Getting to know Megan Pollitt
Name : Megan Pollitt / @_the_girl_in_green_
Whereabouts do you live? Sourhope, in the middle of a valley in the Scottish Borders.
What’s your favourite equestrian discipline?
Dressage, I used to be a XC lover weirdly!
Tell us about the horses in your life
Ruby (Ruby Slippers) is a 14 year old, 16.2hh , bay mare who I’ve owned for almost three months! She’s previously evented but has come to live with me for a little bit of a quieter life, exploring our beautiful scenery, hopefully getting out to do some dressage, showing, working hunters and possibly even some hunter trials if I ever get my brave pants on! She’s a sensitive and sassy girl, with a huge heart, and I’m really looking forward to growing our connection and seeing what the future holds for us! She loves posing for selfies and dislikes walking through mud.
Jaffa (Wildfire) is my 23 year old, 13hh, chestnut , Welsh B/Arab. Wow, where do I start with this little monster! I’ve had Jaff for 14 years I think it is now, he’s my first and forever pony! He has always been such a character, my hardest challenge yet and definitely not a first pony; to be fair, he’d have me on the floor today! He’s now happily retired, living his best life with another pony, two goats and some chickens! Unfortunately, he stayed back in Yorkshire with mum, when I moved to Scotland as we didn’t want to unsettle him. Nothing makes me happier than seeing his ginger face when I go visit back home!
What’s your greatest equestrian achievement so far?
Everything always goes out of my head with these ones! I’ve never done any big competitions or anything too exciting either, so I think I’m going to say winning our first riding club dressage test which was both mine and my horse’s (at the time) first test too! The winning wasn’t the greatest achievement either, it was more that we had gone out, had no mishaps, I’d dared ride in front of people, and we’d actually done a nice test too! A few months before, I’d been told my horse would never do it, he was the wrong horse for me, and for dressage, so it was good to take a step back and work on our faults to come back and then do well too!
What’s your ultimate equestrian dream?
I’d love to be able to have my own transport so I could get out and about. It’s hard to try and plan competitions and training when every outing has the extra £100+ of horsebox hire on! Ultimately I’d love to be able to affiliate in dressage, it’s always been a dream!
Care to share a funny equestrian story?
It’s probably a ‘you had to be there’ moment, but Jaff has a way of embarrassing you whenever he can, he loves an audience!
We were out hacking one day and despite holding up traffic behind (me oblivious at the time) Jaff had decided to take a particular liking to a specific spot and would not move at all. Now he’s only small and at this point, I was quite tall on him, and was having to pony club kick- the lot, normally any leg movement and he’s off at the speed of light, not that day. He stood there for a good 10 minutes, chilled as anything just not moving… anywhere. Of course, this first car in the jam was only someone from my yard who was howling so much she couldn’t even get out to help, I’ve never lived it down to this day.
Best bit of riding advice you’ve been given?
Take the time YOU need.
I think this is important to remember as everyone’s lives, horses, way of learning, finances etc… are all completely different which is going to affect the time it takes. I’m learning not to be so hard on myself for not already being there, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it!
Favourite equestrian brands
I am a big lover of Harry Hall.com and all the featuring brands such as Masta etc. I’ve always used their items and find it super handy being able to find everything all in one place online! Me and the horses are always wearing at least one of their items, they are such good quality and long-lasting! I find the continued support over social media really lovely and couldn’t recommend them for all your horsey needs enough!
Hiho Silver is another brand I have adored since I was very small wandering around Burghley horse trials! As my love has grown, so has my collections and I’m super lucky and grateful to be a brand ambassador for them now too. Such a lovely team to work with, and I take so much pride when wearing my jewellery. My favourite has to be my newest addition, the cherry roller with a red bead in the middle for Ruby!
The Husk. I love the ethos and design behind this brand! I have a saddle pad and I think it’s quite possibly my favourite saddle pad I’ve owned yet, it’s so breathable and Ruby gets on with it really well! Looking online instantly made me create a wish list a mile long though, so do beware!
Apt Cavalier Equestrian. Apt Cavalier has always caught my eye when I’ve been scrolling down socials or on riders out at events. I love the luxury feel to a performance item and love the variety in colours offered too. Very smart and stylish!
One thing we might not know about you?
If you haven’t seen my Instagram bio before then you probably don’t know I work full time as a Paramedic. I actually took three years away from horses before coming back this summer to allow me to study, qualify and settle in the role.
I also have Feather and Fell, which is a small little country & equestrian business that I run alongside work, to help with keeping Ruby and hopefully to save for a horsebox one day!
Do you have anything you deem as ‘lucky’ when you ride/compete?
Nope!
Do you have any superstitions or rituals when you compete? How did this start?
Not really, although I never eat beforehand but I think that’s more nerves!
If you could have dinner with any rider/equestrian, who would that be?
I think it would be Olivia Towers. I just love her and how she is using social media in such a positive, inspiring way.
If you could ride any horse in the world – past or present – who would it be?
It has to be Mr Mulry! What a machine! He looks similar to my old horse Bernard, especially with the dinner plate feet. Imagine the power!
Why did you join Social Supercharge: Riders?
I joined because I wanted to up my social media and create connections with other riders and businesses. Having a solely country feed before I wanted a little help on how to integrate horses into it too. I wanted to create authentic posts, about general day to day life with the horses.
What’s the best thing about the course
I’ve really enjoyed all of it, the format is great and the information is easy to digest and you can keep going back. I enjoyed interacting with others on the course and the opportunities it has brought too! My favourite thing has probably been realising that just because at this moment in time I’m not out competing etc, you can still have an equestrian account, still have those brand connections and actually the ‘behind the scenes’ of horses can be much more loved than professional competition photos. It’s a course suitable for all equestrians, not just the riders too!
Tell us all the places where we can find you
My Instagram is: @_the_girl_in_green_ (https://www.instagram.com/_the_girl_in_green_/)
My blog is: https://meganpollitt.wixsite.com/thegirlingreen
My Facebook is: https://www.facebook.com/TheGirlInGreenEq/
