Happy New Year!

This is my first post for 2018 and although I had a very relaxing break over Christmas from work and the horses, I am feeling very unfit/rusty and ready to get back in the gym (did I just say that??) and start fitness work for both myself and the horses.

To start off 2018, I wanted to say how incredibly grateful I am for all the support and kind comments and messages I have received since starting the blog. What started out as a simple way to share what the horses and I get up to, has become a lovely way to talk about all aspects of the sport and engage with lots of like minded people.

Last year was by far the toughest with the horses as I devastatingly lost two of my team and had some very unlucky injuries. This sport is all about the highs and lows and thankfully between the lower parts of my year I have had some great experiences and results which keep me motivated.

At the very end of 2017, I welcomed two new horses to the stable, both of which I am so excited to get to know and start competing in Spring 2018 and to help me get organised I have been using two apps on my iPhone to plan out shows and to manage the horses schedules, vaccinations, appts with farrier, vet, physio etc.

The first app is THE PONY APP which is downloadable from iTunes. Don’t be deceived by the name as its designed by a top rider who has thought of everything to assist in managing daily care for competition horses. Your stable of horses can be logged to include their work plan and all important appointments/dates so you won’t ever forget a vaccination date again!

The second app is JUMPFAX which is proving invaluable at the moment as I plan my 2018 shows, this is also available on iTunes. Not only can you access all FEI dates for international shows throughout the year, you can sort them by level e.g 1* or YH or 3* to allow easy planning and can add them to your own personal year plan. Also a quick and easy way to check start lists/results and show information as the app is really user friendly.

Click on the names of the app for a direct link to the websites for more info or go to iTunes.

Thanks again to the people who supported, helped and encouraged me throughout 2017,  at home and at the shows (it takes an army even at amateur level!) and I’m looking forward to getting started with the horses at some training shows for the run up to our first international and of course writing some more posts for #mrsstorejnr

Alicia