How are you spending your Sunday? Drop a comment below 👇

Is it just me, or is January the longest month known to horsey humans? We’re only halfway through and yet it feels like we’ve lived several emotional lifetimes already. It’s still dark, the mud has strong opinions, and spring feels like a rumour someone started to be kind. If you’re feeling a bit flat or unmotivated, you’re not doing anything wrong. This is just January being January. Lower your expectations a touch this week. Small wins matter. Getting to the yard counts. Grooming your horse and calling it a win definitely counts. Lighter evenings are coming. Confidence isn’t gone, it’s just waiting for better weather. Keep going. You’re doing brilliantly, even if January disagrees.

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Ok so the big freeze is over, for now at least, how is your January going so far? I personally find it the longest and toughest month of the year, it’s still so dark! However it’s a great planning and habit forming month - love a new habit me! So share how’s it going so far? Any challenges and the good things you have done or found. 😊

This is the first waking thought of the equestrian in deepest winter 🥶 How many coats is enough? The answer is you can never have too many coats… Winter horse people are not built for elegance. We migrate slowly between field, yard and feed room, usually hunched, mildly traumatised. We know when the thaw comes we will be stuck to the ground by mud that could legally be classified as an adhesive. You can easily pick us out - Listen for phrases such as “I can’t feel my toes”, “why is it always worse than yesterday”, or “I should have taken up yoga”. What will help? Tea or soup - hot. Strong tea. The kind that fixes nothing but makes everything survivable. Ideally served in a chipped mug that has seen things. Or piping hot soup straight from the flask. Avoid asking us questions like “are you ok?” We are not. We will say we are. This is a reflex. Common winter equestrian symptoms include: • Multiple layers that somehow still fail • Hands that cannot grip but must carry everything • A stare that suggests deep reflection on life choices Do not offer motivational comments. “At least it’s dry” is dangerous. “You knew what you were signing up for” will not end well. “Why do you do it?” We don’t remember….(until spring and we enjoy the sun on our face as we canter through the woods). Until then we have no clue why…. We may oscillate between hysterical laughter and quiet despair. This is normal. You are normal. Keep drinking the tea until you regain enough composure to return to the yard. Because we will go back. We always do. Despite the cold, the mud, the frozen taps, and the emotional rollercoaster, we will pull our hat down, take a breath, and head straight back out. Spring will come. Probably. Summer Camps: www.equineexperiences.co.uk