From The Horse’s Mouth

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

With Fiona Todd

Welcome to the latest edition of HorseVibes. It’s beautiful, of course, and naturally it’s packed with great content, plus some interesting little twists to keep you on your toes!

Since our last edition, the very first obvious change in all our lives is the emergence of COVID-19. As a result we’ve been in lockdown, which hasn’t been easy for any of us. Life is different now, and we’ll have to wait to see what the new normal is when we emerge on the other side of this dreadful pandemic. We do hope that you are all safe, well, and looking after yourselves, your loved ones and your equine companions.

The second big change is that, sadly for all of us here at HorseVibes HQ, Candida Baker, our long standing editor, has left us to take up some exciting new writing and publishing opportunities. Candy, we miss you, we love you, and we wish you every success going forward. But however difficult the circumstances, the show must go on – so thank you Amanda Mac for stepping up and taking the reins.

In need of a little pick-me-up inspiration? Then you can’t go past this edition’s spotlight on Boyd Exell. Boyd has achieved an astonishing nine straight FEI World Cup Driving Championships and his story is motivational to say the very least!

In celebration of Mother’s Day, we introduce you to mother and daughter team Catherine and Lucy Alati. And let’s just take a minute to salute our lovely mums. We hope you all had a super Mother’s Day - one you’ll have deserved more than ever. With the additional COVID-19 induced home schooling, washing, cleaning and disinfecting tasks, your already busy lives have become much busier. Where would we be without you! And to my own wonderful mum, a very happy Mother's Day.

Resident columnist Charlie Brister shares how he’s making good use of lockdown to improve his equestrian knowledge and physical fitness. He also offers some great ideas on creating a training plan that will keep your equine partner interested, happy and ready to roll once the show season restarts.

Talking of returning to competition, we all need that special sparkle to stand out from the crowd. So if pretty plaits elude you and your quarter markings don’t quite cut the mustard, turn to our Training Tips feature for all you need to know about achieving show ring perfection. Obviously, there’s no better time to be practicing your grooming skills – and please do take some pics of your hard work and send them in to us. We’d love to see them.

Returning to the subject of taking care of you, mindset coach and trainer Tanja Mitton climbs onto the Tackbox to address the problem of mental stress and pressure, and offers some coping strategies that can help to create a more positive, content outlook on life.

Looking for a great book to read during lockdown? Then our Culture Corner feature - in which Caron Krauth discusses Karin P. Schaefer’s recently published Blue Buckle, a can’t-put-itdown look at the way horses influence our lives and how we influence theirs - is perfectly timed!

And for another exciting lockdown activity, why not plan your next holiday? Jane Camens explores some fabulous horse riding holiday options - and to really feed that travel bug, download the PicTrax app and check out some of the great images other travellers have been sharing.

There are some intriguing insights into the biggest horses on earth in Amanda Mac’s musings on the sensational Shire, N. G. Quinlan tells the amazing story of Bill the Bastard war horse, plus there’s 20 Questions with the one and only Vicki Roycroft, as well as all your favourites including our Young Rider, Saddle Review, and Around the Traps.

And finally, we are very proud to announce the arrival of the Equestrian Marketplace, your all-thingsequine online store (you’ll find it at equestrianhub.com.au). We firmly believe that together we are stronger, so please support the businesses that make our equestrian community so special.

As usual, get yourself comfortable, pour your favourite tipple and enjoy.