There is a particular kind of arithmetic involved in being an amateur event rider with a full-time job. The day begins before the sun is properly up, the horse…
Posts
The Reality of Training While Holding Down a Full-Time Job
The Quiet Joy of Starting the Day at the Barn
Before the phone begins to buzz, before traffic fills the roads, and before the day has decided what it wants from me, I am usually at the barn. The light is…
The Mental Shift Between Dressage And Show Jumping
Eventing asks a rider to change mental gears several times in a single day. The horse is still the same partner, the arena may be familiar, and the goals are…
What my grooming routine says about my mindset
Before a horse trial, I can learn a surprising amount about my state of mind from the way I groom. The brush in my hand may look like an ordinary piece of…
My favorite cross-country fence: the brush box
There are fences that demand instant respect, fences that look impressive in photographs, and fences that become memorable because of what they ask from a…
Recovering from a disappointing dressage score
A disappointing dressage score can follow you out of the arena long after the final halt. You may replay the crooked transition, the tense halt, or the moment…
Cross-Country Speed: When to Push and When to Hold Back
Cross-country is often described as a race against the clock, but that description misses the judgment at its center. The fastest ride is rarely the one in…
The day my horse and I became a team
There are moments in eventing that look insignificant from the outside. A horse shifts weight in the warm-up. A rider softens a hand. The pair leaves the start…
How dressage tests make me a better rider
Dressage tests have a way of making me pay attention to details I can sometimes ignore at home. A schooling session may feel productive because my horse is…
Packing My Tack Trunk: A Complete Checklist
Packing for a horse trial is one of those jobs that looks simple until the weather changes, a boot disappears, or your horse decides to cover every clean item…