Kirstine is a leading showing figure who is based in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. She has been producing horses and ponies for just under 30 years and over that time she has won accolades at all major shows, including championships at Horse of the Year Show and the Royal International. She is also a British Horse Society (BHS) accredited trainer.
When I was 28, I was unlucky enough to have a life-threatening blood clot. It went right from the top of my lungs down to my groin and I was in intensive care for five weeks. On leaving, I was under strict instructions from the consultant to take it easy and not ride. But – me being me – within three weeks of being home I was back on a horse. When I went back to see him he couldn’t believe how much the leg had gone down; he was gobsmacked and hailed horse riding as the cure for any swelling.
The injury did change how I used my leg when riding, until in 2004, when I was asked to take on a horse who was due to compete in the Paralympics later in the year. A trainer came over from America to help establish a training and fitness program for him.
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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.
