Welcome Elise Broche

Frank Baines Saddlery is delighted to announce dressage rider and horse blogger, Elise Broche as our new brand ambassador. Elise rides Duke in our award-winning Operetta saddle. Elise, has a huge presence on Instagram,  to watch her adventures with Duke and her gorgeous pooch Salsa unfold, follow her on @elisebroche

We chatted with Elise to find out more about her!

Welcome to the Frank Baines family Elise! How old were you when you started riding? 

“I was around 5 years old I think. I started to ride on a little ponies. When I was 11 I got my first pony Falco and I started at the lowest levels on dressage. When I was 16 years old I did some national dressage tests with him and I won almost every competition with him. He was an amazing pony.

When I was 16 I got my first horse Chopin, we were training at young rider’s level but because of a lot injuries we never really got started :(”

Is riding in your blood?
“My Dad rides. When he was younger he did jumping, but now he’s a dressage judge. And my boyfriend is my groom :)”

What or who inspires you?  
My inspiration is Olympic champion Isabel Werth. I love to see her riding!

Tell us about Duke De Niro
“I had Duke when I was 20, so I’ve had him for almost 3 years.
When we got him he was just 4 years old and also just saddle broken, he was green, very inexperienced.

I fell in love with him the first moment I saw him. He’s a really peaceful horse. He’s fine with everything and we can go everywhere.

However, you do need to be an experienced rider with Duke because he’s not a really easy horse. He can be a bit lazy so you need him to get on the leg from the moment you step up!

Once you know how to ride him he’s a really smart and easy going horse that wants to learn everything and he never lets you down. We do a lot together and he gets a lot of treats so I think that’s why we have such a good relationship.”

Tell us about your typical day: 
“Most days in the week I start at 7’o clock in the morning at my internship at school for my instructor B course.

Then, when we are finished I go straight to Duke. Duke goes in the field every morning and I love to ride him around noon.
I work with him every day. No day is the same, we try to alternate our trainings daily and try to go for a walk every week. He also gets some playtime at the longe one time a week. For some people it sounds a lot training everyday but Duke is a horse who needs routine.”

We see dogs in your insta posts. Tell us more!
We have two dogs, Salsa, a 6 month old Australian shepherd and Chanel a 6 year old Spitz. We got Salsa last summer after we lost our oldest dog Bubbels and Chanel was so lonely 🙁

What do you do to relax?
Going for a good dinner. And I love relaxing with Duke. He likes lots of attention and to be brushed a lot, especially on his head.

Where is your favourite place to ride? 
“In our indoor arena where I can put the music at its loudest and where it’s warm and dry :)”

What made you choose a Frank Baines Saddle?
“The sitting, the fitting and the modern design. I saw Frank Baines saddles for the first time at Spoga in Germany.
I had some problems with my old saddle so contacted Frank Baines again to find a fitter for me here in Belgium.
The fitting was really good! Tine measured Duke fully so the saddle would fit him 100%
Then I tested some different saddles and the one that I choose was Operetta. Then I went through all the custom options, I really enjoyed doing that!

Tell us about your ride in your new saddle?  
Since I had my new saddle, for me and Duke it’s made a world of difference!
Duke’s movements are so much better! He has more space to move 🙂
I broke my back 4 years ago and sometimes with my old saddle or other saddles I had a bit of pain after riding, now I can spend as many hours as I want in my new saddle without any pain! So, I’m really happy with it.

It’s been lovely chatting with you Elise, we are so excited to be working with you!