For junior riders, ‘catch riding’ is a huge thing in the hunter/equitation world, and to some degree in the jumper world. As a freelancing professional, it’s a little tougher; most...
I am probably more old-school than most, so I see our industry as being very different than it used to be. I’m not sure if it’s for the good or...
As a trainer, teaching a 7-year-old, I would immediately put him or her on a pony. To start, the size is the best fit, safety-wise. I have always felt that...
This is very hard because you must understand that, truthfully, the equitation division is like figure skating: the look does matter. As a trainer, I personally don’t think the best...
I have such mixed emotions about this one! I began training in the day that thoroughbreds were being used less and less, and warmbloods started being used far more often...
For the uninitiated, “the jog,” as it’s often referred to, was a required part of certain recognized hunter divisions at USEF-rated competitions. Riders who’d placed in a class were called...
When I have a client that it is ready to start looking for a new horse, there are lots of conversations I like to have with them long before the...
The path to a high-level, professional riding career in the hunter/jumper industry has changed SO much in the last 20 years. Today, the cost of horses, shows, and full-training/care has...
Like everything else in life, the more you trust someone, the more vulnerable you are to getting hurt. Horse sales are no different. In a perfect world, every trainer...
This is a question that oh-so many parents don’t fully understand. Riding in college is a very different game from other sports. First and foremost is the pipeline aspect. Many...
Do you think horse prices should be published/public knowledge? It's no secret that equestrian sport, like many elite sports, has a lot of money involved. One thing that we have...
The FEI’s recently released 2023 draft revisions tackled many of the usual suspects: noseband tightness, board matters, biosecurity, and more. But it also readdressed the Federation’s 2020 social media policy,...
The coach who sexually abused my daughter pled guilty to criminal charges last week. How do I feel? It's complicated. For the past three years I've had to shut my...
I recently read California hunter rider Hope Glynn's widely shared post following the close of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) 2023. And, like so many others, I think there’s a...
And when you’re stuck in the proverbial rut, what can you do? Six years ago, I was standing outside my horse’s stall just minutes before mounting up to compete in...
This week, USEF released its nominees for the 2022 Horse of the Year and Equestrian of the Year Awards. Voting is open now for the nominees, who will be announced...
It’s that time of year again! Time for one of the premier events on the international show jumping calendar, CHI Geneva! CHI Geneva is not only one of four events...
Every time I mount a horse, I’ve started do this new thing. It began with my own horse, back in the early days when I was newly pregnant, and he...
Didn't we once all want to be veterinarians? If you were a horse kid, at some point you more than likely told people you wanted to be a vet when...
Many of us let generational insults fly willy-nilly. "Baby Boomers are out of touch." "Gen Xers are such downers." "Millennials are so frivolous." "Gen Z are too sensitive." As a...
