Kate Matthews Equestrian

29/05/2026

This week has been FULL of making summer plans,
✔️Clinics booked in 💪🏻
✔️Holiday booked 🏖️
✔️Competitions booked 🐴

And it’s really helping to keep me motivated. I have plans for Elvis this year, and for once I feel like I have everything I need.

Talking to clients who seem to be generally feeling the pressure of “I should be doing ……..” the summer months often feel like you should be making the most of everything!

🩲Brave pants on
🧠 Stepping outside comfort zone
💪🏻 Manning up

Sound familiar?

I started the Mindset work because I’d often see riders with enough practical ability but the Mindset was what was getting in the way, feelings of:
🧠 I cant
🧠 I won’t do well
🧠 It’s to scary
🧠 It will go wrong
🧠 What ifs

And the truth is, it’s normal, we’ve all felt confidence wobbles, I know I have,
But what’s also the truth…..

This does not need to be the future,
You do not need to feel like that, it is possible to work on your Mindset, it should be as important as your lessons, the results are amazing, I’ve done the work, I’ve delivered the work, and I cannot recommend highly enough…

Treat yourself to finding your inner cheerleader and quiet that critic down.
You won’t regret it!

For any information just message and we can chat 😄

Happy Friday

Kate x

Ps Thank you for getting to the end 😃
Pps Please share to your friends 🙏🏻

27/05/2026

📆NEW CLINIC DATES 📆

☀️ 7th June Speedgate Equestrian
Polework sessions

☀️ 12th June Cobham Manor Events flatwork, Pole and Jump sessions

☀️ 14th June East Bysshe Equestrian
A 3 Phase, mix and match clinic, dressage, SJ and xc course

☀️ 20th June Foxhill Farm Sand School Hire
Flatwork Polework and jump sessions available

☀️ 25th June Lockskinners Equestrian North xc

☀️ 11th July Cobham Manor EC
Polework, and jump sessions

☀️ 12th July Foxhill Farm
Flatwork, Polework and jump sessions

☀️ 19th July Speedgate Polework Clinic
Polework sessions

All of the above are group sessions, but private sessions are also available, pls just get in touch with your requirements.

Thank you and look forward to seeing you soon 😎

Kate

24/05/2026

Was so nice to be a client on a clinic today rather than teaching the clinic, and Elvis was just outrageously good ❤️

23/05/2026

A pet peeve of mine, over tight girths 😳

There were a lot of people that appreciated the post the other day about setting the saddle before tightening the girth, so I figured I would share a few tips about tightening the girth itself.

A few things I try to focus on:
• Tighten the girth equally from both sides of the horse
• Go SLOW - one hole at a time is appreciated by your horse
• Create movement throughout the process
• Don't over tighten - don't check at the elastic, check from the sternum area

I think it's best to allow the horse to move at least once before the final tighten, and then again after the final tighten and before mounting. This gives the skin, muscles, and soft tissue time to adjust to the pressure rather than being suddenly restricted all at once.

A few common “problems” and things to think about:

1. “Blowing up” or bloating:
Horses are not actually filling themselves with air just to make things difficult. More commonly, they are tightening their muscles and bracing in anticipation of pressure or discomfort. Slow the process down and add more movement. Often that alone changes a lot.

2. “Girthy” horses:

Sometimes girthiness is pain related. Gastric ulcers, back pain, or poor saddle fit are the most common reasons, so having the horse evaluated by a veterinarian, body worker, and saddle fitter is always the first step.

However, girthiness can also become a learned or habitual response based on anticipated discomfort with a history. In those cases, it helps to look closely at the girthing habits of everyone handling the horse. Are people rushing? Tightening all at once? Small changes in timing, pressure, movement, and even where you tighten the girth can help start changing the horse’s association with the process.

One thing I learned from a vaulting lesson I took years ago: you don’t vault onto a horse standing completely still. Why? Because landing force on relaxed muscles is harder on the horse’s back.

While girthing obviously isn’t the same level of impact, the same idea applies. Tightening the girth while the horse is walking calmly in a straight line allows the horse to engage and organize their muscles more naturally instead of bracing against sudden pressure.

Sometimes slowing down for 60 seconds creates a much more comfortable experience for the horse.

20/05/2026

I ♥️ my job 🫶

I genuinely love helping people, I love watching the progress, love watching the determination, the blood,sweat and tears it takes to improve. Being part of that story is amazing 😎

Since I added Mindset to my qualifications, I genuinely believe it’s added to my coaching, I recognise subtle changes, recognise what’s happening, know how to help, understand the need to be there with them in that moment.

When I get a client who is brave enough to realise they require coaching out of the saddle as well as in the saddle, well that’s impressive 👏👏👏

Tonight, unprovoked and without context I received this absolutely brilliant text and this lovely client has worked SO HARD on the physical and mental challenges, and is seeing the benefits and honestly no one deserves it more. So grateful to have the opportunity to help in this way ♥️

💯

13/05/2026

Just Elvis being perfect this week 🥰
A hack round on Sunday. Monday we went off to .uk to play round the minimus arena eventing, after not jumping for at least 18 months, he was a gent and I loved it, gorgeous venue, a definite potential for clinics, and Tuesday a flatwork lesson with .lamy.1 showing off his homework and starting walk pirouettes, honestly adore him, just a pleasure at all times, my gentle, clever boy 💙