RingCraft 2022 - an Autumn update.

Since December 2021, life has been very different for our Hack Up Bespoke founder.

"As much as I've loved creating, spear-heading and driving Hack Up Bespoke to become what it is today, I've known for a few years that I needed to find a different path. To get back to what I do best and enjoy most: judging and catapulting progression within the arena. Tech really isn't my forte, I make no secret of that, and there's no fun to me with spending 12 hours a day in front of a computer. Jayne is the tech queen, I'm no tech king and never have been, so with subscriptions, TikTok, Instagram, influencers, algorythms all becoming totally necessary, my time steering the ship looked numbered some time ago. I'm not going to lie, I've loved speaking to the thousands of loyal and happy HU customers every working day, but my ability to track parcels and to work the software systems falls short of what is required to help the company grow. Jayne and the team have done a fab job over the last 10 months to keep the show on the road for Hack Up Bespoke and this allows me more and more time to follow this, my new path. I have no doubt Hack Up Bespoke will continue to grow and be successful globally, as it makes sense. It's logical, yet there are still no competitors willing to put the time, money and effort in to providing a better product and/or service for their customers. Here's to the continuing success both inside and outside of the arena for us all!"

Back in December 2021, I was determined to finally get over the line with my List 3 upgrade, so I closed the doors to my study for weeks and focused entirely on Medium 75, studying every YouTube video available online. Some thought I had finally cracked. But I knew what I was doing, and nailed it!!  It's so not easy to tick all the boxes to upgrade when you're juggling lots of balls with a full time job and familiy, so this was the feather in the cap I needed to be able to take this new route on a full time basis. Now that I am, it's far easier to tick these boxes and hopefully progressing up the scales will be an easier and faster process. I certainly hope so, as it's taken me 10 years to get to List 3! I've also been doing all the necessary box ticking to get further up the FEI system to hopefully be transferring to Level 2 in 2023.

There are lots of pure dressage folk that I see on my rounds, but the vast majority of my clients are eventers. The dressage phase in eventing is becoming more and more important as the sport tries to make it safer yet keep the jumping side challenging. Trying to get a horse that's bred and conformed to jump carefully and at speed to perform in a dressage arena with power, suppleness, softness and control is an art in itself. This is my speciality, where I feel I can help folk most. I never imagined at the start of the year that I'd have trained with earpieces atleast one member of eventing pony team, juniors and young riders to help get their marks up. Totally humbled by the quality and ability of the regular customers that I now see each month and I have no idea exactly where where all this is heading for me.

I'm passionate and loving what I do. After the isolation of Covid, it's amazing to be getting out and spending all my time doing something I'm truly passionate about and with like minded people who are all a bit eccentric and driven by the same love of horses and competing them.

The advice for dressage judges is to stay off facebook and social media whenever possible, to avoid potential issues understandably. But I feel strongly that there is a place for helping folk improve their performances and make their efforts more worthwhile by progressing further and faster. For too long, too many people have simply done the same and got the same results. If they don't know what's required, where the rewards, deductions and firewalls are then how can the get the best from their horse, on the day? So by following protocol to the letter I'll continue to reflect on my learnings and will convey them the best I can to help others. This is part of who I am now and I've no doubt I've a book or two in me for later on.

So where now?

After 10 months of trying to grow my RingCraft customer base, I'm now in a position to be able to focus on the clients I have and that's enough to keep me busy full time. This next decade will hopefully see me getting as far as I'm capable of getting up the Judging ladder, both BD and FEI. It's always been a dream to Ground Jury at Badmington and Burghley and to train team regulars both at home and abroad. There's no limits to my dreams right now and where there's hope, passion and determination, then nothing is impossible or out of reach. So feeling blessed and confident at the same time, but under no illusions that it will need my deepest resolve to be able follow this through."

Alex G