Recent content by calder

The main issue I can see with the jabs - as highlighted by the big study linked to above - is that many people lose muscle as well as fat. These drugs are clearly absolute game-changers for many people, but I think it's going to take some time before we work out how best to use them...

I have Cavallo (bought on sale) and Tredstep breeches and Horze jods. I'd buy more Cavallos again in a second. For boots I have Harry Hall Edlington long boots (not for regular wear I've found - the inside wears out, but they are still usable) and no-name half chaps and Mountain Horse half chaps.

Hello, my RS is offering a BHS Stage One - Riding course. I'm wondering if it would add anything to regular riding lessons? For context, I've been riding on and (mostly) off for some years, and would consider myself somewhere between an advanced novice and a low-level intermediate rider. This...

Will do!

Hello, my RS is offering a BHS Stage One - Riding course. I'm wondering if it would add anything to regular riding lessons? For context, I've been riding on and (mostly) off for some years, and would consider myself somewhere between an advanced novice and a low-level intermediate rider. This...

100% know the feeling! I've started (as an adult), stopped and started again several times, and am also from a non-horsey family. It's not the easiest thing in the world to learn, but it is one of the best. If you are only riding once a week progress can feel slow. My advice, for what it's...

Thanks, that's interesting. I definitely see a pattern of schools closing after their owners retire - and I've seen this in a number of other labour-intensive small businesses. I'd fill out your survey if I was female, and therefore eligible! That's not at all a complaint - it's perfectly fine...

I had a pair of those in the 90s. I still ride in basic Gorringe jods - practical and cheap.

51-year old restarter here, trying to find time to ride alongside work and family responsibilities - I'm the only regular rider in my family, although missus and kid have ridden a number of times and I am hopeful of converting them so that it's something we can all do as a family. I've ridden...

I've enjoyed hearing your story, Joseph. I'm also a big guy, but have been able to ride off and on, depending on time, money, family and other constraints over the years. I'm now over 50 and still a novice despite having had a fair bit of saddle time over the years. I don't mind, as I have no...

This was actually done in a tongue and cheek way by David Nutt, who was the government's addiction chief about a decade ago. He was comparing the risks taking ecstasy to riding, arguing that both gave the "user" a lot of pleasure, but also came with risks. The risks of ecstasy and "equasy" - the...

Horsiness is something I’ve never been able to “solve” in my life. It’s been more like a process of discovery, from being a young adult to a middle-aged (very) occasional rider. While agreeing that it’s an addiction, I’ve never owned a horse and probably never will. I felt like I didn’t have the...

Riding school rider... although I'm not regularly riding at the moment for various reasons, which is one of the reasons that I appreciate the flexibility of being a school rider!

I'm a novice rider and have recently been offered the opportunity to help out with a friend of a friend's horses, perhaps in exchange for rides. What do people think 'helping out' usually includes? As an RS rider I have relatively little experience of yard work and horse care, although I usually...

I'm also an adult restarter, now down south (Oxfordshire), but I had lessons at South Causey a long time ago - even more than your 20 years, with the Newcastle University Riding Club. It's the other side of Newcastle from you, though, but maybe worth putting on your list - apart from anything...