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Whilst the country is in lock down, and we're all scratching our heads as to how best to fill our time at home, we thought we'd pull together some of the great resources we've seen popping up over the past few weeks online. There's some great ideas for training with your horse, self-development, or simply having a laugh!
We'll keep adding new ideas here, but here's some to get you started...
1. Join the Facebook Group: Equestrian Pole Work Inspiration And Exercises 🐴
A great resource where you'll find plenty of pole work ideas collated from across Facebook to get stuck into at home - why not challenge your friends and share your videos!
Or, try out our 8 Poles, 10 Exercises challenge with Louise Robson - you'll find all the exercises here >
2. Virtual Training
Riders like Georgie Spence are offering their services to help you keep up your training from home - be ready for when the competition season resumes!
All you need is your horse, access to a video camera / phone - and somebody to film for you. They'll review your video and come back to you with their assessment, areas to work on and exercises to help your development.
Find out more about Georgie's 'at home' training package here - as a special introduction, Georgie is offering 30% off Video Training lessons for 1 week!!
Originally £25, NOW - £17.50 until 5th April 2020!
...Or get in touch with your favourite trainer to see if they're offering a similar service.
3. Learn new lunging or long-lining exercises
If you're keeping all feet firmly on the ground, why not get to grips with some new exercises to vary your horse's routine - you'll find plenty of inspiration can follow on YouTube.
We're big fans of Hackett Equine's videos as they're really easy to follow. Here's one to get you started, but you'll find plenty more on their YouTube Channel or Facebook Page too...
4. Horse-Events Virtual
Online events and Challenges for when you are at home mounted & unmounted.
These are fun events to help keep the equestrian community engaged and motivated through these difficult times.
Individual and team challenges to take part in no matter where you are or what level you are at.
Special Prizes include Best Pony Club Member, Best riding Club member, Best yard Video and most creative Video.
Take Part, Video, Edit, Upload and Enter online at www.horse-events.co.uk/events/virtual
5. Up-skill and improve your knowledge with some online training
Here's just some of the great courses we've come across:
Rhea Freeman's Social Supercharge - Online Social Media Course for Riders
Whether you’re a keen amateur rider looking to grow your online following to attract brand ambassadorships, sponsorships and get more engagement on your content, or you’re a professional rider looking to do all of this and potentially attract owners, this is a great course for you. Find out more here >
'Win the Mind Game' from Centre 10 Psychology -
A brand new 12-week online course designed for riders. It is created and personally delivered by industry experts Charlie Unwin and Sarah Huntley, and open to any level of rider. The programme is designed to give you a broad grounding in applied performance psychology. It will leave you feeling confident to integrate the fundamentals of mental training into your riding, which will transform the way you ride - both at home and in competition. As the only online course of its kind, it is also ideal for riders based outside of the UK.
And they're currently offering a 15% discount on the course price. Find out more here >
NKC Equestrian Training - Horse First Aid Course
In light of the current situation, the team at NKC have put together a ‘virtual’ version of their popular course. What if you knew exactly when to call the vet, and what conditions you could cope with on your own? You could avoid unnecessary vets bills and make better decisions for your horse. You will learn when to call the vet and what to do before the vet arrives. You’ll also learn how to cope with equine emergencies and how to improve bio-security. The course will be delivered by FEI vet Kate Granshaw from Lingfield Equine Vets via an easy to use video link. Find out more here >
6. Catch up on some great TV moments...
Whether it's getting your competition fix by watching old re-runs, or an excuse to watch Black Beauty just one more time, here's some useful links...
Horse & Country TV - horseandcountry.tv/
Stream the best equestrian sport action, entertainment, masterclasses and documentaries on your TV, mobile and tablet. Don't forget their new Training with Pippa Funnell launched last week - which you'll find here: horseandcountry.tv/training-with-pippa-funnell/
FEI TV - tv.fei.org/home
From the FEI Dressage World Cup to the Longines Jumping Nations Cup in Abu Dhabi - you'll find hourse of coverage available to stream for subscribers. Or you can catch some highlights on their YouTube Channel here >
.... And in our opinion, these are the must watch horse-films...
Black Beauty, Seabiscuit, The Horse Whisperer, The Secretariat, National & International Velvet, War Horse, Brokeback Mountain (?!)
7. Immerse yourself in a podcast...
The perfect company when you're mucking out or walking the dog. Just some of our favourites...
Equiratings Eventing Podcast - The loveable team of Diam Byrne, event rider Sam Watson, Nicole Brown and their plethora of top guests bring you on a weekly, data-fuelled journey through the world of eventing.
The Pony Podcast - The brainchild of two hardcore Pony Club cheerleaders who decided there needed to be a better way to learn Horse and Pony Care facts for their efficiency tests!
Or if you fancy something non-horsey, we're big fans of Desert Island Disks!
8. Perfect your competition prep!
Always wished you could plait a bit faster, or perfect your quarter marks? Now's the time to practice - it'll payback once the competition season resumes! You'll find lots of great hints and tips online with tutorials to follow - from pages like Baxter Equine Services and Supreme products.
9. Improve your position from the comfort of your home!
Focus on ways to improve your core - a must for all horse riders to improve overall stability in the saddle. There's plenty of virtual equestrian specific Pilates classes popping up - and of course there's YouTube!
Why not follow some new Facebook pages like Rider Elite Physiotheraphy, to prompt you when you're scrolling through your Newsfeed! Not only do they share some great exercises on their Facebook page which you can practice in your own time, but they also run virtual online classes too. Find out more about their sessions here >
10. Catch up with your favourite equestrian vloggers...
Always loved following their Instagram but not had a chance to watch the vlogs? Now's the perfect excuse for a YouTube binge session!
Here's a few of our favourites to get you started....
And if all else fails, there's always those jobs you just never got round to doing...
Taking apart your tack and giving it a really good clean!
Tidying the tack room & selling items you no longer need
Giving the stables a new lick of paint
Organising the lorry ready for the competition season
Creating a folder of all your dressage tests / score sheets
Making an album of all your competition photos
.... and no doubt there's more....!
We hope this provides you with some inspiration for the next few weeks - let us know which ones your giving a go! Tags us on Facebook and Instagram!
Have an idea you'd like to feature on this page? Get in touch: sarah@horsequest.co.uk