Kirstine Douglas
The showing producer on harnessing her Shetland to sledge and OCD tidying
The biggest mistake I have learnt from…
Never take a horse out to compete before it’s ready. Follow your instincts — you know your horse the best. It can set you back months if the horse isn’t ready.
My best tip for warming up…
Give yourself lots of time and don’t panic — easier said than done.
My best tip for saving time around the yard…
I’m very OCD and I tidy up as I go along. My girls get fed up with me because I tell them to put things away when they’ve finished with them — it makes everything easier. The younger ones are the worst — maybe they’ve had it too easy and their parents buy them everything they want. If they had to buy their own grooming kit, they’d look after it. When I was at Robert Oliver’s, everyone had their own kit. And you looked after yours because it cost money to replace it.
My secret weapon is...
My Haas brushes, Solo Grip breeches and Black Country saddles. I’d be lost without them.
Laughing at my horsey blunders…
When I was a child in the winter in the snow, my sister and I would harness my Shetland Brandy to the sledge and he’d pull us around on it — until he got fed up and tipped us off. He was such a character.
The best event after-party…
At the Scottish Horse of the Year Show held at Dabbs Equestrian Centre in Fife, we partied till 5.30am every morning. All the champions received magnums of champagne and we’d drink them all night… I broke my collarbone at the party and rode in the supreme on the Sunday without knowing it. Those were the days when we all partied together.
When I get away from it all…
I spend all my time on the yard — I don’t really go out and about. I’m not very good in crowds.
When I’m in the lorry, I listen to…
Ed Sheeran, if I’m driving. If not driving, I catch up on some sleep.
‘Give yourself lots of time to warm up and don’t panic — easier said than done’
My most memorable win…
Barneebus taking the cob of the year title at Horse of the Year Show [HOYS] in 2012. They all have their place in your heart but that win was special. He had won practically everything but had just missed out on HOYS until then.
My earliest equestrian memory…
I would never ride with a saddle, only ever bareback. We’d practise mounted games on the ponies at home, vaulting on and leaping off. I think so many people miss out on that sort of thing now. But I still do it on the sensible ones.
Settling down with…
I must have Horse & Hound on a Thursday — I call it my bible.
What I’d tell my 15-year-old self…
Follow your heart. Even if it’s not the most financially rewarding thing, don’t overthink it. I followed my heart and I’ve loved every minute of it.