10 Equine Grooming Habits That You Need To Ditch
BY GRACE SALMON
Whether we have our sights set on the show ring or lessons at home, most riders share a common goal: to keep their horses looking great. Often times we are so focused...
Where Have All the Barn Rats Gone?
BY PONYMOMAMMY
Lately, I’ve heard a lot of talk about how young riders have changed since when I grew up. What happened to the good ol’ days where barn rats ran amuck for hours on...
The Breyer Model Horse That Sold for $22,000
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
Every summer before the hunter/jumper crowd flocks to the
Kentucky Horse Park for the Kentucky Summer series, a group of folks comes to
show with a very different kind of string—model horses!
BreyerFest, a...
Toxic Trainer Relationships: What to Watch Out For When Finding the Best For You...
BY JESS CLAWSON
A toxic trainer can kill someone’s love of riding faster than just about anything. From verbal to sexual abuse to simply playing favorites, trainers who are negative influences in our lives do...
I Would Like to Introduce Myself
BY LAUREN KARDEL
It has been impossible to ignore the responses of the horse community to George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement. From my home in Eastern Holland, I am broadsided with...
16 Things Your 16 Year Old Should Be Able to do by Themselves
BY PIPER KLEMM
Sixteen is an important age for any teenager. Beyond “Sweet Sixteen,” the milestone means driving for most of America’s youth… the first real step into independence and adulthood.
But in the equestrian industry,...
Ask The Judge: What’s the First Thing You Notice When a Rider Enters the...
BY ELLEN SHEVELLA
When asked what’s the first thing I notice when a horse and
rider walk into the ring, the obvious answer is turn out.
I probably care less about what color the rider’s coat...
Real Ribbon Displays to Get Inspiration for Showcasing Ribbons in Your Home
Special ribbon boxes make colorful accent furniture for your home. Plus, they give plenty of room to stack piles of glorious satin.
But you don't have to get expensive furniture for this look. Check...
The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself is a Trainer Who Believes in You
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
Here are some things you can commonly hear come out of my trainer's mouth (often during my own lesson):
Don't rock your hips like that. That's so ugly!
Stop that! You're ruining my horse!
Of...
There May Be No Future Horse Trainers: An Inside Look at a Young Professional’s...
BY AN ANONYMOUS YOUNG TRAINER
I frequently hear horse trainers complain about their young assistants. Their criticisms include things like, they don’t work hard enough, they get burnt out too quickly, they’re too slow, they...
30 Tack Rooms That May Be Nicer Than Your House
Tack rooms. It's where we throw our piles of tack and stacked up saddle pads that need washing. There's usually a barn cat or a corgi curled up by the window, and at least...
There Will Be No Future Horse Trainers If All You Want to Do is...
BY SARAH MECHLIN DUHON
I feel strongly that everyone should be treated fairly and with kindness. The article “There May Be No Future Trainers: A Look at a Young Professional’s Burnout” by an anonymous young...
Riders, Body Image and “The Look”
BY RENNIE DYBALL
A couple weeks ago, I went to my local tack shop for spur straps and somehow found myself in the dressing room, mentally debating whether to buy a new show coat that...
An Explanation of Jumper Course Formats
By TPH Intern Vyla Carter
When I first started doing the jumpers after years of only competing in the hunters, I was confused on what Table II, 2(a) and the random number and letter seen...
25 Horse Tattoos Like You’ve Never Seen Before
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
While I spend a lot of time in pretty, traditional equestrian clothing, I still love tattoos. I've got a small collection of animal and literary inspired ink, but recently added a new...
Horse Shows Will Resume With New “Lead Changeless” Hunter Division
April 1st, 2020 - Equestrians eagerly awaiting the return of horse show season will have something extra to look forward to—a new hunter division to debut when shows resume. During the extra downtime with...
Exercises to Build Your Horse’s Topline
BY EMILY MILLER
When I purchased my 2011 Warmblood cross mare, Dixie, in 2017 she
was very green under saddle and unbalanced in her gaits. She was particularly
weak in her back and didn’t know how to...
Reality Bites: When You Can No Longer Give Your Child Pony Dreamland
BY MEGAN HOFFMAN
I have been living in a dreamland, sort of like Pony Mom Land at Pony Finals. This world exists of beautiful ponies and clean children in bows and bow ties. It was...
Can a Braid Kill Tradition? The Helmet Hair Debacle
BY KIMBERLY MALOOMIAN
Recently, I seemed to have caused quite a ruckus by announcing that I would be wearing my hair down outside of my helmet in a braid for the fore seeable future in...
The Dark Underground of Horse Show Costs in the USA
BY A FED UP HORSE OWNER
The letter to the editor was sent anonymously to The Plaid Horse.
We’ve all heard it. Many of us have said it. The rising costs of rated shows in...
5 Game Changing Body Clipping Tips from a Professional Groom!
I can't wait to body clip today... said no person ever! But with professional groom Amanda Geerlinks' body clipping tips, this chore is sure to go off much smoother than ever before.
BY AMANDA GEERLINKS
Body...
3 Things That Won’t Make You a Better Rider (And 3 Things That Will)
BY BLOG EDITOR LAUREN MAULDIN
Even though I've been riding for well over twenty years, nobody would ever consider me an authority on training, equitation, or really anything to do with horse showing. And that would...
