I RIDE A YOUTUBER'S HORSE... 

Charlotte being so hard on herself is actually heartbreaking. She is a lovely quiet rider, and you can tell how much she loves and cares for Vossi. I really hope she sees all these supportive comments and it helps her positive mentality.

First of all, I’ve been riding hunters and jumpers in the US for 35+ years, and EVERY instructor I’ve ever had stresses that the flat work HAS to be there before you can even THINK about jumping! I was appalled to hear Charlotte say that she never works on flat work. I’ve never taken a “real” Dressage lesson in my life, but my H/J trainers have always had me do extensive work on the flat with correctly framing up the horse, teaching it to bend correctly, lots of collection and extension work (SO important for a jumper to be adjustable around a course/in a line of jumps), LOTS of lateral work to make sure the horse is responsive to your aids and moving his body where YOU want him to, riding without stirrups to strengthen your leg and help you sit correctly, and SO much more! As someone else on here said, jumping is just flatwork with some jumps in the way. I also agree that Charlotte has her horse over bitted and rides with WAY too tight of a rein. While Meg was flatting Vossi and letting him relax and stretch his neck, he looked 100x better (and happier). Meg rode him much better over jumps than Charlotte did, but Charlotte did Meg (and Vossi) no favors by telling her to ride with a shorter rein and to compress the canter stride so much. With such strict control of his head and neck, and being held back to a pony stride, it’s no wonder the poor horse feels like he has to rush to clear the jump, and then is basically forced to jump straight up into the air bc his head and neck are too restricted to use properly. Even though Meg did better with him over jumps, I still saw NO release over the fences. I slowed the video down to .25x speed and rewatched the jumps again and again to be sure of what I was seeing. Sure enough, Meg didn’t move her hands forward in the air to allow the horse to stretch his neck, and she was already sitting up and hanging on the reins as the horse was landing off the jumps. No hate to Meg, Charlotte had her riding with a death grip on the reins, so THAT didn’t help. I also realize eventers can’t give that much of a release over xc jumps bc of the drops and sudden changes of terrain. However, I see it translate over into their showjumping as well. When you are jumping a horse on a level surface over a regular show jump, you HAVE to give the horse a release over the fence! Move your hands up it’s neck so it can stretch out and utilize its head and neck properly to create a relaxed bascule. You also have to let the horse land before snatching back on the reins. Otherwise you end up with a horse being forced to jump like poor Vossi; basically straight up into the air like a gazelle with his head and neck forced up like a giraffe bc (a) the reins are WAY too short and (b) if he even TRIES to use his neck correctly he gets punished by getting yanked in the mouth by that harsh bit! If I were that horse, I would refuse to jump EVERY fence! No hate to either lady, but that horse needs to be ridden by someone who is not afraid of it and who will allow it to come to a jump at a natural stride and allow him to stretch his head and neck over the fence. I’m 100% sure that would stop the “rushing” and “overexuberant” jumping, both of which are caused by him feeling like he doesn’t have enough pace to clear the fence and enough freedom through his head/neck/shoulders to relax into a proper bascule OVER and AROUND the jump, rather than being forced to leap straight into the air like a gazelle to be able to clear the fence. That’s a talented horse, and would be a happier and more beautiful jumper with some different riding and training. PLEASE change the bit and stop with the stranglehold on the reins!! 😭

Definitely agree that while Charlotte has clearly done a great job with Vossi (I don't know them), she could really work on loosening up and relaxing. Holding your hands up high and keeping your reins so tight restricts the horse and holds their balance for them. Like Meg wanted with the lower hands and looser rein will really allow for him to relax and open up and help create his own balance. Also wonder if doing dressage and flatwork more would help give them the confidence to do that. Maybe even looking into some physio for him if he's stiff as well?

Who else was absolutely convinced it was going to be Esme? 😂

Meg, Charlotte AND Vossi?! What a combo 👏🤩

As a dressage rider I love to hear how much Meg values the flat work! ❤

Meg you ride that horse lovely and in the nicest way possible, Charlotte needs to stop being so hard on herself and believe that she can ride her horse amazingly too!! Your both incredible riders💜

He went so lovely with you 😍 I think Charlotte is right about you being softer with him, he definitely appreciates it x

To bad she didn't let you let the rein out more & stretch his neck over that fence. I would have loved to see you ride him the way you wanted. He really wants to stretch his neck. Meg, you handled that so so so classy.

Meg you were so relaxed and fluid- can see how riding multiple horses every day with dressage training makes a big difference. Lovely horse who really responded to you. Well done.

I can’t lie this was quite frustrating to watch just how little confidence Charlotte has in herself :( she clearly adores this horse and has his best intentions and you can’t help but admire her grit and determination over the years working with him but I’m not sure if maybe she needs to switch trainers as her confidence is so low and it translates in her body language which a sensitive horse like voss will pick up on. Her first reaction when she did the course was ‘my trainer would say it was sh*t’ and that’s rlly sad as it looked lovely and a good trainer will always try and help you look on the positive side and be firm but kind with corrections :( plus she says she wants him relaxed which obviously shows she wants the best for him yet shortens his stride into that of a 13.2 and rides with such short reins when he needs some long and low work to stretch that neck and get his whole back moving correctly (pls I rlly don’t mean to sound rude that’s not at all my intention I just think she’s been ill advised). Plus he needs more room in front of the fences rather than those deep dead strides. And showjumping is just flatwork with obstacles ! If your horse can’t work on the flat don’t bother focusing on the jumps as the in between is the most important part : the preparation, your lines, approach, landing etc . Also it is generally a good idea to do more technical slightly bigger excersises at home rather than at shows as it’s best to make mistakes at home so u dont at the show and it’s so good for improvement as a partnership to challenge yourselves. I think opening up his stride and allowing him to travel forward and stretch out his neck and top line a bit will be really beneficial for him and I would love to see Charlotte believe in herself more as there are so many positives and she’s more than capable ! Beautiful horse 🤍

He definitely jumped a lot more relaxed when you let him go slightly rather than holding he goes tense in the poll. Must be a fairly difficult ride! You made him look so easy. He’s a very clever boy. Well done all😍

He went so much better with you riding, being allowed to move forward did him a world of wonder! Maybe his rider needs to release him a little more to allow the freedom

I just finished the video… I truly feel she’s afraid of her own horse and that makes me so sad, I hope she can get past that ):

Personally, I think a lot of the distances that Charlotte said were long and to told you to hold him more weren't actually long distances, they were just the right distances. As a rider you should be comfortable moving up to a distance, and I think you rode a lot of these strides wonderfully, allowing the horse to move. This is no hate at all to Charlotte, I just believe that a "long" distance isn't always bad, it can help you out in a lot of tricky spots

You’re such an incredible rider, riding all these horse you’ve not met!! Keep up the great work Meg 🫶

Charlotte has done such a great job with him. How cool to have a sit on Voss. He's really a lovely horse with great breeding. Talented horses are not as easy as they look.. and it's the difficult ones who train us to become the horsewomen we're meant to be. It's clear that he is Charlotte's heart horse, and I've loved watching their bond strengthen over the last couple years. Great vlog, everyone!

Vos went beautifully for you Meg! He's so much happier with kind hands. Would be amazing to see you event him!!! He really could be something special 🥰

24:16 this bit impressed me so much. I love how much consideration meg shown him there and then how quietly and nicely she asks him to move off. It's such a simple, sweet and respectful thing to do for a horse. We don't see that enough in most riders. I love you meg you are just amazing! Keep up the good work.

A lovely athletic horse, who needs more freedom in the neck. I don’t follow Charlotte, and hope this isn’t being negative, but do feel she is over-horsed. He appreciated your softer method Meg. Just my view.

meg he looks amazing with you on him that long rein really makes a difference !

Meg you rode him beautifully! Vossi seemed to really respond to quieter and softer riding brilliant job ❤

I hope she finds confidence one day. Confidence and allowing the horse some freedom is king, brilliant ride Meg

If we cut the audio out of all the “steady steady steady steady whoa whoa” when he’s already striding like a 13.2hh it would be a MUCH more appealing video!!

He looks so nice with you on him! Really nice ride. Hope charlotte will find the confidence she needs to ride him more softly and confidently.

I loved how you helped to make his canter alot less stiff and choppy but also didn't let him run away too much 😍😍

I relate to Charlotte so much when I see other people riding m horse😂

It’s pretty sad how insecure Charlotte is, I’ve never seen her content before but she makes so many comments about Meg being better than her said in a jokey way but still obviously sad behind it. And then talking so much and telling Meg how to ride to make herself feel better, rather than watching as you can learn so much from watching someone else ride your horse especially when they’re more experienced - in this case letting him have his rhythm and a longer rein!

It’s lovely to hear you reinforce one another and recognize your strengths. Sometimes others are better advocates for us than we can be for ourselves. Vos looks like a rocking horse!

You looked incredible on him! He really opened up and relaxed. It would of been amazing to of seen you jump him the way you wanted. I can't help but feel the constant over shortening of the rein and stride, is just socking him in the mouth every time he jumps. A very very honest horse. He would absolutely smash BE with you. I can't help but feel a little sad for the horse that has so much flare and scope to be a little 'stuck' and maybe a tad over-bitted with Charlotte. Sorry 😔

I think it's funny how completely confident you seemed on a horse that has a solid buck and some sass vs. the clear schoolmaster in the last video... you were fab on both!

Not Meg Elphick asking for the jumps to go bigger 😂 Well done he looked so relaxed and that back end is incredible!!

Obviously take outside advice with a grain of salt but as a trainer that has ridden hot horses as my life. It would benefit char and v tremendously to do that flatwork and learn to go on a longer rein. True suspension comes from the hind legs not the reins pulling🤍 if he doesn’t get bodywork done already I think it would make a huge difference. In hotter horses I’ve seen great improvements using positive reinforcement as the chewing relaxes the jaw and then the mind. They deserve to get paid for their work as well😊❤️

If Charlotte would be happy for you to ride him eventing, I'm sure Voss could go far! He looks EPIC 😍 second getting Charlotte in on Cams lessons!!

Buy him! Your getting a great tune out of him way way better tune then Charlotte and he's listening to you, he likes you. Unfortunately sometimes just because you love your horse and like riding him doesn't mean that the horse is the right fit for you and your compatibles is together and watching this proves it. There is nothing wrong with Charlotte's riding but the horse does not gel with her, he does with Meg!

That’s one very scopey horse. Possibly a little too much horse for Charlotte. She’s right about needing more flatwork as Meg says the jumping comes from the flat. Please take this horse on and let him express over three disciplines.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hrZgtrqbMVI.html Charlotte needs to have a friend lunge her on her horse for a few to 10 days so she can concentrate on becoming comfortable with his true gaits. And she is WAY too good a rider to be pulling in his head like that to make him do what she is comfortable with because what she is comfortable with and what she is CAPABLE of, easily, is a huge gulf. She would be just fine if she rode in a French link and she should seek a trainer like Dan who can help her realize that she is allowing nerves to get in the way of allowing her and her gorse from realizing more success. (This is easy to experience when you train at home without consistent instruction as a DIYer.) Lunge lessons help remove the reins from the situation would and allow her to become more comfortable with his big movement. He is powerful but she is TOTALLY up to the task. (THEY LOOK WONDERFUL when she is preoccupied with and focused on just getting where she needs to go and getting ready for the next jump.) She gets too much in her head on the flat, and when she has jumps she relaxes and seems to really step up nicely. I am happy for her to have this horse. ❤️ But if she doesn't learn to ride from seat and leg, (which can come with more lunging practice and classical dressage/centered seat riding lessons) she could lame him up/ wear him out early. The other thing that came to mind was that if she truly needed spurs...she certainly did NOT need such a strong bit. I really believe both of you would do really well to learn even more and concentrate on half halts and how to train your horse to be consistently responsive to half halts from the seat and leg. This would probably require a visit to a dressage trainer. But at the least, using Canter poles and raised cavaletti to force the horse to do what you need while you exaggerate the seat and leg aids ( while holding with the abs) ✌️💕💕💕 Nudge nudge, I would LOVE to see that lesson...😁

Meg you rode Vossi so well, and you have such a calming effect on him, and so you kept the fire contained beautifully. 👌

It’s truly amazing to see how far you’ve come with your attitude towards your view on yourself and spreading that to others! This was such a lovely, heartwarming vlog spreading love and positive affirmations! I’m loving this series so far🥰🥰

Meg you look absolutely phenomenal on him! Baring in mind you’ve never sat on him before, you had him going beautifully. What a talented horse 😍

So lovely to see him so relaxed with you Meg! He went beautifully with you such a nice picture ☺️

You suit him so, so much! A really good match. Vossi looks so fun! X

What a brilliant day we had! Oh Meg, my mum and I were laughing the whole time! Promise i’ll only say this one more time - YOU RODE AMAZING GIRLY🤩 PS; Why am I being so annoying and talking like I’m a qualified coach please - please forgive me😂🙈 xx

Wow, Meg, you rode him so well! And you were sooo much more confident than in the last vlog with Dan, keep going in that direction!

you've really knocked it out the park with this vlogmas so far. you're so incredible and thank you for being you!

The difference in your confidence level between today and the lesson with Dan is night/day

You’re such a lovely soft, quiet rider Meg & Vossi is divine 😍. Well done with his training Charlotte. Great vlog! x

Absolutely blooming loved this. Charlotte is so lovely. The quality of this footage is incredible x

Meg, Not only are you a lovely rider, you are also a lovely person in general. You are so such a sweet, funny person and you always manage to make me smile. Please never change ❤

Megs Vlogmas never fails to make me smile

I really enjoyed those moments of you and Charlotte taking the time to have chats about riding style, what works/doesn’t work, fears, etc. You rode him beautifully, and it was lovely to see him relax more and more. This year’s Vlogmas is the best so far - super excited for the next video!! 👏🤩

Great video Meg. Great riding. He was fantastic. He needs a bigger challenge in his jump, he seemed like he would get very bored jumping so small. Amazing.

Meg he looked so smart with you that was insane! And to see you so confident, wanting to go up with the height is so nice! I don't know when you filmed this but seriously amazing well done you! 🥳

Brilliant - your conception of the Christmas blogs is innovative and exciting. I give you a lot of credit to leave your comfort zone and conquer some of your fears. Also kudos to Charlotte for including Pete’s eats Both you and Charlotte got so much out of this experience - thoroughly enjoyed it ❤

He’s such an incredible horse, Charlotte’s done such an amazing job with him! You rode him so well😍

You ride him amazingly !! Best ive ever seen him ......well done

I hope we see some more of this series after vlogmas or at least see it return for next year! This really goes to show what a fantastic rider you are as well. To hop on unknown horses and hold your own is quite impressive, well done!

This is such a lovely video to watch following the one with Dan after Bicton, so nice to watch you having fun Meg! X

I've been loving these vlogmas series alot Meg! Amazing work, Love it all!

Such a good combo, Meg. You should have him. Such an ace horse for you!! You rode him beautifully 😍 he would definitely go far with you!

These vlogmas videos have been so fun! I feel like your ride on Vossi was so good for you and Charlotte!

You rode him so well! You looked so at home on him and confident! Well done xxx

I think Meg riding your horse shows the good training you put on him. LOVE those flying changes.

Charlotte really needs to give herself credit where credit is due x he is stunning and a tribute to her hard work x good job to you for beautifully riding as always Meg xx

well done meggg! you have done so much better recently you are improving so much!!

Lovely riding Meg, a little frustrating to watch at times, but nothing to do with you, I think Vossi appreciated your riding style and lack of spurs for sure :)

You looked amazing on Vossi, Megan! He looks great under you AND Charlotte ofcourse! 🤩 I love him already. You’re so talented and such an amazing rider, you really really motivate me! I’m going to start jumping again with my horse I think. Thank you so so much for all the work you do and the content you put out for us. I also really enjoy this vlogmas with the different horses, but obviously I love love love your ponies as well ❤

Calling for more Charlotte and Meg content!!! Charlotte needs to get on Jam now, get them together and go for a hack, literally anything! You guys works so well together ❤

Honestly, both Meg and Charlotte ride so well! Can’t wait for the next episode to come out!!!

I loved the summary observations from the horse owner at 49:00. You really nailed what I had observed. I felt you were riding , expecting an issue, instead of riding the horse under you. I can understand how that can happen, at some point there needs to be trust. I think you'll have that going forward. Your horse wants to trust you, but it has to be both ways. It appears your horse has gotten over whatever tricks he had been using. It's always good to pay attention every second with a challenging horse, but that is different from riding what you have and riding for potential trouble. You're both brave riders.

Both rode incredibly she shouldn't put herself down she just needs more confidence to relax and not be defensive in her riding she has such a talented horse they will go far 😍! Meg you smashed it!!❤

What a sweet person Charlotte is! Great video Meg, you make such a good teacher.

Lovely riding Meg and well done Charlotte - you’ve done such a great job with him. Lovely to see you both just having fun ❤ 🐎

Brilliant, fun vlog! Great to see horsey girls supporting each other with such positivity and great riding! 🥰 Love the Pete's eats too 🤭

I think it is so funny that Meg is in a T-shirt and Charlotte is all bundled up! Great riding both of you. Vossi is such a nice boy :)

Meg, absolutely amazing as ever. What a fantastic vlog. And thank you for the introduction to Charlotte - she’s fab and have just subscribed to her to follow her journey with the beautiful Vossi! xx

You should feel so very proud of yourself Charlotte. You've put in all the hard work to make this the reality for other riders! Congratulations Charlotte and we'll done Meg! Xxx

Another super video. I really like watching you ride new horses...it seems that your confidence grows as you go along. Fun video. Can't wait for the next one.

Can’t wait to watch this! Loving vlogmas already and it’s only just begun!!❤

Couldn't figure out why his neck is a little funny, it's cause she holds him back so much he isnt muscled correctly lol

I love your channel Meg, you put so much effort into your videos to give us entertainment and I just want to say thank you ❤💕🐴

You are literally the best rider ever! I saw you ride in person once and your had such a good bond with Jam and Dee!

Literally waited for this vlogmas for what felt like weeks 😍 you looked stunning on that gorgeous gray 😍🎄 best vlogmas I've yet to see

I think Charlotte should come and ride one of yours! I think she'd quite enjoy a pony! Lovely vlog, she needs to give herself more credit for her horse! The improvement has been insane! Well done both 💕

Honestly, been waiting for this collab for 3 years ❤️❤️

Loving Vlogmas. Charlotte is such a good sport. A KWPN, sizing up. Lol. You are so talented. Oh, please make sure your car head rest is set for you, not just for the taller Pete. We all want you safe!

Fabulous riding! It’s true what you said - always easy to be more confident on someone else’s horse - but you were so relaxed and looked so natural with him. How lovely of Charlotte to share her dear Vossi with you - and to BAKE for you too!! 😂❤😂

Your such an inspiration honestly back a few months ago I had a few confidence knocks and you've have helped get my confidence back just watching u ride

I love seeing you ride lots of different horses it's so interesting!

Vossi is some horse! Charlotte needs to stop being so hard on herself! She’s done an absolutely phenomenal job with this horse! You’re both incredibly amazing riders and watching you both ride in one video was truly beautiful! Well done to you both! ❤️ phenomenal! Absolutely phenomenal!

Absolutely love this vlog Meg! You and Vossi make a great pair! He is very cool! Loving this series so far - feels like very grown up EEP content and I'm here for it!

Charlotte is such an amazing person! Absolutely love her.

well done Meggie, nice to see you confident again xx

I LOVED this! Loved the casualness of it. Thank you so much.

Thank you for this video, I felt like I had a riding lesson vicariously while thoroughly enjoying this beautiful smart horse! It seemed like a mutually beneficial experience for Esme and Charlotte. Subbed to Charlotte's channel because I am obsessed with RU-vid horse videos and finding good content creators!

Wow what a stunning horse! You are both incredible riders, interesting to hear both your views. I will definitely be following Charlotte from now on.

Fab video Meg!! You're my favourite vlogmas ❤️ You are both fantastic riders, Charlotte don't be so hard on yourself, which I know is so much easier said than done! I aspire to be able to ride as well as both of you!! Vossi is a beaut 🥰

Meg this nearly has me tearing up!!! You’ve ridden him so well, he’s clearly not an easy ride at all, and to say you had a fall at your last event and you can still get on other people’s spicy ponies and ride so amazingly is so inspiring!! Loving the music near the end too, I hope it’s a reoccurring theme through vlogmas! I’ve loved every second so far I can’t wait for more❤️

Loved watching this one! Charlotte and her pony/horse 😂 are amazing! Great riding on a talented and smart boy!

I am so excited!! I love Charlotte sooo much!! It’s good to see two of my favourite RU-vidrs getting together!!