Tag: EDITOR PICKS
Specialty Surgery Gives Wry Nose Foal a Chance at a Full Life
By JOSH BABCOCK
Bred to be an athlete but born with a twisted nose, Eclipse, an American quarter horse, found herself fighting for air even after the shortest of runs.
Following a rare surgery at Washington...
EyeOn Equine Care: On The Modern Curve of Traditional Medicine
By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
Entrepreneur Doug Spatz comes from a line of lifelong horsemen and is, as some might say, a magician of sorts.
The founder of EyeOn Equine Care developed a powder compound made up...
It Doesn’t Matter What Saddle You Ride In
By DAVINA MARSHALL
Anyone in the competitive equestrian world will tell you that horses are an expensive hobby. The financial burden to board your horse at a full-service show barn is a heavy one, and...
ShowMD: A Doctor’s Office Tailor-Made for Riders
By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
Dr. Barb Blasko, founder of ShowMD, takes the translation out of treatment. When riders come to her saying that their horse ducked out of a one-stride and they fell right into a...
Size Matters: What Does Your Horse or Pony Weigh?
By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
Looks can be deceiving–at least when it comes to the weight of horses and ponies. Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), Cushing’s, Laminitis, and other weight and insulin-level-related illnesses are a harkening reminder that...
The Mare and the Mirror: A Horse Girl’s Journey with Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Doubt
By KIRSTIE LYNN DOBBS
It’s the fall of 2019, and I am paralyzed with fear. I don’t know how I got to this point in my life. I’m on top of my 14-year-old grey mare,...
Innovations in American Show Jumping: How Our Sport Can Change for the Better
By SONJA OCHADLIK
Recent updates to U.S. Pony Jumpers and proposed changes to U.S. Young Jumpers show us the current efforts to diversify the United States show jumping pipeline. These initiatives emphasize correct, safe, and...
Behind the Art
The Art of Equine Fine Art Photography
By Susan McClafferty, Mareish Media LLC
Fine art photography is more than capturing an image—it is an intentional creation, designed to evoke emotion and transform a subject into art....
Sports, Data Science, and Taking Ourselves Seriously as Athletes
By KATIE BOWERSOX
As an athletic trainer, the recent interest in athletic performance in the equestrian world has not gone unnoticed. More and more riders have been advocating for cross-training, eating healthy, and recovering like...
The Fall and Rise
By MAGGIE WOLFE
Bowie, Chole, Dina. I remember them all, flocked together. My idol, my dog, and my mother, all in one fell swoop. Poof. Gone. What are you supposed to do? It was cold...
Trainer Tuesday: How do you warm up older horses before a workout, a lesson,...
Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers...
Rise of the Horse Industry Freelancer
By KATIE DERER
Recently, there has been a remarkable amount of inflammatory media revealing the mental and physical state of those living and working in the equine industry. This led me to start asking some...
We Need Earlier Announcements for Show Dates
By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
While trying to make a travel plan for the current year prior to show season, I found myself struggling to find the dates of major horse shows within the next twelve months....
RingSide Pro: Elevating Horse Shows with an Accessible Communication System
By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
RingSide Pro founder Emma Fass dared to go where others wouldn’t—between horse show management and the mob demanding answers from them.
“How many trips until I go?”“Is the ring running fast or slow?”“What...
Trainer Etiquette, Sportsmanship, and Safety: Set The Right Tone in Low Level Jumpers
By Ariel Univer
When it comes to working with my students and their horses, I have a set of standards that I will never waver on. Safety is at the top of that list. Sportsmanship....
Things Your Trainer May (Or May Not) Want You To Know
By Ariel Univer
As a trainer, I keep very few secrets from my clients. Where some may be more tight lipped or filtered, by nature I'm more of an open book. This is true for...
Carving Out Space for Yourself in the Horse World–And Beyond
By ARIEL UNIVER
I grew up in New York City–Brooklyn, to be exact. Although I was obsessed with horses from the time I could speak, finding a barn for beginners in the city was no...
Putting Things in Pencil: Community, Belief, and the Enduring Love of the Horse
By JESSICA SHANNON
Riding trainers can have an incredible impact on who we become and how we see ourselves. We may reflect on some trainers with feelings of fear and inadequacy. Or, we tell fond...
Getting a Better Read on Today’s Juniors
By PONYMOMAMMY
There seems to be some common themes when discussing this next generation of riders; these kids are “lazy,” “undisciplined,” “entitled,” and the living embodiment of a real-life Regina George out of the movie Mean...
Karl Cook’s Thoughts on Position Aren’t the Problem
By CAITLIN CREEL
Regarding the latest debate about position, let's acknowledge something important: we're discussing a blog post from 2022. I won't speak for Karl, but I suspect his opinion may have evolved over the...
Masters Weigh-In From the Saddle
By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
Armchair quarterbacks of our sport this morning got the rare treat of the masters, instigated by McLain Ward and followed up by Beezie and John Madden and more, actually weighing in and...
Trainer Tuesday: How often do you full body clip your show horses and why?
Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers...