Channel Archives: Opinion

When I was a junior I was fortunate to be able to ride with a young, up and coming rider and trainer, Beth Underhill. I vividly remember her sense of...

So, six months ago this was me. (Warning, the next photo might be a bit unsettling. No blood, just very broken bones. Also, cursing ahead.) THANK GOODNESS I was wearing...

My very first horse was an ex-hunter/jumper in her twenties. She was a true gem of a horse, aptly named Lady Be Good. Due to her former career however, Lady...

We’ve all seen at least one article claiming a high percentage of horses are overweight, or even that it’s an epidemic. While the numbers are true, 40+ years as a...

The day before Poetry sold she broke my phone. I asked her to transition up to a canter, and instead, I hit the hard-packed dirt. The phone made a crunching...

#MeToo has been a powerful social media movement that has brought to light just how many women have been sexually abused and sexually harassed. After actress Alyssa Milano asked followers...

Horseshoe-free hoof proponents can be very enthusiastic and are often devoutly committed to the theory of "natural is best." Often, natural is best. However, shaming people for putting shoes on...

My Connemara cross mare JEF Anna Rose and I finished our 2017 show season the last weekend of August at a close to home recognized USDF/USEF show, held at Longfellow...

These days it's pretty easy to become world-weary, and for many of us our respite is found in the barn, which can seem like an impenetrable world of peace and...

A few months ago, I came across a blogger’s article on the rat race that Young Riders and Pony Club create. I read her description of the feeling of complete...

The classical signs of Cushing’s Disease in horses (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction/PPID) of poor topline, sagging belly and long curly coat that fails to shed are only evident fairly late...

A big part of running a farrier business is educating horse owners. Everyone is at a different level of knowledge and comes to us with a different background, and we...

I hum this in my head to the tune of “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” by Paula Cole at least once a week, and even moreso this last week...

My darling, I've gotten hurt before. My past is littered with traumas. I healed, but that old pain lingered. I ached. There was a shadow over everything I did, and...

There’s been a lot of talk of millennials lately, and most of it isn’t good. Millennials (those born after 1980 but before 1995) have been accused of killing off industries,...

Disclaimer: I have written this article with a focus on show jumping and my examples reflect this. However, the content holds true for all equestrian disciplines. A great trainer will enthusiastically...

Every once in a while we meet a truly remarkable person; a person with a special gift and the ability to carry it out. They are humble, self-deprecating, and like...

On one level, it’s exactly what it sounds like: restricting what you feed your horse. The devil is in the details, though. Exactly what is being restricted, why, and how much?...

Look, your horse is a terror. He kicks the walls, bangs on his door, and paws incessantly in the cross ties. If you so much as hold out your hand...

I rode show jumping horses for 40 years, I have so many amazing memories and am grateful for the success I enjoyed in my career. My most precious recollections go...