“I could have done better.” My daughter said it after a local derby where she finished fourth. In fact, I’ve heard that phrase a lot from her lately. At first,...
By the time you read this, my first horse show in nearly 30 years will already be over. As I write this, it's three days away. I'm excited. I'm nervous....
Lameness, sickness, vet bills, heartbreak. What happens when the very thing that once lit you up, the thing you woke up for in the morning, that saved you, no longer...
Not every rider leaves a barn because of something big. Sometimes, they just slowly disappear. They stop asking questions. Then they stop lingering after lessons or feeling excited to go...
It’s been a long while since my horse and I had a truly epic miscommunication. But—as wont to happen in this sport where future kings hit the dirt just as...
Brought to you by Three Mares. When I was 11, my mother bought me an off-track Thoroughbred named Justin, even though our family was already under serious financial strain. On...
I’ve been hearing it often from trainer friends: kids just don’t seem to want to work the way they used to. And I see it myself. Many riders show up,...
Horse shopping is exhausting, especially when you’ve been searching for years with a limited budget. It’s hard enough when you’re shopping for yourself. But when you’re searching for your child,...
When asked what kind of horse I dreamed about, I rarely answered an Andalusian, Friesian, Buckskin, or Blue Roan. I turned and said, "a broke one." When I finally bought...
The barn was always my sanctuary, my space to breathe. Horses were supposed to equate to my happiness. But so often, that peace was overshadowed by stable drama or discontent....
I’ve been a proud member of the US Pony Club since I was a wee kid riding a naughty pony named Pickles. My devotion to this organization has seen me...
Spring is in the air! For normal people this means warmer days and blooming flowers. For equestrians this means Rolex is right around the corner. I just received my tickets...
Monday before the horse show Barn has the nerve to be closed. Prepare and pack clothes for every occasion—heat, rain, snow, tornado, etc.—and definitely bring that adorable new seersucker sundress...
I walked off of the cross country course in tears yesterday. Sweat poured off of my face, and the tears caught into the black mane and glistening neck of my...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNXUho0YbaA You’re heading to the first jump on course. What could go wrong? ONLY EVERYTHING. 1. Your horse spooks A golf-cart backfires, the speakers pop, Jumbotron blows a bulb, the mere...
