Category Archives: Amateur Hour

You’ve packed your horse’s finest sheets, scrubbed him within an inch of his life, polished your tack, and made sure that your show clothes are pristine. After a long day...

Ok, so I knew that this fall wasn't really going to be a competition season. Rather, it would be the first season for Fezzik and me together, and the first chance...

Recently, a trainer that I admire on Twitter asked me, “How much would you ask to be paid to set jumps?” I thought this was an odd question, but I...

I have the exact same feelings about riding roller coasters as I do about competing, especially in the jumper ring. If you ask me on any regular day when I'm...

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...

I recently returned to the equestrian world after more than 20 years away. I grew up riding saddle seat in the Midwest, but once college started—quickly followed by world travel...

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...

I first started riding at a fancy stable in Connecticut when I was 11-years old. As I walked into the barn to sign up for my first lesson, I had...

I was tired when I arrived at the barn to ride. I had already been running with the dogs, gone to yoga, and I hadn’t slept well. My thoughts had...

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,...

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...

Our daughter rides. A lot. She spends as much time at the barn and riding as she does in school. By the time kids get to the USEF Pony Finals...

Work log, earth date August 13, 2016, Rider/Horse Mom Laura reporting:   When I last wrote, I had put a plan in place to "get my sea legs back" by...

I lost my best friend a couple months ago. Dutch and I were a team. From the second I sat on him, I knew he was the one. I believe...

Some people don’t believe in love at first sight. And frankly, neither do I. But from the very first moment, he was brought in from the pasture and promptly attempted...

People often compare boat ownership with horse ownership, mostly because they are both money pits and time sinks. But I think the analogy extends even further than that. Here's how...

I am an adult amateur eventer but unlike many of the “amateurs like us” stories I've read, I don’t feel like I am “like them”. I don't consider myself in...

It’s been more than 20 years since my first riding lesson, but I still remember parts of it like it was yesterday. Mostly, I remember the parts I screwed up:...

Let's be clear, I acknowledge this is a first world problem. It’s even an upper echelon first world problem. I have a horse, Rose, that I bought as a not inexpensive...