As Harry Hall Ambassador Ella Lucas starts her second season of British Eventing, she shares five biggest things she learnt as a newbie last year 

Beyond regaining feeling in my fingers, one of my favourite things about spring is of course the event season beginning (hooray!). Last year was my first full year as an affiliated British Eventing (BE) member, and so I thought I would share with you my top tips and things I learned along the way for anybody starting out this year.

Now Spring is here I find myself constantly wondering what rug to put on Ruby who is a chunky cob.  I always believe in having her in the lightest of rugs possible, but can see how easy it would be to over-rug, thinking it would be better to keep your horse warm than let it get cold. The biggest issue at this time of year is that mornings are quite chilly but as the day warms up the horse may then sweat under the thick rug that was put on in the morning. 

So with winter over and the season starting, I wanted to let you know what I have found has helped improve my fitness as a rider. I have been guilty in the past of focusing on building my horse’s fitness and that coming number one, whilst my own fitness taking a backseat.  The rider’s strength, flexibility and fitness play’s a crucial role in the ability to perform for both horse and rider. It’s hard to find time to focus on your own fitness in between work, horses and everyday life; however there are a few fun ways I have tried to improve my fitness when riding that doesn’t take up a massive chunk of the day!