an eye on your four legged friends. Particularly if you have any horses that are prone to getting fat or enjoy the grass.

It’s easy to keep horses on the same ration all year round but remember to consider different feeding options and think about things like the sugar content of the grass. You can always drop into your local Mole Valley Farmers store to talk to staff about feeding options.

The winter can be long and often weather halts your training plans making it seem like you aren’t making much progress with your horse. Normally, we don’t start competing at shows until March, but we spend lots of time taking the horses out and about to unaffiliated competitions, farm rides and other arenas to get them used to new surroundings.

It’s a great way to get to know how young horses travel, react away from home and behave in a non-pressured situation. Going to your first competition of the season can be stressful so it’s always good to have a stress-free practice run.

If you have a day where you can’t ride you can spend time checking your trailer or lorry before you start heading out and about. If they have been parked up all winter, it can cause problems when you're about to load up and go. I make sure my breakdown insurance covers transport for the horses if I get stuck at the roadside. It may be worth adding some assistance if you can.

Whatever your plans for you and your four legged friend this summer I hope you enjoy yourselves and I look forward to sharing my journey with you all.

Until next month...