The show horse producer talks about the benefits of planning ahead, the importance of a pre-competition feast and one very special Connemara pony...
I always go into the arena at home with a plan or a specific exercise to work on. It can be very easy to go in the school and trot round in circles without achieving much. I like to use lots of polework for variation and straightening.
My dressage trainer Gary Foggon helps me with all my horses on the ground, so I always have plenty of homework when I do take the horses to school in the arena.
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Freelance equestrian journalist
Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
