Author Archives: Nina Fedrizzi

Some horses begin their careers with a whisper. Cortes ‘C’ began his with a bang.  Way back in 2011, then-two-time Olympic gold medalist Beezie Madden tried the Belgian warmblood gelding,...

While waiting outside the ring for the course walk of the combined Children’s/Adult Jumper Classic at a recent horse show, I couldn’t help but notice the antics of one of...

Olympic show jumper Rich Fellers pled guilty this week to traveling interstate to engage in illicit conduct with a minor, according to a recent report by Portland, Oregon’s KOIN 6 News....

SHROPSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM—“Teddy,” the newly internet-famous Welsh pony of the “killer pony” video on Reels and TikTok, isn’t in on the joke. The widely circulated and remixed meme, which states,...

On July 3, Churchill Downs extended its two-year suspension on racing trainer Bob Baffert through 2024, citing “continued concerns regarding the threat to the safety and integrity of racing he...

ALLENTOWN, NEW JERSEY—Two former best friends and college roommates had a falling out this month, resulting in multiple sabotage attempts by both parties—some of them “downright savage” according to authorities. ...

The most revered week in horse sport is about to commence at the CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival CSIO5*. Taking place June 27–July 2, the U.S. has named its team...

Ashley Vogel (USA) had big plans going into the summer of 2022. Taking six months off to rehab a knee injury wasn't one of them. The worst part—and the best?...

Having ridden my fair share of young or newly started horses “just back from the cowboy” in my youth, I thought I’d come into parenting my toddler with a few...

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK—Claire Fisher did not have the round she was hoping for in her Pony Medal class on Saturday during the HITS Saugerties Horse Show.  After circling once, pulling...

In a perfect world, there’s nothing obstructing the connection between you and your horse. In reality, every horse’s back and shoulder conformation is different and changes over time. Even the...

In a sport where holding on to good horses can be as hard as keeping water between your palms, the Bourns family is a bit of an anomaly. Based in...

There’s a big week of show jumping ahead at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC. Not only will tbird’s CSIO5* Odlum Brown BC Open stage the coveted $235,000 Longines Grand...

At 17 years old, most high school kids are thinking about homework, dating, and driver’s licenses. American show jumper Caroline Mawhinney? She’s got bigger fish to fry.  “She can’t drink...

This week at Thunderbird Show Park’s MLSJ Canadian Premier, the CSI5* start-list is packed with fresh American faces. How fresh? Nearly half of the 16 Big Tour riders from the...

It was a fight to the finish for two of the fastest horses in the business—Daniel Bluman’s (ISR) Cachemire De Braize and McLain Ward’s (USA) Catoki—in Thursday’s $38,700 FEI 1.45m...

IRVING, CALIFORNIA—After decades following the established hunter/jumper theories of Bert de Némethy, Gordon Wright, and others, a new school of riding is turning one of the sport’s most established notions...

When you like the type of horse American Olympian Kent Farrington does, biding your time is just part of the process. Hot, careful horses are hard to catch in the...

NOBLESVILLE, INDIANA—On the eve of his retirement from the hunter/jumper industry, horse trainer Bobby Smith reflected bitterly on the current state of the sport from a dimly lit corner booth...

For me, the writing's on the wall. I can’t actually remember when I first realized I was a highly superstitious person. It might have been in my teenage years, while...