Less Spring than normal

Ahhhh the joys of midlife. In recent years I’ve rediscovered my love of netball which was my sport of choice during my early teens. Alas it would appear that it’s possible to injure oneself even more easily playing netball than riding horses. Albeit more “limb based” than life threatening but nonetheless I find myself on the bench again, for the third time in 2 years. Whilst I patiently await MRI results on my right knee and diligently complete physio, I am pondering a pivot (sadly metaphorically only) into netball coaching if I am indeed permanently benched.

I love equestrian coaching and am proud of my skills hard won over years of riding school, Pony Club, Riding Club and latterly my own coaching business with Disco Dressage. Being able to offer netball coaching as well might allow me to stay connected to a sport which I love watching, playing and perhaps would love teaching too.

Or, my knee isn’t going to give up on me yet and I’ll be back on court in a few weeks....I'll keep you posted.

EDIT: This sat in my drafts folder because, you know...life. Update is that the MRI showed plentiful damage. A wait now to think about surgery options and that decision tree. Yawn. In the meantime i've signed up to do Level 1 Netball coaching quals. Fortunately Disco Dressage is unaffected by my injured limb and I can continue working, producing content and finding joy in other people riding. The next theme I'm producing is Justin Timberlake so looking forward to a deep dive into nostalgic pop. We are on the hunt for a coach in Essex having had an enquiry from a riding club in the area, so do get in touch if you'd like to get involved in all the sequins and serpentines.

I had a really good afternoon last week helping a local family source a pony, via TryAHorse

I signed up to be an assessor last year and this was the first job I've had through the company. What a brilliant concept. I used their very expansive feedback form to record information I observed about the pony. The feedback form ensures information is collated across all relevant areas and the assessor (me) doesn't then have to conclude whether or not the pony should be purchased. We dutifully give the information we've observed to the purchaser and the seller so that they can make an informed decision. I've had previous experience helping families choose a horse or pony, sometimes with a good result, other times less so. This process was entirely different and so very welcome in what can be a quagmire of complicated opinions and risks. I highly recommend to anyone considering buying or selling.