Author Archives: Gretchen Lida

“Heads up! Center oxer!” Amara’s voice echoes through the indoor riding ring as she and Silver Streak—a gorgeous, leggy black jumper—canter toward a wooden fence in perfect rhythm. Even their...

I only rode once when I lived on the island of Nantucket, MA. A stranger lent me a fiery Friesian Cross that snorted and puffed across the moorlands. I only...

In the opening scene of middle-grade novel Horse Girl, Wills earns one of the most essential badges of honor for every budding equestrian—she falls off. Clyde Lee, her not-so trusty...

Polo Player Kareem Rosser's memoir Crossing the Line is dedicated to "all the victims of gun violence, my late brother David Rosser, and my dearest friend Mecca."  Like Kareem, David...

One of the most captivating aspects of Bleecker Street Media's new film Dream Horse is that so much of the rags-to-riches story is true. Dream Alliance was a real racehorse, bred and raised...

My biggest fear around horses was never falling off—it was getting trapped.  For years, entering a box stall with a horse sent my inside screaming. Adrenaline sizzled through me the...

You always know there is something up on a horse farm by the amount of sleep the people appear to be getting. Good or bad, the delirious slur of their...

It is not every day that we can glean the advice of braiders and groomers with as much experience as Emma Ford and Cat Hill. As professional grooms, these two...

The new Netflix film, Concrete Cowboy, is much more adult than the young adult novel it's based on. Unlike G Neri's Ghetto Cowboy, there is more swearing, drugs, and violence....

It's impossible to scroll through horsey Instagram and not stumble upon one of those mind-blowing mane or tail braiding videos. The video typically features a hunter with the perfectly pulled...

Many horse lovers have gone through a phase where they knew all the words to Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”  We pined for square-toed boots, a cowboy hat that...

On Saturdays I have been volunteering at a COVID-19 mass vaccination site. It has been strangely magical. There is a buzz of hope, agency, and human connection there that I...

A friend from my writing life now has a horse-crazy kid. She reminds me of all the moms and dads I have met along the way; those parents who now...

Black History Month may have come to a close for 2021, but the celebration of black voices, stories and experiences is a 365-day job. Here in the United States, Black...

It's four months late, but I finally watched the new adaptation of Black Beauty on Disney+. The truth is I had avoided it. After seeing the gauzy trailer dripping with...

On Tuesday, February 9, 2021, the U.S. Center for SafeSport placed 2012 World Cup Final champion and Olympian Rich Fellers and his wife Shelley Fellers on Temporary Suspension due to allegations of...

Lesley A.J. Bauman’s alphabet book, J is for Justify, looks like what you might expect from a good children’s book. Its brightly colored pages of America’s most influential racehorses, gallop...

For many equestrians, the obsession with horses began with a fairy tale. A princess or a warrior rode up on a majestic steed with a long mane and shiny coat,...

"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain." —James...

To recap the unprecedented year that was, we asked horsemen and women from all spectrums of the industry to write a holiday letter to the year 2020. This is the...