A busy horse trial can feel like several competitions happening at once. Horses are calling from the warm-up ring, trailers are arriving, announcements are…
Posts
Keeping My Horse Calm at a Busy Event
Why I Document Every Nail In My Farrier Schedule
There are glamorous parts of eventing that make it into photographs: a horse stretching into a beautiful dressage movement, a clean show-jumping round, or the…
When Instinct and Instruction Pull in Different Directions
There is a particular kind of tension that appears in the warm-up ring when a trainer says, “Keep going,” while every part of you is whispering, “Something is…
Finding Freedom Beyond the Fences
There is a particular kind of tiredness that follows a day at a horse trial. It lives in the legs after repeated mounting and dismounting, in the shoulders…
How I Learned to Sit the Trot Without Fighting My Horse
The sitting trot has always been one of those skills that looked simple from the ground and felt completely impossible from the saddle. Watching a polished…
Finding Your Way Forward When a Horse Is Injured
An injured horse changes the rhythm of everything. The plans on the calendar suddenly feel irrelevant, the tack room becomes a place for treatment supplies,…
What My Saddle Fitting Taught Me About Partnership
A saddle fitting appointment can look like a practical errand on a busy equestrian calendar. The horse stands in the aisle, the fitter checks clearances, the…
Why I Arrive at Events Two Hours Early
I have learned that eventing begins long before the first bell, the first salute, or the moment my horse walks through the start box. For me, it begins in the…
Crossing the start box at a new level
There is a particular kind of nervousness that arrives when a competition feels important before you have even pulled into the trailer parking. It is different…
Building Core Strength For A More Secure Position Over Fences
A good jumping position is often described as if it comes from the legs alone: heels down, eyes up, hands following, weight balanced. In reality, the middle of…