About Equestrian Manifest

Welcome to Equestrian Manifest. So, what’s it all about?

I created this site with one simple goal in mind: to connect passionate horse people and create a space where we can learn from each other, share experiences, and feel a little less alone in what can be a wonderfully rewarding, but often overwhelming sport.

At its core, Equestrian Manifest is about community. It’s about opening up honest conversations around competitive horse riding, especially for young riders and the parents supporting them. The aim is to demystify the competitive space, reduce some of the pressure, and offer insight, perspective, and reassurance along the way.

The Motivation

Competitive horse riding demands an enormous commitment from both kids and parents, and sometimes, despite all the preparation in the world, it just doesn’t go to plan. Learning to understand and anticipate the many moving parts is half the battle.

One of the greatest resources we have is each other. Our shared knowledge, lived experience, and willingness to help is far more valuable than we often realise.

This website is my modest endeavour to bring those discussions together. I aim to provide a platform for personal stories, acknowledge successes, examine difficulties, and draw from the insights of judges, organisers, professionals, parents, and children to gain a deeper understanding of all the elements that impact both performance and well-being.

a brown and white horse standing on top of a lush green field

About Me

While working full-time as a TV producer in the commercial broadcast industry, I’ve juggled this all-consuming passion alongside my career, something many other mums will recognise as, at times, impossibly hard. I’m also currently studying a degree in digital communication to broaden my media expertise, with the goal of using my professional skills to support the industry and sport I love.

Over the past few years, I’ve poured every last drop of energy into this pursuit for my daughters, experiencing both successes and plenty of failures along the way. They’re now teenage girls, which adds another layer of unpredictability and endless negotiation.

I grew up riding farm ponies, but nothing could have prepared me for when I bought my 10-year-old daughter her first pony and stepped into the competitive space. I had no idea how little I knew. I’ve lost count of the mistakes I’ve made while trying to navigate it all, and I know that my lack of understanding has at times affected our progress.

I often wish there had been a resource I could turn to, somewhere I could ask the “silly” questions without feeling foolish, rather than guessing my way through and hoping for the best. That’s ultimately why Equestrian Manifest exists. My hope is that this platform becomes a place where those conversations can happen openly, honestly, and without judgment, so that we can all feel a little more supported on our journey.