Don’t Let Anyone Talk You Out of Buying a Thoroughbred for the Hunters
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
I love looking at warmblood hunters. They're fat, dappled, athletic. A lot of them look like they were absolutely made for the job, like slowly cantering over beautiful hedges is what comes...
What Determines How You Place in the Hunters?
BY DAPHNE THORNTON OF TWO BIT TRAINING
We are pretty committed to client education at Two Bit Training. Our unmounted lesson topics range from leg wrapping to taking a temperature and pulse to walking a...
Straight From the Judge’s Booth: Strategies for the Under Saddle
BY R JUDGE SISSY WICKES
The more I judge, the more I am surprised that riders do not think more about how to ride an under saddle class. Yes, a good mover is a good...
How to Braid a Mane and Tail for the Hunter Ring
By Katie Lenkart
Ever wondered how to hunter braid? Braiding is both a fun activity and a way to spend some valuable extra time with your horse. Just like with every other skill, practice makes...
When You’re a Weenie, Flabby Amateur Who Loves Hunter Derbies
BY LAUREN MAULDIN
I love the hunters. Can't help myself. That division is like a bad boyfriend I just can't quit. I know life would be better for me and my free OTTB in the...
How Much is That Horsey in the Window? Solving the Mystery of Show Hunter...
BY DAPHNE THORNTON OF TWO BIT TRAINING
Here at Two Bit Training, we think that there are 8 things that mostly decide a hunter’s value WHEN IT IS SOLD. Let’s say you are considering selling...
The ‘‘Step Down’’ Horse: A Secret Weapon of the Horse Show World
A seasoned campaigner in need of a lighter job can give green riders confidence
BY LETTIE TEAGUE
I don’t like the term ‘stepdown’ horse,” says Paul Cronin, the longtime director of the Sweet Briar College equestrian...
Judges Scott Hofstetter and Bill Talbert Answer The Questions You’ve Been Wondering About Hunters...
BY MACKENZIE SHUMAN
This year at the Colorado Hunter Jumper Associations Medal Finals, I was able to sit down with the two judges at the end of the show and ask them a few questions...
Hunter Under Saddle and Over Fences: Stock Horses vs Sporthorses
BY JAMIE SKUBAL
I often get asked, "What’s the difference between showing a horse at
Hunter/ Jumper shows and showing the Under Saddle, Hack, & Over fences at
stock horse shows (APHA, AQHA, PtHA, etc)?"
In a dream...
22 Derby Finals Hunters That Take “Knees to Nose” Very Literally
One of the most thrilling parts about watching a top hunter class like a hunter derby is when a horse takes a phenomenal jump. You know, the kind of jump where everyone watching can't...
Perfection Personified: Watch the Rounds That Scored 100!
Over the course of history in the hunter ring, only a handful of performances have earned the coveted score of 100 from the judges box. In January 2021 at the Winter Equestrian Festival in...
The 2’6” Hunter Division is the Face of Income Inequality in America
BY PUBLISHER PIPER KLEMM
As I sit through the United States Hunter Jumper (USHJA) Affiliate Meeting, we’re hearing a lot about outreach. There’s the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), local...
Creative Braiding Shines at Maryland Horse & Pony Show Contest
Concluding last weekend, the Maryland Horse & Pony Show was an exciting event for competitors of all ages. A premier equestrian event for over 75 years, the show touts itself as a great opportunity...
That Time I Won a Car in the Hunters
BY KIMBERLY MALOOMIAN
October 26, 2019 will forever be known as the day I won a car. Just to be clear, it’s not a lease. It’s mine until I decide otherwise. I am sure that...
The Legacy of Rox Dene
BY SISSY WICKES
It is 1994 and the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida is in full swing. Horses everywhere- hunters, jumpers, equitation, ponies. Horses walking down the path that cuts through the show grounds-...
Jordan Spinelli Brought a DIY Attitude and an Appaloosa to WIHS
BY MOLLY SORGE/JUMP MEDIA
She may not have come away from the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) with a ribbon, but Jordan Spinelli couldn’t stop smiling after competing in the Small Junior Hunter, 16-17 division...
23 Perfect Braid Photos That Will Make Your Type A Horse Show Heart Happy
BY BLOG EDITOR LAUREN MAULDIN
You know what makes me happy? Horse shows. You know what one of my favorite parts of showing is? Seeing my horse in his formal best, all braided up. When...
Is it a Bay and Gray World? Loud Coat Colors in the Hunters
BY LILLY JOHNSON
Though we have all seen our fair share of unique colored horses showing in hunter divisions; bays, greys, and solid colors are the most common. You don't often see many unique patterns,...
The Perfect Horse for the Working Adult Amateur Who “Didn’t Want a Thoroughbred”
BY SAM SNYDER
Hunter or hunter prospect, at least 16.1
hh. Green is fine but needs to have a good
brain. No Thoroughbreds.
Those
were my criteria when searching for my first “grown-up” horse, the first horse
I would...
A Timid Amateur and the OTTB That Opened Up Her World
BY LINDY GUTMAN
I am like many of you. I’d posted those ads that said 15.2 – 16.2 hand gelding between 5 and 10 years of age. Versatility is a must, prefer hunter type movement...
Serio Steps Up
Renowned hunter/jumper trainer fosters rescue horse
By Nancy Johnson
Walk down the barn aisle at Derbydown and you will undoubtedly see one lovely horse after another. Louise Serio’s Kennett Square, Pennsylvania farm is legendary in the...
“I’m Simply Addicted to Horses.” Why Betty Oare and Her Fellow Lifetime Riders Don’t...
BY LETTIE TEAGUE
My 78-year-old friend Marie Boynton rides six days a week—in freezing cold weather or triple-digit heat unless her 23-year-old horse Bosco has a stone bruise or stifle injury (his two most recent...
