Sponsored Rider Update

25 Jul 2024

It’s been a busy few weeks in the Hudson horse household, managing my two horses Bo and Cash, and training a third, Forest.

Since the middle of June, Bo has been on ridden rest as she heals from a sarcoid removal on her girth. She went in for laser treatment, which meant she’s had time off as it heals, and has been slowly brought back into groundwork these past few weeks. I’m estimating having Bo back under saddle within two weeks, which I’m extremely looking forward to, as I’ve transitioned her into wearing the new Eco Rider Acclaim bridle, and I’m yet to understand how she responds to the different noseband design to the traditional grackle that she’s been working in. So stay tuned for that one!

Cash has been in preparation to begin competing this season, with our main focus being BSJA for the first half summer, and BE eventing toward the end. We’ve returned to jumping once a week, with a focus on lower fences and relaxation, rather than bigger tracks, so that we don’t overdo it. Horse maintenance is key! I usually event later on in the season, because the it takes a while to get him canter-fit when I’ve not got access to gallops, but it also means that he can get all of the pony party excitement out of his system early, before we go out eventing.

The last horse on my roster at the moment is Forest, who belongs to a friend. He’s recently come back into work following injury rehab, and has been a big handful (a whole 18hh of big handful). His trickiness for his owner has made him a little bit too much of a challenge for her, so I’ve overtaken his training while he returns to fitness. At the moment we’ve been working through Forest’s reluctance to hack (he can be extremely nappy), and introducing him to lateral work on the flat. He’s been coming along really well, and has also recently changed to the Eco Rider Freedom Grackle. He’s much more settled in the contact, and has eased off with the jaw crossing which is nice to see!

I’m due to take Cash out to his first BSJA competition of the season on the 2nd of August, so I’ll keep you posted on the results!