COFFEE, CAKE AND HORSES – THE PERFECT COMBINATION?!
The TCE Coffee & Cake Club
I’m delighted to share these snaps from our very first coffee and cake club here at Team Chapman Equestrian and share the dates for the months ahead for those keen to book on! Our coffee and cake clubs combine a 1-hour group lesson with me for 2 or 3 riders and then a natter over some coffee and homemade cake in our new clubhouse afterwards. There are sessions running from 10:30am to 4:30pm on the following dates:
25th November
9th December
21st December
These have been so popular that we’re even looking at holding them on weekend dates too, so if you work in the week that must be music to your ears! You can book on the website or drop me a line to book on.
Winter training ideas
Autumn has been mostly quite mild so far with just a handful of cold nights and frosty mornings… but we all know that winter weather won’t be far away! We’re so lucky here at Team Chapman Equestrian to have our super indoor school which is a huge help when the days are so short and the evenings so dark. If you’re not so lucky and perhaps don’t have access to a floodlit or indoor school, it can be tricky to stick to a training plan in the winter months. That can be so frustrating when spring rolls around and you’re already feeling behind before competitions have even started.
Here are some of my top tips to help you get through the winter months with your training programme and your sanity intact!
Utilise the time you have in the saddle
If you’re short on time don’t get too downhearted. While a 20- or 30-minute session in the school might not sound much when you’re used to riding for an hour, it’s an awful lot better than nothing. Plan your training sessions and think about what you want to achieve, so that you get the most out of that time and don’t just faff! Use pole work or cavaletti every now and then to make sure your horse has to really use its body and brain.
Plan hacking to take in hills
Our time out hacking can get squeezed when the light is poor and the days so short so again, think of ways to make the most out of your time hacking. Stick your high vis on and head out, making sure you ask them to step out smartly from the word go. Work out how to get as many hills in as possible to get your horse working from behind and raise their heart rate.
Schedule in weekend outings now
If you wait until the arrival of icy weather to book an indoor or outdoor school or a session on some all-weather gallops, you might find you’ve left it too late. Look at your diary now and get them booked in now - yes there’s a risk that the day you’re heading indoors is a lovely sunny winter day, but it’s better than being stuck at home when the fields and roads are icy.