“I adored Hands, even though I could only reach his legs to brush, and I only fell off him twice: once, when his girth was not tightened properly and I posted merrily until the saddle went sideways and I hit the ground. I still remember the way he stopped and Read more…
“When I was 6 years old, I took weekly riding lessons with a tiny, ancient lady named Ms. W. She was notoriously grumpy and incredibly loud. At least once a month she’d scream that her dog could ride better than us girls, call us all into the center of the Read more…
“Certainly we need great movers and powerful jumpers, but above all we need a partner, not a slave. We need horses who are supremely courageous, fiercely independent and phenomenally agile. Find such a horse and treasure him. Teach him that you will trust him with your life. Give him the Read more…
One thing I’ve learned over the years is to do your best to try and ignore those that only have negative things to say. I’m not talking about the ones that give honest feedback, I’m talking about the ones that never acknowledge any improvement. When I bought my first mare Read more…
We got this one gelding from a high end hunter barn. He’d been a part of their lesson string but just didn’t seem to want to fill that position. Although he was in his early teens and had all the buttons installed he had a tendency to bolt and buck, Read more…
So, after seven years I got out of the horse business. Got myself a real job. Worked my way up the ladder as far as I could go, left that company and got another real job. Stayed there for nine years working my way up the ladder once again. I Read more…
As a teen, I just knew I was going to be a professional equestrian. Knew it. I had grown up in the biz and there was nothing else I wanted to do. Horses were my passion! No 9 to 5 was ever going to satisfy me. But I did follow Read more…
“I had my jumper until she was 21. Got her when she was five. Age caught up. You would never know her age. She still acted like she was 7. Trying to keep her body up with her head was hard. She wasn’t one that was ready to retire. I Read more…
My previous horse had to be retired, so my coach called me one Sunday and said “Hey, I found your horse. I already bought him so you can pay me back later. How soon can you come up here to try him?” That Wednesday I drove 3 hours to go Read more…
