Equestrianism: It's a rich person's world

Whilst the unparalleled success of the equestrian teams at London 2012 has brought more attention to the sport than it's seen in too long (I will let comments about 'dancing horses' go as long as people appreciate that it's not nearly as effortless as it looks!), there is still this strong vein of belief amongst the non-horsey public that you have to be rich to ride.

I am not going to disagree with the plain truth that owning horses and riding is a million times easier when you are rich, but the vast majority of riders and owners I know work hard for a living and weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths. On a personal level, I was born into a distinctly unhorsey family. My dad often jokes that he can't tell one end of a horse from another (he has seen me ride all of once), and my mum's only experience with them was a rather unfortunate pony trekking incident in her teens which she wasn't overly enamoured with. When I cheerfully announced at the age of ten that my new passion in life was horses, it took a further two years for my mum to give in and book me a riding lesson, hoping that my interest was temporary and I would eventually go back to wanting to be a ballerina. Once the lesson was booked, she had absolutely no idea what I needed to wear and what would happen, and so for weeks I trundled around on a very forgiving pony wearing wellies and a borrowed skull cap.

I will give full credit to my mum, however, for supporting me in my newfound love for horses at the age of twelve. We may have had very little money, but she saved hard to afford fortnightly riding lessons for me, and bought me my riding boots and hat only once she was sure I was going to stick at it. I was lucky enough to win a riding holiday through one of my beloved pony magazines at the age of thirteen, and for a good three years after that, my mum saved up and paid for me to go on another week-long riding holiday every year, as well as paying for weekly lessons and the numerous activities and shows I went to do during the school holidays. Once I had a part-time job at the age of seventeen, she paid for my weekly lessons and I paid for the extras, and when I was back home from university she'd give me a couple of riding lessons for Christmas or my birthday.

Upon graduating, I took over the expense of riding lessons myself when I (miraculously) found a part-time job, and even though it was only fortnightly, I began to understand how much money my mum had ploughed into my hobby over the years. Once I was given a full-time position, I started back weekly, with the odd extra here and there, and I work hard to keep this hobby up with no financial support anymore. I don't earn a lot of money but I budget wisely to make sure I can keep it up, and make sure horses continue to be a large part of my life.

The point I am trying to come to, in a rather long-winded fashion, is that nothing but my mum's generosity and my determination to keep up with something I love has helped me ride over the years. We are not a particularly affluent family, we are working class, and it is only because I love it that I see the money I pour into it as an investment. Most other riders I know are like this - they go without to keep their horses fed and watered, they work hard for their money and are entitled to spend it without being accused of having things handed to them on a silver plate.

Even the lucky ones among us that I know have not had it easy. The two granddaughters of the owner of my riding school are incredibly talented and gifted riders, and yes, they have been given horses and ponies galore over the years, but for the most part, they have worked hard for their successes. They saved their pocket money to come on lessons, they worked hard in the yard seven days a week whilst at school and college, they teach lessons now they are a little older, and they have been working pupils at professional yards where they haven't had a day off in seven months. Perhaps they are luckier than most I know, but I would never deny that hard graft and a dose of natural talent has got them to where they are now, and being rich alone can't achieve success.

If ever we needed a timely reminder of this, we only have to look at the Olympic Gold medallist in dressage, Charlotte Dujardin. Luck, hard work and talent have got her to where she is now, not being born into a rich family. Her mum supported her in any way she could, and when she was lucky enough to inherit some money, bought her a horse. Working class family, top class rider.

Riding is an expensive hobby, but it's not just for the rich - and you can't put a price on something that makes you undeniably happy.

Next on the horsey calendar...

If the Olympics has made me realise one very important thing in my life, it's that there just aren't enough horses in it.

I am not in the fortunate position of owning my own horse, and whilst I am lucky enough to have a full-time job in a day and age where people are scraping by on three part-time positions, I still don't earn enough to make this a reality, along with living expenses and running a car. Instead, I have one riding lesson a week, and put all of my money aside at the start of the month to be able to afford this, but the reality is, with the way my confidence has taken an almighty knock over the past year or so (for reasons I am still trying to figure out, incidentally. The human brain is a wondrous yet equally frustrating thing), I could do with at least two a week to get me back to where I was such a short time ago. At £22 an hour, however, this just isn't realistic. Horses are expensive, even when they're not yours! This is a work in progress, but in the meantime, I've been thinking of other ways to satisfy my horsey needs.

For my birthday this year (and I won't embarrass myself by admitting exactly which birthday. It's about five years further on than I would really like, but at least still the right side of thirty), my mum bought me Burghley tickets. For all the years I have been riding, and considering the relatively close proximity (well, within a two hour radius anyway) of Burghley Horse Trials, I consider it pretty shameful that I have never once been. I don't think my mum perhaps expected to come with me, not being a rider herself and only having a slight interest in horses because of me, but it was her I invited, and it seems the prospect of the shopping village actually has her quite excited now about the whole thing (oh, simple things!). It is now a mere two weeks away, and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about it. Our four-day tickets and Sunday grandstand tickets arrived in the post a few weeks ago, and although it means cancelling my beloved weekend riding lesson that week, I suppose it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for this particular event.

Never having been before, I can feel I will try to pack everything, from vastly inappropriate footwear to three hundred extra pairs of socks (because you never know!), but what I am sure about is that whatever the weather, I still feel like I need a pair of these in my life:

Joules.com

Because there is always space for pink striped wellies in your life, Burghley or no Burghley.

Olympics Retrospective: Some impressive yet terrifying jumps

Now that the post-Olympics closing ceremony hangover is beginning to retreat, the gaping hole in my life that the Games filled is suddenly glaringly obvious. What did I do with myself before the Olympics started?! How did I spend my lunchbreaks at work before I had the joys of the BBC's Olympics iPhone app to watch the equestrian events live? What did I do in the evenings before I had an afternoon of grand prix dressage to catch up on?

Perhaps talking about the Olympics isn't the best way to find new things to occupy my time, but it is so much easier to appreciate the things I didn't have the chance to notice the first time around as I was far too busy biting my nails or getting everybody at work hooked on the showjumping (I have turned into a one-woman equestrian spokesperson, in my distinctly un-equestrian workplace). Watching highlights of the Games during the closing ceremony, I was suddenly struck by just how awe-inspiring the showjumps were. I am far more used to leaping over a block, a couple of poles or the odd barrel, so what could be more exciting than jumping a London bus?! So without further ado, here is a small selection of the best fences London 2012, and the course designer Bob Ellis and his team, had to offer...

1. St. Paul's Cathedral

I have often commented that the mare I ride feels as if she could clear a house on a good day, but jumping over a cathedral has to rank as pretty impressive



2. The Postbox



The iconic red postbox, the stamp...quintessentially British. Incidentally, I am almost positive my mare could clear a postbox, if not quite a cathedral



3. Tower Bridge

I absolutely love this fence, I think it may well have been my favourite on the course, if only for brilliant pictures like this

4. The London Bus

This fence looks so flimsy, as if it would topple at the slightest touch. I love the technicality of it, as well as the novelty value of jumping a double decker

5. Houses of Parliament

Actually, I believe this may be more of a Westminster-themed fence, with the London Eye in it, but all the same, how impressive would that be to see out of the corner of your eye?

I might be gutted that the Olympics are over, but the wonderful thing about pictures like this is that they really will last a lifetime.