Author Archives: Caelan Beard

He’d been purchased some years ago from a Mennonite family. When my boss went to see him, he was looking for something safe and reliable; he asked if Lucky was...

We hung on tightly, leaning forward as the horses climbed. Already we’d gone through more difficult terrain than I could have imagined—bogs that sucked at the horse’s feet, mud that...

Ah, ponies. Deceptively cute and decidedly evil, they are the ones that most children learned to ride on, our tiny legs flailing uselessly and bodies bobbing in out-of-rhythm attempts to...

Welcome, human, to the trail ride! My name is Angel and I’ll be your horse for the next hour. One hour, exactly. Don’t you worry, we'll get home on time....

You’ll meet a lot of different people at a trail stable, from those with heaps of false confidence to the shaking kids who are terrified to mount. I’ve spent four...

Whether it’s our main riding pursuit, just something to change up your everyday routine, or a treat you only allow yourself on holidays, most horse riders have at one point...

Tall, gangly, and inquisitive, Basil is one of the biggest characters I’ve ever met. Let me tell you about my weird horse friend. I met Basil in Queensland, Australia. Several...

All horse jobs are prone to their ups and downs. Some days you’re completely on point, all the horses are ready to go, the barn is clean, and you make...

As Jerry stepped carefully over coconuts fallen across the trail, it hit me that you honestly never know where horses are going to take you. In the past, my ability...

Whether it’s our main riding pursuit, just something to change up your everyday routine, or a treat you only allow yourself on holidays, most horse riders have at one point...

When I started working as a polo groom a few months ago, I was excited about the opportunity to learn a bit about a new horse sport. In my 14...

It had been a while since I'd been to a seven-year-old's birthday party, but from what I remember, they didn't normally have bears in them. Teddy bears, sure. But black...

Polo: the game of kings. We've all seen it depicted on TV at some point—gorgeous horses galloping madly after a tiny white ball, players swinging cane mallets, while spectators clad...

Many of us, at some point in our horse careers, end up as trail guides. Whether it’s taking out guests occasionally at your regular riding stable, or a summer job...

The most important thing is not to panic.  It was a skill I’d learned well over the years. Riding horses means learning to control your emotions. I had always been...

One of the questions I get asked most often is if I have any bear spray in my saddlebags. The answer is no: in part because it’d be hard to...