Going away to clinics with your horse is different than staying home and different than showing. I had not been away from home with a horse to do anything in...
A few days after my 30-year-old gelding passed away, my neighbor—a mother in her 40's who grew up on a farm before moving to our suburban community—observed my leather Dover...
The sport of horse racing is quite literally archaic. Archeological data indicates that horse racing dates back to at least the ancient civilizations in Greece and Egypt, and served as...
Breeding your mare is a huge decision and commitment. Ever since I owned my first horse, I have always wanted to breed horses and raise my own. This story is...
From being called entitled and lazy to being accused of ruining the horse industry, Millennials tend to get a pretty bad rap. It's said they want more and more in...
Some people vacation on beaches or go skiing in the mountains. Others hop across the pond and chug ale out of steins while noshing on bangers and mash. Some even engage...
It was a few days before my 54th birthday and I was at the starting point at the Amwell Valley Trail Association’s annual hunter pace. My horse Joey, came into...
When I started riding, one of the first bits of information shared by the instructor was the principle of “natural aids.” In subsequent classes at the beginner level, she would...
Like most nineteen-year-olds, I am a broke college student, and when you add being an equestrian into the mix, it only makes things worse. This summer, my parents expected me...
"Don't be so hard on yourself." As equestrians, and people, we tend to hear the above phrase a lot. However, for many of us, it seems like it has become nothing but...
When I was a small child I earned the nickname "Ramrod". My beloved Uncle Bob would giggle as he watched my evil pony attempt to unmount me time and time...
It's a little-disputed fact that just about everyone loves a horseback costume class. Except, maybe, the horses asked to participate in them (don't worry, most get lots of treats when...
When I was fifteen, my trainer pulled my mother aside and recommended that I see a sports psychologist. She said I was a much more capable rider than I gave...
Have you recently attended a dressage show and spotted some seemingly out of place western horses? Western dressage is a fairly new addition to equine competition, and whenever I compete...
It’s happened to most of us: we rode to our heart’s content as children, with time on our side and the bills sent straight to mom and dad—while they secretly,...
In the spring of 1965, I was 12 years old and starting to win lots of ribbons with my horse, Hootenanny, at the Delaware Valley Horseman’s Association (DVHA) horse shows...
When I first laid eyes on my gelding Laeser (that’s pronounced lay-ser, not la-seer or lee-ay-czar—I’m looking at you show announcers...) I was stunned by his handsomeness and privileged to...
