July has been a very difficult month for the powers that be in Show Jumping in the United States. First, there was the fallout from the unprecedented lengthy suspension of...
So you want to become a horse trainer, huh? Sounds like fun—doing what you love and getting paid for it? Score! You are about to embark on a wonderful journey...but...
While scrolling through Facebook recently I came across a post titled “10 Reasons Not to Buy an Off-The-Track Thoroughbred”. You’ve got to be kidding me, I thought. Surely this is...
Stallions, in many ways, are like overgrown kids, and 'mom skills' can come in really handy. For instance, sensing when things are too quiet and having eyes in the back...
You know how sometimes you can't remember how to spell the word "the" or you say the word "fork" out loud and feel nearly certain it's not an actual word?...
If there is one simple change to your horsey routine that doesn’t get mentioned much but would really make your farrier’s (actually, everyone’s) life easier, it would be these three...
Look, I might have gotten (slightly) taller, a lot older, and perhaps a little squishier around the middle. But in my heart of hearts, I’m still a barn rat—through and through....
I have sold quite a few horses. Some for a lot of money, some for a little. Some which had training for years and are solid citizens at their discipline,...
We all know horsey folk are made of sterner stuff than the average person. “She’s as tough as old boots, that one” is a compliment considered high praise by most....
It’s perfectly natural to want a silver bullet that will instantly remove the threat of devastating health problems like laminitis, but it’s just not that simple. The latest proposed silver...
I walked to the start box today and stared down at my horse's neck, trying to calm my nerves and relax my core. His black mane was streaked with white,...
I can remember moving to Lexington, KY a decade ago and thinking: “Now. Now is when I finally learn to ride.” I grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania...
Annoying quirks and bad habits? We've seen a few... 1. The catch-savvy horse Dedicated to his craft, this horse is literally the most frustrating creature on four legs, especially if...
From your first riding lesson, you were told to pick your horse’s hooves out every single day (or you should have been). If you did Pony Club or 4-H, you...
Dear Single Horsewomen, If you are like me, you slightly dread those dinners with all the other equestrians. The ones where everyone sits in a circle and swaps stories about...
Riding horses is exhausting. No, I’m not talking about the physical exhaustion that comes with hours in the saddle. I don’t mean the sore muscles, aching back or multitude of...
There is a saying among those in the American Saddlebred world that “once you rack you never go back.” Though no one knows the exact origins of this old adage,...
I may own a farrier business with my husband, but I’m still an amateur rider and competitor. It’s a tough world out there. All the articles I see online mostly...
My thoughts about my body and outward appearance and that appearance’s connection to my self-worth is kind of like one of those dangerous see-saws made from old tractor parts. One...
