Endurance Kiwi by Rebecca Donovan

Endurance Kiwi by Rebecca Donovan Kiwi ex dressage rider trying to figure out this endurance thing.

Sharing my journey training and stepping up to my first 160km šŸ‡³šŸ‡æšŸ“ā›°ļø

Proudly supported by
LS equestrian
Weatherbeeta and Dublin NZ
Fourflax

I am very excited to have WeatherBeeta - New Zealand and Dublin NZ come onboard and support me on my Endurance Journey. ...
22/07/2026

I am very excited to have WeatherBeeta - New Zealand and Dublin NZ come onboard and support me on my Endurance Journey.

For those of you who have known me for a while, youā€™ll know Iā€™ve been a supporter of WeatherBeeta and Dublin for well over a decade. Iā€™ve even found photos of me wearing my old Dublin helmet from 2016 and WeatherBeeta rugs from 2010! These are brands I have used throughout my entire competition career, so I am absolutely honoured to now be representing them.

For me, aligning with a brand is about so much more than just putting a company next to my name. It has to be a brand whose products I genuinely trust, use, and respect. After years of relying on WeatherBeeta and Dublin in my own journey with horses, it feels really special to partner with a company whose values and products I already believe in.

One of the first things on the agenda was upgrading my helmetā€¦ one I had definitely kept for far longer than I care to admit! Helmet quality and safety is something I will never compromise on, so I had been searching for the right one for quite some time. Iā€™ve been using the Dublin Estella II with MIPS technology and I am so happy with the upgrade. Itā€™s comfortable, stylish, and gives me the added confidence of MIPS technology when it comes to safety. The added bonus is itā€™s one of the most affordable helmets on the market with MIPS as well.

Iā€™ve also been loving their tights and base layer and cannot wait to see the spring collection coming soon šŸŒø

Support like this means the world to someone who is funding this journey herself while balancing it alongside a full-time job. Every step of this journey has been built through a lot of hard work, dedication, and the incredible support of people and businesses who believe in what Iā€™m trying to achieve.

This season Iā€™m aiming for even bigger things, and I cannot wait to give it everything I have with the support of some wonderful businesses who share my passion and hopefully help turn some of these dreams into reality. ā¤ļø

12/07/2026

We have been having some cold mornings recently but they are really turning into the most beautiful days ā¤ļø

Itā€™s hard to believe we are in the middle of winter with weather like this. I feel a ride like today deserves a simple video like this to just take it all in. Hardly a cloud in the sky, hardly another person in sight and two very happy horses to be out exploring.

10/07/2026

My days of competing in the dressage arena may be long behind me, but I still really enjoy working through the dressage training scale. These days, though, my focus is on how those principles can benefit an endurance horse.

Lately, Monty has been struggling to pick up his right canter lead and has developed a habit of trying to bump me off on the right diagonal. A lot of that comes back to me. Itā€™s my weaker side too, and as training rides and competitions get longer, I catch myself mentally switching onto autopilot and falling back into whatever feels easiest. Over time, Monty has developed the same weakness.

A couple of months ago, he struggled to canter a 20-metre circle on the lunge, let alone under saddle. Now weā€™re slowly introducing 15-metre circles and asking for a little more collection. I donā€™t expect him to canter around the countryside in collection, but I do want him to have the strength and balance to carry himself better instead of travelling heavily on the forehand.

For me, I work a very physical job and use my body all day. Iā€™d consider myself fairly strong, yet every time I go back to the gym itā€™s easy to uncover weaknesses that still affect both my riding and my work. No matter how fit we think we are, weā€™re still encouraged to build a strong core and improve our overall strength because it makes us more efficient and helps reduce the risk of injury.

In my mind, itā€™s no different for horses.

27/06/2026

Road to your first endurance ride: Episode 3 - Is endurance right for me?

Endurance is one of the unique sports where past riding experience in disciplines doesnā€™t matter. Endurance is rather about how well you manage your horse over the distance. Riders from all backgrounds come together and it doesnā€™t matter what style you have done before.

Most smaller distances donā€™t require any more training commitment and your horse is already in full work.

Costa are based off New Zealand pricing and ranges around the world and is not FEI level. But theyā€™re very reasonable to any other English discipline here in NZ

Join us for part 4 next time when we break down what gear you need!

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