Rainbow Farm

21/12/2025

REAL riding … & then the rest comes easier. Lucky if you had this 🥰

𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠

Growing up riding in Ireland, I genuinely thought this was just how riding worked. You went to a riding school, you rode in an arena… and then you were sent out into a field to face whatever solid, slightly questionable fence had been living there since the 1980s and looking back now as a coach, I realise just how lucky I was.

No one made a big song and dance about it. You didn’t book a cross-country clinic. You just… went cross-country.

The riding schools I went to were nothing fancy, but they all had land. One had access to a proper cross-country course, the other had a big field with a selection of jumps that absolutely did not move if you got it wrong. Somewhere along the way, Pony Club happened, but by then the bravery had already been installed.

You learned very quickly how to find your brave pants. There was no standing around discussing feelings. You were told to kick on, look up, and stop steering like you were parallel parking. You trusted your pony, trusted the process, and off you went usually with a mix of excitement and mild terror.

And the funny thing is, it worked.

Showjumping felt easier because you weren’t frightened of fences. New questions didn’t feel so dramatic. If you chipped in, met it long, or had a wobble, it was just part of riding not a life altering event that required a full debrief.

Fast forward to now, and the picture looks very different, especially in the UK.

So many riding schools don’t have access to land anymore. No fields. No cross-country fences. Insurance companies breaking out in a sweat at the very mention of the words solid jump. Everything happens neatly inside four white boards, with poles that fall down if you breathe on them too hard.

Now, don’t get me wrong arenas are brilliant. They teach accuracy, control, and how to ride a corner without ending up in the fence. But they don’t teach bravery in quite the same way.

Because bravery doesn’t come from riding perfect lines between coloured poles. Bravery comes from cantering across grass, feeling your heart rate go up, and thinking, I hope this works, while your pony thinks, we’re definitely doing this.

That moment when you commit, that’s where the big boy pants and big girl pants are earned.

Kids today are incredibly capable riders but I feel that bravery is missing spark somehow but I see Irish kids that still have the opportunities I did and by god the brave pants on by age 6/7, but many just don’t get the chance to ride outside the arena. And that’s not because they don’t want to it’s because the opportunities aren’t there.

So maybe it’s not about every riding school magically acquiring acres of land and a cross-country course. Let’s be realistic.

Maybe it’s about loading up the ponies, hiring a cross-country venue for the day, charging a set fee, and making it part of normal education again. Not an elite thing. Not a special treat. Just another way kids learn to ride.

Because confidence doesn’t suddenly appear at 90cm or at your first big event. It’s built years earlier in muddy fields, over solid fences, with slightly sweaty palms and massive grins.

And if you grew up riding like that, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

This picture is from 2013 so please don’t say about the stones, this was my brave pants moment on Vicky.

16/12/2025

Don’t open those presents 🎁 yet Daisy 🌼 it’s not time !

16/12/2025

Love this ❤️

"The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. So I give you some of my favorite pearls of wisdom, in no particular order. Some of these are from trainers of mine, both past and present, some are widely recognized from BNT, some have nothing to do with horses by origin but still apply, and some are from my own head.

- If a horse says no, you either asked the wrong question or asked the question wrong.

-An average hunter course has 100 strides. Only 8 of them are jumps. Don’t sacrifice the 92 for the 8.

- On approaching a fence: good riders wait until it’s time to go. Great riders go until it’s time to wait.

- Don’t squat with your spurs on.

- It is NEVER the horse’s fault. Yes, sometimes a horse may take advantage of a situation, but there is ALWAYS something the rider could do differently to change the situation.

- Pass left hand to left hand.

- You can only lie to your horse so many times before they call your bluff.

- Horses do not know what they are worth. They do not know, or care, what they are capable of. They only care about the way you treat them.

- Injuries and colic happen almost exclusively at 10:00 pm on a Saturday.

- Shoes get lost almost exclusively when preparing to leave for a show.

- If you work hard, try your best, and never give up, your efforts will not go unnoticed.

- And you will be rewarded with opportunities when you least expect it.

- If you work hard, try your best, and never give up, you will still fail sometimes.

- Video doesn’t lie – after being told repeatedly that I was lifting my right hand before every fence, and swearing up and down that I was certainly NOT lifting my right hand before every fence… I was—in fact—lifting my right hand before every fence. Sometimes your brain lies to you. Video does not.

- On being nervous going into the show ring: you’re just not that big of a deal. No one at the show is watching you close enough to know every mistake you might make, except for the judge and your trainer, and you are paying them to watch.

- Be patient – there are no shortcuts. Any shortcut you may try, will actually be the long way.

- Check your personal issues and emotions at the door. Your horse will know. It usually does not go well.

- If your horse is in front of your leg, you have options.

- We never lose. We either win or we learn.

- Ride like a winner. You cannot act like flip flops and expect to be treated like Louboutins.

- If you have to pick only two things to think about during a course, pace and track are the two you should choose. The rest cannot happen without pace and track.

- Give yourself and your horse brain breaks. Go have fun, go hack out in the woods, go swimming ba****ck, read a book in the paddock, whatever. Just allow yourself time to have fun.

- At home there’s no reason to jump as big as you show every time. The basics are the basics regardless of the jump height. Save your horses legs.

- The horse world is very small. Remember this and don’t burn your bridges and be mindful of your words.

- Clean your tack. Groom your horse. Properly. Every day. If you can control nothing else, you can control your turn out. There is no excuse to not do the minimum effort.

- No matter what the problem is, the solution is almost always add more leg.

- Ride the horse you have today. Not the one you had yesterday. Not the one you want to have. The horse under you at this moment is the only one that matters.

- You go where you look. The human head weighs 10 pounds. Unless you would like to end up on the ground, do not look down.

- Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

📎 Save & share this article by PonyMomAmmy at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2020/09/15/equestrian-advice-to-ride-and-live-by/

13/12/2025

Awww…

08/12/2025

Mondays can be a tough start to the week !! But when you crack Mondays the rest of the week is easier 🙌👏💪🏻

08/12/2025

The difference in Winter & Summer riding & the challenges that go with it really are a “thing”

Winter has a way of sneaking up on a rider’s confidence. The daylight shrinks, the indoor suddenly feels so much smaller and horses get fresh. Goals that felt easy in July suddenly feel out of reach. It’s a season that can make even the most dedicated riders question where their progress has gone.

Mental skills coach Tonya Johnston believes winter isn’t a setback at all. In fact, she says winter can be one of the most productive periods of a rider’s year if they understand how to work with the season rather than fighting against it.

The first step, Tonya explains, is accepting that winter riding is fundamentally different from riding in the summer. “You have to acknowledge the season you’re in,” she says. “The expectations you had in July don’t apply in November.”

Cold temperatures tighten muscles. Indoor rings restrict pace and lines. Weather disrupts schedules. Horses may get less turnout and more enthusiasm. None of these factors reflect your ability or your horse’s willingness. They’re simply the conditions winter brings.

Tonya stresses that riders often lose confidence not because they’re performing poorly, but because they’re comparing winter rides to their best days outdoors. That comparison isn’t just unhelpful, it’s distorting.

“You’re usually doing better than you think you are,” she says. Winter magnifies riders’ negativity bias, making small imperfections feel like big problems.

Once riders accept winter for what it is, they can begin to shift their goals in a way that keeps confidence steady. “That same number of jumps, the same amount of space, the same intensity—it’s not going to happen right now,” Tonya says. “So don’t hold yourself to expectations that belong to another season.”

She encourages riders to set winter-appropriate goals like strengthening flatwork, improving transitions, refining rideability, or practicing straightness in smaller spaces. These goals still matter. They’re still meaningful. They just don’t rely on summer conditions.

Tonya also reminds riders that winter goals should feel achievable inside their current circumstances, not outside them. “It’s about meeting yourself where you are and where your horse is,” she says.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/12/04/how-to-build-confidence-through-winter-a-riders-guide-to-staying-steady-in-the-off-season/

05/12/2025

Flashbacks from 2023 … we miss you Jacob 😍

30/11/2025

A visit with Zoe (Zack’s mam) 35 & still living her best life 😍

28/11/2025

Grab a quality bargain 🖤

27/11/2025

Hunting is so much more …

Our Field Master’s thoughts on hunting.

What is Hunting?

Typically a hunt club keeps a pack of hounds and meets up once or twice a week from mid October to mid March.

Preparations are made in advance of the days hunting, whereby a route is planned and farmers and landowners in the vicinity are contacted and asked for permission to cross their land.

For a top class hunt to happen you need the following:
To be fit and able to ride - and take a tumble!
To have a fit horse that is able to cross country. (15-20km over 3-4 hours).
To have plenty of country “open” (15-25 square miles).
Weather conditions must be suitable for good scent- cool and damp tend to be best - but sometimes you have to rely on the Scent Gods to provide scent.
Quarry- if the shooters have been out the previous weekend - there won’t be a hunt.

Generally participants will be delighted with a 5-10 mile point with fox out witting hounds by finding safe haven in a drainage pipe or within the roots of a tree. A Good hunt will happen on average on 10% of days spent hunting. The other 90% will be affected by either the absence of scent or quarry or simply running out of real estate!

The exhilaration and excitement of hounds in full cry transfers to horse and rider and both Fear and Favour are temporarily suspended and magic happens. This is the forge where the world renowned bravery of horse and rider is tempered.

There is no other riding discipline where riders can get the opportunity of a day in the saddle going over natural country - it traditionally has provided a nursery for riders and horsemen and horsewomen for which Ireland is famous worldwide. Most top class riders whether in horse racing or showjumping will have started out on the hunting field. If this is lost it is gone forever - with increasing urbanisation and depletion of rural populations, hunting in the countryside needs protection and nurturing, not undeserving demonisation from people who are uninformed and have never experienced a hunt.

The Irish Hunter (horse and pony) is also sought after for their 5th leg, bravery, soundness and temperament.
Many Hunt supporters and members earn a living producing such horses for sale to the UK, Europe, USA and indeed Worldwide.

This sport is enjoyed by men and women, boys and girls from 7 to 70+ who love animals, care for their horses and hounds and are deeply appreciative of the privilege of riding to hounds through our magnificent countryside.

Hunts are run on a completely voluntary basis,are regulated by government, take place in open view and plain sight of the public and have nothing to hide. Hunt clubs are obliged to have liability insurance, health and safety compliance measures, child safety measures etc. so the arguments that the sport is anachronistic do not stand.

What about the fox?
It is also a privilege for participants to observe the craftiest and most Wiley of creatures in their natural environment. The fox knows if scent is good or bad and on a bad scenting day can be observed casually preening himself while bamboozled hounds fail to find scent in the next field.
On a good scenting day the fox can be seen at the top of his game, crisscrossing a stream will certainly slow down or stall most hounds, he might head for the nearest field full of sheep to avoid the incoming pack and the Huntsman will be forced to call up his hounds!

Hunting brings people outdoors in an active pursuit, it is a social activity, it takes place in the dark months of winter in the rural countryside. The health benefits are obvious for participants, whether mounted or on foot.
The time spent hunting, caring for horses, getting them fit lessens time on sofas and screens and provides an active example to future generations.

26/11/2025

Absolutely 💯

Neck Straps: The Underrated Tool For Lesson Programs

Let's talk about a piece of tack that doesn't get nearly enough credit: the neck strap. If Olympic eventer William Fox-Pitt uses one at five-star competitions, why are we acting like they're only for beginners? Here's the truth: Neck straps aren't a crutch. They're a smart training tool.

WHY NECK STRAPS BELONG IN YOUR PROGRAM:
1. Confidence Builder: Trying a new horse? Nervous rider? Green horse? A neck strap gives riders something to hold WITHOUT pulling on the mouth. Confidence goes up, tension goes down. I've watched countless riders transform from white-knuckling the reins to actually RIDING once they have a neck strap to grab if needed.
2. Protects Young Horses: Starting youngsters over fences or out on trail? Neck straps are non-negotiable. When your green horse throws an awkward jump or spooks, you grab the strap - NOT their mouth. This keeps young horses soft, willing, and trusting instead of defensive and mouth-dead.
3. Teaches Proper Hand Position: For novice riders still learning independent hands, a neck strap gives them a reference point. It reinforces using seat and leg aids BEFORE hands, and helps keep hands steady and in the right place.
4. Safety for Unbalanced Moments: Even experienced riders have off-balance moments. The neck strap gives you something to grab that won't hurt the horse or compromise your position as badly as grabbing mane or reins.

PROPER FIT MATTERS:
Too tight = too far up the neck to reach
Too loose = slides back and becomes useless
The sweet spot: You should be able to fit one finger underneath while still holding your reins comfortably. This usually means 10-12cm of slack measured just in front of the withers.
Play around with fit until it works for both horse and rider!

NECK STRAP OPTIONS:
Old-school: Repurposed stirrup leather
1. Multiple holes for adjustability
2. Usually already at the barn
3. Costs nothing

Modern: Purpose-made neck straps
1. Cut to custom size
2. Can personalize with colors, names, emergency contact info
3. Looks more polished
4. Great for trail riders (add your phone number!)
Both work perfectly - pick what suits your program!

FOR INSTRUCTORS:
Consider adding neck straps to your program for:
- All beginner/intermediate riders
- Anyone trying a new horse
- Jump lessons (especially learning or green horses)
- Trail rides
- Nervous riders rebuilding confidence

You'll see better hand position, more confident riders, and happier horses.
Win. Win. Win.

If William Fox-Pitt - a five-star, Olympic-level eventer - uses a neck strap at the highest levels of competition, maybe we should stop treating them like training wheels and start treating them like the valuable tools they are. Your hands stay softer. Your horse stays happier. Your riders stay safer. What's not to love?

Instructors: Do you use neck straps in your program? Why or why not?