Tire Kicker
The ad said, “Please, no tire kickers,” and I was just old enough to know that I was one. I saw it hanging on the bulletin board at the feed store in...
Cowboy Versus the Canadian Air Force
BY SIOBHAN SEARLE
A lazy horse who would much rather be eating grain barely survives an attack from the least likely of sources.
I had just...
Riding on the Beach Photo Gallery
If you ask a horse lover about their equestrian bucket list, more likely than not riding on the beach will be included! There's something about the surf, wind, sand and sun that...
A Brush with Barbaro: How Students Uplifted a Racing Icon
For two college summers I had the great fortune of working for Olympic show jumper rider and consummate horseman, Michael Matz. At the time I was attending Cornell University but returned home...
A Good Boy
BY CHRISTINE BENSON
Lewis is a person—just like you and just like me. Like us, his sameness is completed by those things that make him dazzlingly unique. He is...
Wild No More: How An Ex-Offender Tamed My Donkey and Taught Me About Humanity
BY ANDREA LONDON
I met Thomas four years ago when he was in South Carolina visiting his ailing mother and sister. He had come to town to spend several...
Meal and Snacks for Recovery After Competition and Training
BY FAITH ALICIEA
At the end of the day after a long horse show, all I want to do is sleep! But there’s a voice in the back of...
Reading Through 100 Days Without Horse Shows
BY PIPER KLEMM
If you told me that I would be home and spending 100 days without horse shows in 2020, I would have had about the same reaction...
8 Strategies for Being a Better Advocate for Yourself
BY PIPER KLEMM
My computer has over a hundred tabs open, but so does my mind. It seems like technology controls my life. My brain and I crave it....
Days End Farm Horse Rescue: Empowering Youth to Make a Difference
By Emily Daily/Jump Media
Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to distinguish itself as one of the most well-respected and successful...
Let’s Train People for Careers in Our Sport
By Kristin Pitzer
Let’s face it. In the horse industry, it’s typically the people in the spotlight — the trainers, the breeders and the owners — who get the...
The Big Field at the End of the World
BY NOA LEIBSON
I know I am not the only person in the horse world who has been called a great and terrible fool, prone to great and terribly...
Timing and Options for Meals and Snacks During Competition and Training
BY FAITH ALICEA
We make sure our horses’ have a well-balanced diet with all the nutrients they need, but what about ourselves? Registered dietician, Laura Hall, offers her insight...
You Can’t Hide from a Horse – Understanding Equine Assisted Therapy
BY LESLIE MOLINARI
Equine Assisted Therapy is an established therapeutic program, but is still new to some people. Recently, I was privileged to witness a session at Blue Bell...
Saving Fred Astaire
BY ANN JAMIESON
I wasn’t looking for a horse when Tucker (Fred Astaire) appeared in my life. I still had my first horse, Odie, and my show horse, Nicky....
Hydration and the Equestrian Athlete
BY FAITH ALICEA
Let’s talk H2O!
Talking with my good friend, Laura Hall RD, who is a registered dietitian, gave me the gut check I needed....
Shame, Vulnerability, and Body Positivity: Words to Live By
Shame is the most powerful master emotion. It’s the fear that we’re not good enough. – Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW
Isn’t it sad to think that there was a day you...
Horses Have Trainers, Investments Have Financial Planners
By Lauren Mauldin
Above all else, equestrians are good at putting our horses first. How many times have you heard someone at the barn say how they’re eating ramen...
Feeding Thousands of Horses As Owners Lose Jobs
BY PENNY LOEB
Every morning, Elaine Nash wakes up in her home overlooking Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and begins the never-ending search for funds to feed thousands upon thousands...
Getting Medical Help When Hospital Costs are High
BY FAITH ALICEA
Sitting scrolling through Facebook two weeks ago, a post appears about a fellow equestrian that has been diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. My heart sinks....
Why Shame Is So Damaging and How to Overcome It—A Therapist’s Take
By Jeannie Moran, MSW LCSW
Stephanie Ray Peters bravely kicked off The Plaid Horse’s anti-shame campaign for our May-June cover story. To continue the conversation, we spoke with Jeannie...
The Fallout from COVID-19
By Emily Daily/Jump Media
It’s no secret that the repercussions from COVID-19 have hit the equine industry hard. With show cancellations and training programs sidelined, many professionals have had...
