It Happens! With Vivian Golden, Richard Slocum and Tim Maddrix
We all make mistakes. But horse people, as a group, aren’t always the best at handling them. So TPH reached out to some top riders to share their own show ring bloopers to prove,...
Neal Shapiro: Aim High – Part II
BY ANN JAMIESON
Going Professional
When Neal was competing, the team was structured so that the riders were selected, trained, prepared, and had horses to ride, whether they were lucky enough to have a great horse...
The Beauty of the Golden Years: Celebrating Our Senior Horses
By Emily Dickson
By some Universal luck, I was present the day my horse was born.
At the time, I didn’t know that she would become my horse. I was just a 10-year-old kid who had...
The Plaid Horse Questionnaire With: Kristin Silon
Hometown: Frederick, Maryland
Profession: Orthopaedic Surgeon/Hand & Upper Extremity Specialist
Status: Amateur
Trainer: Alan Lohman
Horses: Kismet (3’3" Amateur-Owner Hunters), Four Score (3’3" Amateur-Owners), Lima Z (3’6" Amateur-Owners)
As a horsewoman, I am most proud of my commitment to my...
An Adult Amateur’s (Unrealistic) New Years Resolutions
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
It's that time of year again when everyone is focused on self-improvement—and I'm no exception. For most of my life, I've fallen into the resolution trap. You know, when you start to...
Ask Andre: How Do You Set Realistic Goals for Your Riders?
By Andre Dignelli
As we head into a new year and a new winter show season, the topic of New Year’s Resolutions always comes up.
This time of year is the time to look back and...
The Christmas Pony
By Julie Claire Ma
One stormy winter day, two days before Christmas, Dana and I were lounging at her dad’s. Having already stripped the contents of the fridge, listened to music, and found some TV...
How to Keep your White Breeches White
Constantly finding yourself with brown, stained breeches that once sparkled white? Members of The Plaid Horse Adult Amateur Lounge shared their best tips and tricks to keep your white breeches stain-free.
The winning products? Fels...
What if I’d Missed the Horses?
BY JANA MAUNEY
For years when people greeted me, “Hey, how are you?”
I quipped, “Livin’ the dream!” frequently letting my voice drip with sarcasm as some task or other that awaited my attention—one that I...
Exhibitor’s Guide to Last-Minute Holiday Shopping
By Exhibitor's
We are coming down to the final hours to order a Christmas present. Where are you in your Holiday shopping? Have you been franticly looking for the perfect gift for that horse lover...
Tailor Made: Fine-Tuning Our Expectations of Raising a Child in the Equestrian Sport
By Troy Anna Smith
The tradition of parents enrolling their children into extracurricular activities has been a generational duty for centuries. Early morning soccer practice starts young, not to mention the after school rush to...
What Having a Baby Taught Me About Riding
Both require softness and strength
BY KAREN HOPPER USHER
A good canter has always been my favorite gait. Some people describe the rolling sensation as a “rocking horse” canter. A former dressage instructor of mine talked...
Hollis Med: Making Barn Calls for Human Medicine
By Catie Staszak Media for Hollis Med
Like many equestrians, Michele Hollis wanted to find a way to combine her passion for horses with her career.
She didn't expect the path would take her through the...
A Play-by-Play of an Adult Amateur Winter Lesson
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
The adult amateur, regardless of geographical location, is typically skittish in the winter. Less sunlight, colder temperatures, and holiday stress make a trifecta that can result in some interesting behavior. While many...
Dianne DeFranceaux Grob: I Just Like All Things Horse Part III
BY ANN JAMIESON
Foxfield Jumping Derby
The Foxfield Riding School was founded by Bill and Joanne Postel and Nancy Terrill. Legends in California, they ran a huge program starting little kids and bringing them along to...
Back in the Saddle: The Things I Took for Granted
BY STACY BANNERMAN
I don’t think I’m paralyzed, but something’s not right, and a voice in my head says, “Be still.” So I am.
Three seconds ago, I was riding Buddy, a four-year-old horse just getting...
Dianne Grod: I Just Like All Things Horse
by Ann Jamieson
Saving Her Son
Dianne and Steve got divorced. Tired of moving all the time, Dianne built a farm in San Marcos in order to stay in one place. It was a 10-acre, 40-stall...
I’m Done Letting Show Goals Determine My Horse Girl Happiness
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
Life—and horses—have seasons. When I set out to purchase a horse capable of getting me into the adult hunters, I thought this would be the time for me to buckle down, train...
The Magic of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Canada’s Crown Jewel Horse Show celebrates 100 years
By Nancy Jaffer
For 100 years, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto has been a horse show like no other. Of course, no other horse show is...
Sydney Collier: Training, Studying, Motivating
She won the 2022 Reserve Champion title at the 2022 National Para Dressage Championships, was named the 2021 First Traveling Reserve for the Tokyo Paralympic Games, earned the 2020 Reserve Champion title at the...
Horse Shows are a Big Bowl of Life Lessons
BY DAPHNE THORNTON OF TWO BIT TRAINING
As horse trainers, we all see a lot of angst, drama, fear, and anxiety at horse shows. Sometimes, it’s not even ours. Kids and drama seem to be able...
Dianne DeFranceaux Grod: “I Just Like All Things Horse”
by Ann Jamieson
Part I
Beginnings
Dianne De Franceaux Grod was born in Louisiana when her father, George DeFranceaux, left for World War II and her mother went home to have the baby. When her father returned...
