Days 16 -31 of The Horse Riders Challenge

Last week I shared Days 1-15 of The Horse Riders Challenge. Well I’ve now finished and am ready to share the remaining days of the challenge.

Day 16

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#blackandwhite A photo of Nonie and I from earlier this year. Good #noniepony We had another good ride this evening. We are still focusing on increasing the bend through Nonie’s rib cage whilst keeping those sneaky shoulders straight. Now I just have to remember to still ride forward! Why are there so many things to keep track of?!?! What are you all working on with your lovely ponies at the moment? #thehorseriderschallenge #thesandarenaballerina #equestrianblogger #equestrianfashion #celerisboots #asmarequestrian #sweetfieldsphotography

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 14, 2018 at 3:25am PDT

Day 17

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#jump I used to love jumping. Training, particularly cross country was such a thrill. But at competitions my nerves rarely held up. Gilbert was one of the most talented horses to sit on. He could jump his socks off and turn on a dime. Unfortunately he sometimes used his abilities to run out at the very last second. This resulted in me finding the floor a time or two before I found some super quick reactions of my own. #thehorseriderschallenge #fbf #jumper #equestrianblogger #thesandarenaballerina #equitation

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 15, 2018 at 5:22am PDT

Day 18

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The ‘Grooming kit’ is what it’s all about for #day18 These are the everyday staples that make up my grooming kit including @keratex_equestrian hoof hardener, hoof moisturiser and coconut oil balm. I had been keeping my brushes hoof pick and sweat scraper in a bag and lost the blue curry comb with roller balls in it (clearly I hadn’t looked too hard). I’m really glad to have found it though as it will be perfect for a pre ride massage to help get the blood flowing into Nonie’s back. #thehorseriderschallenge #thesandarenaballerina #equestrianblogger #keratexhoofcare #groomingkit #horsebloggers #equine #horsecare

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 17, 2018 at 3:35am PDT

Day 19

My favourite thing to do outside of horses is reading about them, oh and eating chocolate. Does that count?

These are some of my absolute favourite equestrian authors and books.

Day 20

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‘Feet’ well the #equestrian equivalent (hooves and boots) clad in #hvpolo and weatherbeta and #celerisboots respectively. And boy did those hooves dance this morning! Nonie is really starting to feel softer and easier in the laterals and consequently they are helping to improve the quality of the pace 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻. The half pass isn’t quite where it needs to be for comps but the main thing is that we are progressing. #thehorseriderschallenge #thesandarenaballerina #equestrianblogger #horseblogger

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 20, 2018 at 6:55pm PDT

Day 21

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Day 21 of #thehorseriderschallenge is ‘support crew’. @steven.chalmers.5623 has been the most incredibly supportive person I could ask to share my life with, whether it’s travelling across the country side to competitions or reminding me how far we’ve come. PC: @sweetfieldsphotography #thesandarenaballerina #equestrianblogger #horseboyfriend #equestrian #horsesofinsta

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 23, 2018 at 12:46am PDT

Day 23

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Favourite horsey memory. Another tough one because how do you pick one moment from a life time of magical moments with horses? Learning things like the half steps with Nonie has been incredible. What’s your favourite memory? #thehorseriderschallenge #thesandarenaballerina #huntclubstyle #celerisboots #wilsonequestrian #halfsteps #dressagelife #asmarequestrian

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 25, 2018 at 5:07am PDT

Day 24

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#day24 of #thehorseriderschallenge is #throwback So come all the way back to 1997. I was in grade 5 and had the great fortune of getting my first horse Niska. A 14 something hand high station pony. He was a wonderful horse, gentle, quiet and affectionate who allowed me to learn so much. He took me to my first competition (where we promptly stepped out of the arena) and my first pony club competition. #firsthorse #equestrianblogger #thesandarenaballerina #equestrian #pferd #horsesofinsta

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 27, 2018 at 4:18am PDT

Day 25

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We all know just how hard it can be to find a good farrier. It’s not an easy job, the need to have exceptional knowledge about biomechanics, the hoof, they need to be patient, good horse people and of course they need to be physically strong. We don’t ask much of them do we?! I’m really happy with how Nonie’s feet are looking after just one shoeing from Jon Feom S6E shoeing. The @keratex_equestrian products we’ve been using consistently are also helping to make a difference to Nonie’s hooves. #day25 #thehorseriderschallenge #thesandarenaballerina #keratexhoofcare #equestrianblogger #nohoofnohorse #keratex #dressagehorse

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 28, 2018 at 4:49am PDT

Day 26

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#thehorseriderschallenge ‘least favourite horsey job’… anything that has to be done in the rain! #thesandarenaballerina #equestrianblogger #asmarequestrian #samshield #rainraingoaway #horselife #equestrianstyle

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jun 29, 2018 at 10:39pm PDT

Day 27

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Every horse girl needs a dog and these are mine! Sailor is an almost 2yo, black toy poodle whose favourite thing in the world is frisbee. While Flash is a 14yo miniature poodle who is her youth loved swimming in dams and chasing hates. #thehorseriderschallenge #thesandarenaballerina #poodlesofinstagram #equestrianblogger

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jul 1, 2018 at 3:17am PDT

Day 28

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#thehorseriderschallenge #breakfast I start pretty much every day with at least a square of chocolate and I’m not even close to apologising for this… #thesandarenaballerina #equestrianblogger #dietitanapproved #chocolateislife

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jul 3, 2018 at 12:25am PDT

Day 29

I’m not normally great at selfies but very occasionally the light is good, I hit the right angle and Nonie isn’t trying to eat my phone.

Day 30

The prompt for day 30 to give a shout out to someone whose work you admire lent itself perfectly to the stunning work of Charlie Macksey. I love the words written in these sketches and the messages they send.

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Day 30 of #thehorseridersxhallenge is to share an account that you are loving. I am low key obsessed with these stunning sketches by Charlie Macksey – I won’t say any more because they speak for themselves ❤️❤️❤️ #thesandarenaballerina #equestrianblogger

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jul 4, 2018 at 2:54pm PDT

Day 31

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Day 31 (the final day) of #thehorseriderschallenge is to share your win of the month. We’ve had some great moments in our riding and work this month, but we’ve also had some challenges. The learning for me is that as I ask Nonie for more bend through her body in the lateral work I need to be careful that she doesn’t just give me neck bend and pop her shoulder out. Finding this balance is taking time and of course we both need to develop additional strength. We’ve also started playing with the half steps again to help improve Nonie’s sitting and engagement. And they are doing their job Nonie’s trot feels 👌 afterwards. What are you proud of this month?? #thesandarenaballerina #rootd #wilsonequestrian #equestrianblogger #asmarequestrian #samshield #warmbloodsofinstagram #equestrianstyle

A post shared by Andrea (@the_sand_arena_ballerina) on Jul 6, 2018 at 6:06pm PDT