The Quarter Marks of LRK3DE 2022
PHOTOS © HEATHER N. PHOTOGRAPHY
Quarter marks are a time-honored tradition to "put on the ritz" for the top shows of the year. While this grooming practice has all but disappeared in the hunter/jumper world,...
LRK3DE 5* Dressage – Day 1 Photo Gallery
PHOTOS © HEATHER N. PHOTOGRAPHY
It's been a "made in America" day of dressage, with the top 3 leaders after the first group of 5* horses being American-bred. Doug Payne, currently sitting in third, said...
LRK3DE 2022 Jog Photo Gallery
It's the start of the grand event, and like every exciting gala, there's a parade down the red carpet. Except in this case, replace the red carpet with jogging lane! Today the best and...
It’s Time to Safeguard U.S. Horses from Slaughter
By Michelle Murray
In a thundering blur of colorful silks and swirling dirt, Affirmed crossed the finish line at Belmont Park, securing his legacy as one of the greatest racehorses in history. On June 10,...
New Order Mandates Equestrian Professionals Must Pass Credentials to Continue Business
BY TPH STAFF
The past year has been full of conversations with industry leaders regarding amateur status, but today horse show organizations announced a new initiative for professionals. Effective immediately, all professional instructors and trainers...
London International Horse Show (LIHS): a Volunteer’s View
BY KRISTY WARD
You might be thinking “London International Horse Show? I’ve never heard of that before,” but my guess is that you probably have. It used to be called Olympia, and it’s been running...
Equestrian Tradition and the Ultimate Athlete
BY ALEX O'SULLIVAN
The founder of the modern pentathlon, Baron Pierre de Courbetin, chose the five disciplines - fencing, freestyle swimming, show jumping, pistol shooting and cross country running -because he wanted the competition to...
The Only Thing We Need to Fear
BY PIPER KLEMM
I have written at least 30 versions of this article in the last 72 hours. I have read the entire USEF rulebook twice and certain passages dozens of times. I have talked...
What Can We Learn From Saint Boy? Considering Horse Welfare Beyond the Modern Pentathlon
BY ALEXANDRA O’SULLIVAN
Since the Modern Pentathlon at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, a photograph of Annika Schlue riding Saint Boy has been circulating the internet. It shows her shoulders tensed, eyes scrunched closed as...
Inside the Equestrians of Color Photography Project
BY BETHANY PASTORIAL
The organization focuses on better allyship in the equestrian community.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 and the resulting nationwide racial unrest, the equestrian community began buzzing with the...
5 Tips When Using Waivers in Your Horse Program
By Kimbrell J. Hines, Esq.
Interacting with even the most gentle horse always involves some risk—accidents do happen, after all. Horse owners and professionals can help protect their businesses by requiring all clients, guests, and...
2021 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship Top 24 in Photos
Breathtaking efforts. Perfect trips. Top hunters and riders. We sure were glad to be back at the Kentucky Horse Park this year.
Even though this was only Cannon Creek's fourth hunter show in the US,...
3’6/3’9 Green Incentive Championship Photo Gallery
Though Thursday's competition had a rainy start, the sun came out for the 3'6/3'9 hunters to shine for the 2021 Green Incentive Championships. With championship round scores of 91, 87.5, and 94, Reign and...
Warning! Posting a Warning Sign Will Not Legally Protect You
BY KIMBRELL HINES
At your next visit to a barn or show, look around. You’ll probably see at least one "WARNING" sign citing the state's equine law. Aside from Maryland and California, every state has...
Horse Tests Positive for EHV-1 at Sonoma Horsepark
We've received a report that a horse that attended a show at Sonoma Horse Park in Petaluma, CA has been confirmed positive for Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) secondary to EHV-1. Though the horse did...
We Have to Fix Our Audience Problem Before We Can Fix Our Sponsorship Problem
BY ERICA SAUNDERS
In a recent commentary on the challenges of profitable horse shows, show staff Jack Nash talked about how our sport is one that sponsors don’t understand. Why don’t they understand? Because there’s...
How to Fix Our Horse Shows: An Opinion From the Other Side
BY JACK NASH
Karl Cook has big opinions about increasing the visibility of show jumping and with it the prize money of Grand Prix events. As a horse show employee, I’d like to respond with...
Reasons Why You Can’t Find a Braider for Your Horse
BY BETH BOYER
There's currently a braider shortage at the horse shows, and braiders are quitting left and right. It's a hard job under the best circumstances. While some clients are great, many are the...
Rethinking How We Define Professionals
BY DAPHNE BOOGAARD
The USEF amateur rule has been a topic of hot debate lately. The powers that be seem overly concerned about what does and doesn’t make an amatuer while the amateurs in discussion...
The Revolution Series: a New Clinic+Show Format to Develop Riders
BY KATHLEEN MARTINEZ
Seated in the middle of Northern Illinois’ horse country is a unique year-round Hunter/Jumper show series that has established a popular format of its own. The Revolution Show Series was co-founded by...
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...
The Social License to Operate: Is the future of equestrian sports at stake?
BY TANJA BORNMANN
Bad press for our sport is back, and it’s going to linger around for a while.
Recently, a prominent US show jumper was suspended from participating in equestrian sport for his prolonged use...
