There’s a well-known saying, “Getting old isn’t for the faint of heart.” I imagine it’s not, but watching your beloved horse grow old is no piece of cake either. Maybe that’s why so few people actually do it. Personally, I’ve never had a problem with the dreaded “C” word, otherwise known as commitment. I’ve never…
A virus may be behind some of the bizarre behaviour that is often observed in the horse obsessed, according to a recent study. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore have found that a heightened interest in horses and the compulsion to be around them at all times, is linked to…
Continue Reading Study Finds “Horse Bug’ in People is Caused by Actual Virus
Like many adult riders, I started my equestrian obsession at a very young age. Since riding lessons at the age of eight, a majority of my life has featured horses at the center of it. From trail riding to playing polo, I’ve pretty much done it all. Or so I thought, until recently. Two years ago, I…
Continue Reading I Can Never Ride My Horse (And It’s Actually OK)
This week in “I Can’t Believe This Is Really A Thing” we travel to Finland, where a new equestrian sport is gaining some serious steam. Unlike other equestrian endeavors, this discipline does not require a sizable investment of money and time, and the safety risks are minimal. In fact, it does not even require an actual…
Continue Reading Welcome to the World of Competitive Hobbyhorse
We first met Monty when he was considered “old”. He was adopted into our family when he was 18. His main little rider, Hannah, was just eight years old at the time. A retired racehorse that also had a career in search and rescue, Monty was just what a family with four children needed. As…
Continue Reading Before You Walk On By That Senior Horse, Here’s Something You Should Know…
Recently, a trainer that I admire on Twitter asked me, “How much would you ask to be paid to set jumps?” I thought this was an odd question, but I followed up with one of my own. “Am I a barn kid, client, or just a random person at the barn?” She replied that in…
When I was a kid, I regularly told people that the Tom Petty’s classic “Free Fallin’” perfectly defined my life. In response, those very same people would rightly point out that it did not. In reality, I was raised in rural Pennsylvania, while the woman in the song is clearly a native of the greater…
Continue Reading Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Bacon Have An Anthem For Horse Women Everywhere
Let’s start by saying that we know its not possible for every little kid to grow up with her or his own horse. Boarding horses is expensive and, let’s face it, not everyone can be born on a farm. But for those lucky few who can have a horse of their own—or are trying to build a case for…
Continue Reading 16 Reasons Why Every Little Kid Should Grow Up With a Horse
When canvasing equestrian-related social media, it appears that draw-reins are quite fashionable again. And every “like” says “regression” rather than “retro.” After all, it has been 9 years since the publication of the controversial book Tug of War, by Dr. Gerd Heuschmann, confronted modern horse training and riding methods (specifically in dressage and including draw-reins), claiming they…
The horse world has lost some good riders in the last few weeks. Sadly, it happens all too often. Horses can be unpredictable and people get hurt. Some of it is unavoidable and some of it is totally preventable. Two of the most recent stories were especially hard: One was a 27-year-old professional barrel racer…
I will not acknowledge you by using your name. I don’t think you deserve to be acknowledged at all. I am writing this simply because I want to say, thank you. Yesterday, while I was waiting for my under saddle round, you, without reason, walked up to me and my horse just so you could call him…
Continue Reading An Open Letter to the Trainer Who Called My Horse Ugly
Whenever I tell people (that aren’t horse-y) that I have a horse, I usually always get the same response, and it’s usually a response filled with wonder and awe. If you didn’t hear me tell them that I “Just own a horse…” then you would probably think that I had said that I was a princess of a foreign…
“I need help…he won’t pick his foot up.” “I can’t make her trot!” “He’s not listening to me!” “She won’t stop!” “I just want my own horse…one that will do what I tell it to, that can jump higher, and that I can show.” I try to hide my cringe whenever one of my students…
