Confident Rider

02/12/2025

Such a sad day [for Dressage] and Horse lovers everywhere.Our thoughts go out to all concerned 🙏

Sleep well Blueberry and Uti, two of the greatest horses of our generation.

It is with immense sadness that we have said goodbye to Valegro and Uthopia and without question, this is a loss that just feels hard to comprehend.

Trying to write a tribute to these two horses feels harder than I imagined. The yard just doesn’t feel the same without them, there’s an emptiness in the air.

Valegro and Uthopia did more than win medals and write history, they gave our sport a golden era. They both showed that greatness can be gentle, sensitive and harmonious and they made a nation proud and inspired so many.

Being part of their journey will always remain one of my proudest achievements and the whole team and myself are deeply grateful for the joy they gave to us at home but also to their fans around the world.

Their entire lives ran in parallel; they travelled to the shows side by side, lived in neighbouring stables, grazed in the same fields and retired together. Their bond and companionship were absolute.

As life as old boys advanced, so too did the health challenges, so allowing them to leave this world together was the final act of loyalty and dignity I felt I could give them, honouring a partnership that had never been separated in life.

They leave behind a huge void, and the yard has changed forever and so have we. They were our family and I will love and miss them always. The impact they had will remain but sadly, we don’t get to keep horses forever.
We only get to carry what they leave inside us. And these two left us so much.

Carl x

Photo credit: Rose Lewis

23/11/2025

Wise words!
Keep riding your dreams.

📷 Michelle Art

06/11/2025

We talk about vehicle drivers the whole time, but some of my biggest spooks have been from cyclists! Im sure they don’t mean to scare a horse but the fast one whizz out of nowhere and the slow ones just creep up on you!!

Please share!!

04/11/2025

Tuesday thoughts...

27/10/2025

💥With November almost upon us, its time to educate people about the harmful effects of fireworks on lives, pets and horses. ‼️

If you are on a local village or town page, make sure you raise awareness to people who might not consider the ramifications of their back garden display. Most people wouldn't want to distress animals but just don't think it through!

Our local village put a simple post up last week, it just asked that anyone planning fireworks put a post up a few days before. This gives owners chance to plan for the event and move animals, be at the yard. leave a radio on etc.

Its not necessarily about stopping people enjoying themselves, more about asking them to consider others.

Stay safe this bonfire night 🙏

21/10/2025

Just a thought for a Tuesday afternoon...

20/10/2025

Some true words on this wet dreary Monday!

If you like our Page, feel free to pop over to our Confident Rider Group and chat with like minded equestrian people 🐎✨️

Horse riders: nervous/anxious/lost confidence

01/10/2025

🎃👻 *Beat Your Spooks!* 👻🎃

Are you a nervous horse rider feeling spooked in and out of the saddle?
This Halloween, it's time to face your fears and ride with confidence!

Join our group for nervous horse riders and become part of a supportive community. Whether it's jump scares in the arena or ghostly jitters on hacks, we're here to help you beat those spooky feelings with support and plenty of encouragement.

💀 **What you'll find:**
- **Fear-busting tips* from our members who are going through the same thing
- **Supportive discussions** for anxious moments
- **Fun Halloween challenges** to conquer your riding fears and give you motivation
- A safe place to share your experiences and progress

No tricks, just treats! 🎃👻

Join now and ride your way through the scariest season with confidence!

Horse riders: nervous/anxious/lost confidence

Confident Rider

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0892B9BRR/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_N2A951Q6GQYAKA28R6AB

13/09/2025

Can a saddle help with Confidence??

The simple answer, "yes"!

A correctly fitted saddle that not only fits your horse, but fits you is paramount. No slipping, sliding or "natural rock" , (long story).

Confident Rider are pleased to showcase an excellent saddle for those riders needing more security in the saddle or just wanting to feel more "held in place".

Based on a stock saddle but built in their own UK workshop on an English tree, those clever folks at The Saddle Exchange may have the perfect saddle for you.

As with all their saddles, they are adjustable and professionally fitted to your horse.

Our very own H U Owen discusses the benefits of this model.

For details please contact The Saddle Exchange, quoting Confident Rider.

https://youtu.be/GHXdneauHjk?si=055zzlsiuYNgXEqx

Discover expertly designed, well fitting saddles for all breeds and disciplines with Saddle Exchange, offering personalized solutions and a 14-day trial. Saddle fitting Nationwide

05/09/2025

Friday thoughts...

22/08/2025

🛑✋️PASS WIDE AND SLOW!🛑✋️

Exciting news, we have just ordered a new batch of bumper stickers to promote Confident Rider and Road Safety Awareness for drivers.

Details to follow about how you can win and/or purchase one for your vehicle. Just £1.50 including postage.

Expected delivery second week of September 🙂

If you are interested in a freebie, please like and share our page, comment "shared" below.

First 20 people to like and share get a free one! UK postage only.

Stickers are approx A6 size and designed to be applied externally. Fully weatherproof vinyl.

20/08/2025

Everybody wants a good horse.
But not everybody wants to become the kind of person that makes a horse good.

In today’s world, people expect fast results.

Instant gratification.
Swipe, click, scroll, done.

People expect success to be delivered like an Amazon Prime Order:
fast, easy, and with a smile.

They want to turn their feral horse into a “finished horse” without ever putting in the hours it takes to truly understand one in the first place.

Here’s the thing…
Mastery isn’t downloadable.
A reciprocal relationship can’t be rushed. It is build over time and it comes with highs and lows.

What took others years of learning, failing, watching, refining, people now want handed to them in a weekend clinic, a 10-minute video, a one time exercise, a one-sentence answer or because they bought a course.

The shortcuts people chase are often detours that lead them right back to where they started, just more frustrated this time.

They want the feel, but not the feedback.
They want the bond, but not the humility.
They want the horse to change, but they don’t want to change themselves.

No one can hand you the timing, the feel, the quiet, calm and consistent leadership it takes.

It can’t be downloaded or bought.

You earn that, you develop it, with every consistent rep and step. With patience. With clarity. Through being a lifetime student of the horse.

By showing up on the days it’s hard, boring, frustrating or humbling.

Put in the work.
Put in the hours.
Because your horse
deserves that version of You.

www.confident-riding.co.uk