All about Meg

Today we are catching up with Megan (or Meg!) who you may otherwise know from Adventures of Tony Pony on Facebook, Instagram and even YouTube.
 
Read on to find out more about Meg and what she gets up to everyday! We love her gorgeous Dartmoor hack photos - always a treat when one brightens our feed.

Megan  tell us a bit about yourself, what do you do, where are you from, where we can find you online when you’re not on horseback?

My name's Megan but I more commonly go by Meg and I’m about to turn 28! I’m from Devon, just on the border with Cornwall, so am absolutely spoiled for great scenery. I work in Diagnostic Imaging and am currently studying towards my radiography degree. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook as Adventures of Tony Pony, which documents what I get up to with my super horse, Tony. 

What are your eventing aspirations for the 2023 season and are you competing this year? 

Yes! I am planning to compete this year, we had a great first run last year and it’s really got me fired up! I’ve put a lot of effort in over the winter so I’m hoping it’s going to pay off when the season starts. 

I’m looking to ease myself in with a couple of unaffiliated events with the aim of taking part in some qualifiers throughout the year, and hopefully get ourselves qualified for some riding club championships!

We know you had a challenging  few years, especially 2019/2020 after your fall – what tips can you give anyone who  has  lost confidence  in themselves with regards to getting back on the horse?

It took me a long time to rebuild my confidence, bit by bit. I took things right back to basics, I asked myself what did we both love? And that was hacking and exploring, so that’s what we did. I fell back in love with riding my horse again. There are still days where I question my ability, but I wouldn’t be growing and challenging myself if I wasn’t pushing myself out of my comfort zone!  

Laura Collet said “you make your own luck” and she’s so right. 

I say Hard Work Pays Off (#HWPO)  

What do  you love  to do  in your spare time?

Between my job and studying, my free time primarily revolves around my horse. Training, competing and enjoying the hacking locally and a little further afield too. 

I love to be creative which has allowed me to create content for my own social media, as well as working alongside some brands! Photography is my main love, but with the ever changing algorithms on social media I have taught myself some basic videography, skills which I’m hoping to develop further this year.

What is your ultimate Hiho love (favourite piece from the Hiho collection) and why?

It’s hard to pin down one ultimate piece, the beauty of Hiho is that it really is jewellery that can be worn all the time. From mucking out and riding to sea swimming and going out!  

My absolute favourite is the Snaffle ring. It was my first ever purchase and it still looks as good as it did the day it arrived, and I wear it everywhere!

 And finally - what is the best piece of advice you have received when it comes to eventing  or anything in general?

It’s more of a general piece of advice, that I got from a friend of Hiho and a good friend of mine. Being confident is a choice, no one is born confident and no one is naturally confident. You have to make a choice to become confident.  

Even if at the beginning you don’t feel it, by “acting” confident, people will treat you differently, and when that happens you become confident. So the moral of the story and piece of advice is to fake it 'til you make it!