16 signs you're a horsey person

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1. You put your hands into the pockets of your jacket to find bits of hay, pony nuts and treats.

2. You're outraged at the idea of getting up early for anyone else, but if it's to do the horses 6am then it's totally fine.

3. You say 'I'm going to do the poo pick' as if everyone understands, only to receive crazy looks from your friends.

4. You have jackets, lots of jackets. And lots of boots. And you'll probably buy some more at the next horse show you go to.

5. Your friends are disgusted by your black finger/toe nail which you got from when your horse bit/trod on it.

6. You buy the top brands for your horse, but you happily shop at Primark.

7. And on that note, your horse probably has more rugs than you do clothes.

8. Your arms are more tanned than the rest of you.

9. As a teenager, your friends' rooms were covered with posters of celebrities, and yours was covered with horses.

10. You get angry when people say horse riding isn't a sport, and that all riders do is 'sit there'. NO. Just no.

11. You have at least one album dedicated to horses on Facebook.

12. The words 'tack cleaning' make you grimace.

13. If you're upset, you'd rather see your horse and ride than talk out your problems with an actual person.

14. There is nothing that makes you happier than the thought of summer and galloping over an open field.

15. Or winning that red rosette.

16. And when it comes down to it, your best friend is probably more horse-shaped, than people-shaped. 

[EDIT- contributed by my very good friend, Sophie, who clearly knows me very well] 
17. You're looking for a car to buy, but end up browsing through horses for sale instead. Because, hey, who needs horse power when you can have the real thing?

Can you relate? Any I've missed? Comment below!

University Equestrian Competitions

Photo credit, left: Kiera

I wasn't meant to compete in the university Equestrian competitions this year, but I've ended up doing half of them anyway! My friend had a fall and her injury has meant that I've been called as a reserve (wear your body protectors riders! It saved her injury from being a whole lot worse...)

Anyway, maybe it's because I've gone along with a different, more relaxed attitude, maybe it's because I didn't particularly want to compete after I'd settled with reserve in my head, but regardless of the reason I'm actually doing well this year! 

We had our second competition on Wednesday and we came second as a team again which was a fantastic result. I also placed individually! I've done this before, but typically, it's been 8th which is just out of the rosette awards- but not this time! I got sixth which meant I got myself a new rosette to add to my now growing collection, yay! And what's more, it's pink- me, a girly girl? Never.

I was chuffed, the team was chuffed, and our A Team even came away with first at another competition. Faaaaab day.

It's taught me that I need to change the way I think. I lack a bit of confidence. Okay, okay- a lot of confidence. Not because I've had some sort of horrendous childhood or anything. In fact, I honestly couldn't tell you why. I just know that I can never, ever accept that I've done well. I'll always put down anything good with something like, 'Oh yeah but I could have done this better...' or 'it could have been this grade...' 

Frankly, that's sad. And I've had enough. I'm not the best rider in the world but The result from the last competitions clearly proves that I should have more confidence in my abilities so that's exactly what I'm going to do! Even though it'll be ridiculously hard to break the habit of a lifetime (evidence above!), I feel that it will probably lead me to a better state of mental well-being... i.e make me chirpier in the long run. Who doesn't want that?

Confidence- what you feel on the inside, you wear on the outside right? Let's do thisssss.

A Perfect Sunday in the Country

Wasn't it just such a beautiful day yesterday? It's done wonders to my mood, which had quite frankly reached moody cow level recently. February is a really hard month- everyone is fed up with winter but there is little sign of Spring, and motivation is lacking all round. But all it takes is a day out in the countryside to help me appreciate that life is pretty damn awesome.

I started my day with a run this morning, hoping to do something half-decent because I've been lacking in motivation after my race last weekend. I managed just under 9k in 50 mins which I was pretty happy with. Plus, it was enough that it was such a beautiful morning and I got to see the sunrise so I wasn't too bothered about performance, just enjoyment!

I also finally rode Toffee. He's had a bit of a winter break, what with me being snowed under with work and the tracks around us being so wet and muddy. I almost wish I'd got back on sooner because we had such a lovely time. I forgot that there really is nothing like riding your own horse, and it's even better when we get to gallop over the fields (his choice, not mine- I told him he wasn't fit enough and needless to say we didn't get very far!). I've decided horse therapy is an actual thing.

Please excuse the blurriness of this photo- apparently riding and photography don't go together too well!

I tried to work, I really did try hard. Buuuut I quickly get distracted here, especially when the weather is nice. It's strange that this was only meant to be a little break during Reading Week and that I'm heading back to uni again on Tuesday but I think I'm in need of some proper routine back in my life. Going backwards and forwards all the time isn't doing me much good because I can't settle properly before I'm off again, and I really am a person who thrives on routine. It was such a great end to the weekend though and I feel all excited for Spring now. I'll be looking out for those new Spring buds!

Snow in the Countryside

If you live in England, then you'll know that as soon as people hear that snow is coming, or as soon as a couple of millimetres falls, the country goes wild. The other day, a café on our campus closed an hour early because of a brief flurry; Manchester airport cancelled flights the other week; and the news is always dominated by snow headlines when it's forecast. All in all, snow is a cause for panic and frustration and most people I know dislike it, a lot. 

I am not one of those people- I love snow. I'm the girl that walked off the train the other day into a snow storm with a massive grin on her face, and I'm the girl that still, at 21 years old, jumps out of bed early in the mornings to go and tread in the crisp, fresh, fluffy stuff. When it's covered everything under a great big blanket, I can't resist being the first to step outside.

And here's an article by The Telegraph which definitely made me giggle this morning. Oh, the British sarcasm is a wonderful thing.

This girl runs.

Let me start by saying that this time last year, I was pleased to be able to run 40 minutes without stopping. Fast forward one year, and I have competed in my first cross country run at part of the Team Surrey Running and Athletics team. And look, I'm smiling! Cold, muddy, and absolutely exhausted, I finished and with a pretty decent time at that: 6.4km (4 miles) in 35 minutes. 

The course was hard. Like, let's-just-make-the-course-a-continuous-hill kind of hard. When it finally did decline, it was so muddy (and I had no spikes) that it was impossible to make up the time. It was so difficult though that I was just pleased to have finished and thrilled when my time was under 40 minutes!

Sure I was literally gulping in air, I nearly fell flat on my face, and I wanted to give up on numerous occasions but by the time I'd finished, the satisfaction was so worth it. And hey, this is coming from a girl who used to loathe the idea of getting a bit sweaty/puffed. Now I love it. And I love running. 

If you're reading this and have considered taking up running but haven't quite got rid of that little voice that's been saying 'start tomorrow...', ignore that little voice. She sucks. Start now. I did, and have never looked back; I feel so much more confident and energised, and no matter how bad a run I have, I have never ever regretted a single one... I'll stop now because I'm starting to sound like a walking cliché. But the point stands: go run.