Why I Blog – Equestrian Blog Hop

When I saw that the topic for the first Equestrian blog hop hosted by Bridle and Bone was about why you blog, I was a little worried. After all, I’ve already shared on this topic a few times. I’ve talked about how I love writing and connecting with other passionate equestrians was of great importance (you can read more about this here). However,10 months into my blogging journey, the thing that motivates me to continue writing is something entirely unexpected.

Recently I had noticed an interesting interaction between my writing and my riding. It had become evident that through writing about my experiences riding I was actually gaining a deeper understanding. Not long after I was listening to a interview with Australian journalist and academic Waleed Aly. What he said really struck a cord with me, because it was so similar to what I was experiencing.

“Whenever I’m writing anything I’m trying to get to the bottom of what I think about it. I’m not really writing as an act of advocacy even though I am aware that that’s the way it will be received. I’m more writing it as analysis and part of undertaking that analysis is for me to think about things in the world and how I come to understand the world. That’s my main motivation.

There’s a part of me that’s doing it for me, so that I can grasp the issue in a better way, cause I find that you don’t actually understand much about anything until you’re forced to write about it. It’s amazing how you’re grasp of an issue or you’re reckoning with an issue can come to fruition once you start writing in a way that it never has before. Speaking doesn’t do it. Conversation doesn’t do it. Broadcasting something unwritten doesn’t do it.”

Having a natural curiosity for how and why things work, I have a fairly reflective personality. This attitude was fostered by my parents and strengthened through my university training as a dietitian. I long used strategies such as taking notes after riding lessons and have analysed and reflected upon my riding on a regular basis. However, this has been made more formal within my blog. The very act of writing things down has enable me to reflect and understand things on a far deeper level than I have before.

I would even go as far as to say that blogging has shifted my focus in riding from achieving X movement to seeking out learning.  After all recounting a story of how you rode travers is not nearly as exciting as taking your audience on a journey of how you learnt to ride travers, the stumbling blocks you met along the way and the eureka moments!

Now that I have a blog and am beginning to grow a following, I’m keen to use this platform to raise up other everyday equestrians and share their stories. This is how the idea for my featured rider stories was born. I have a few exciting interviews in production, so stay tuned!

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