There are horse problems that announce themselves gradually. A missed lead becomes a training note, a rail down becomes a reminder to ride forward, and a tense…
Posts
When Loading Became the Lesson
The Mental Game of Walking a Cross-Country Course
Walking a cross-country course can look deceptively simple from the outside. Riders stroll from fence to fence, glance at the numbers, chat with friends, and…
Keeping My Horse Calm at a Busy Event
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…
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…