Questions and Conundrums from a Horse Show Dad
BY GORDON BALLANTYNE
I have been immersed in the horse world for over a decade now with the enthusiasm of a reluctant participant dosed with an innate, heavy level of natural skepticism. My wife is...
Daniel Stewart’s Mind Your Mindset
BY DANIEL STEWART
Mindset is everything. It defines how you’ll act and react; what you believe; how you treat yourself and others, and whether you’ll succeed or fail. It literally defines who you are and...
The Senior Horse Project: Lauren & Sly
INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS BY JESSICA SANDERS
Photographer Jessica Sanders started the Senior Horse Project to showcase the special, long-standing relationships between riders and their senior horses. Featuring seniors over 25 years old, she shares the...
How to Become the Equestrian Your Horse Wants You to Be
BY TANJA BORNMANN
I love my horse.
I have seen these four words printed on your shopping bag, t-shirt, and car bumper sticker, and I know that you describe the relationship with your horse as a...
Patty Stovel: Honoring the Individual
BY ANN JAMIESON
Born into the horse business, Patty Stovel grew up in a family-run lesson barn in Connecticut, Patty's routine as a child was to wake up, care for the horses, attend school, and...
Daniel Stewart: Willpower, Horsepower, Why-power and What-power…
BY DANIEL STEWART
You know the importance of willpower. Never quit, never give up, make the rest of the ride the best of the ride… and all that stuff. And you know the importance of...
Daniel Stewart’s Question Suggestion
BY DANIEL STEWART
Keeping your mind focused on what’s production (like transitions between dressage movements or fences) instead of what’s destructive (like worrying about the crowd) is one of the most important skills any rider...
8 Ways to Get the Most Out of Every Lesson
BY ROBIN GREENWOOD
Equestrians spend a lot of time, money, and effort to be able to ride their horses. Whether you take multiple lessons a week or one a month, time with a good trainer...
Daniel Stewart’s Faith in Failure
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
One day you’re going to do everything right and it’ll still go wrong. You’ll give 100% but come up short. You’ll do you best, but your best won’t be good enough.
I know...
Is Mental or Physical Strength More Important for Riding Success?
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
I, like many horse and horse showing obsessed people, spend a lot of time watching videos of riders I admire. There's something unspeakably beautiful about a flawless round. Hunters that ride off...
Daniel Stewart: The Mess in Message
BY DANIEL STEWART
There are four certainties in riding. You’re going to fall down and you’re going to get up; you’re going to succeed and you’re going to mess up. As long as you’re okay...
It Happens! Nona Garson, Rob Jacobs and Erynn Ballard Share Hilarious Mistakes
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,...
Daniel Stewart’s Mirror Mirror
BY DANIEL STEWART
You’re a mirror. I’m a mirror. We’re all mirrors… but not in the normal “who’s the fairest of them all” kind of way. In sport psychology mirroring refers to the tendency for...
“It’s Not a Hobby. It’s a Lifestyle.”
By PONYMOMAMMY
I don’t care how avid an enthusiast someone is for their tennis hobby; it’s just not the same as being a rider.
You know how when you meet someone new and you are...
Dominique Mungin: It’s All About the Moments
The three-ring rider on her lifetime with horses, celebrating special moments over wins, and how our industry can do better
By Rennie Dyball
Dominique Mungin is the rare amateur who shows in Amateur-Owner hunters … and...
How To Leave Your Horse Trainer and Stay On Good Terms
BY ANNA JONES
You've probably heard of the Paul Simon song, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, but any equestrian will tell you there are just as many ways to leave your trainer. And while...
Faces of Pin Oak: Nada Wise
Trainer Rendezvous Farm at Royal Sport Horses • Tomball, TX
BY KRISTIN PITZER
Nada Wise, whose father rodeoed, started riding on her dad’s rope horses at 4 years old. She soon became enamored with the hunter/jumpers...
Daniel Stewart: Admit, Accept and Advance
BY DANIEL STEWART
One of my favorite quotes is, “Riders don’t make mistakes, mistakes make equestrians!” Mistakes make us bigger, bolder, brighter, and braver… but only if we have the courage to own, accept, and...
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...
Put Your Horses’ Needs First But Don’t Forget Your Own
BY ANNA JONES
My horse’s happiness comes first.
It’s a phrase I’ve heard a lot from equestrians I respect. And, of course it is! Those of us who’ve entered this crazy sport usually end up devoting...
Controlling the Uncontrollable with Horses
BY CIRA PACE MALTA
At the beginning of the pandemic I had this overwhelming feeling—as I’m sure most of you might have—of being completely out of control. The idea of being in control gives many...
Daniel Stewart: Happy Not Crappy
BY DANIEL STEWART
When you arrive at the barn you arrive at a place that's more than just fences, fields, and fillies… you arrive at your happy place; the place you go to when you...
