I enjoyed Upperville so much that I went back for round 2: Loudoun Benefit. This show is held on the exact same show grounds the week following Upperville, which means another opportunity for pretty pictures underneath the oaks. But I actually photographed on the other side of the road[...]
I was asked the other day when I was going to start showing Stu. Showing hasn't been on my mind in a long time. There's the first problem, which is that Stu and I are in no way ready to go to a show, with our inconsistent rides. But there's also a significant lack of interest in showing. I don't[...]
With the warming weather and the promise of beautiful, memory making rides, comes another memory you'll wish you could forget about: The Ticks. Speaking from personal experience: the the ticks are bad this year. I've been dealing with ticks for many years, but never have I seen so many so early i[...]
Having the perfect bit can feel like a dream. As if you had put magic in your horse's mouth, suddenly they are responding with eagerness, turning your ride into a complete dream. But having the wrong bit can feel like a nightmare - your horse can refuse to listen, throw its head, and act out. Choos[...]
Horse coats are fascinating. There's bays, grays, chestnuts, blacks, and palominos. But then there's even more variety - there's variations on those basic coat colors, modifying colors and giving some horses unique patterns. Horse coats are so important to us, we even have whole breeds that were cr[...]
The first time I ever rode alone was when I was 17 years old. My barn, with my trainer and all my friends, was going to school cross country at another local barn. I didn't have a trailer. I had my own two legs, and Vintage, my green appaloosa. It was way too far for me to walk, it would have taken[...]
Never have I ever seen such a heated debate as one I saw on Facebook recently. A horse was shown jumping cross country and her owner states that she gets messaged chastising her for calling the mare a chestnut. She is, in fact a sorrel, she was told. A heated debate ensues. Is it chestnut or sorr[...]
I saw a lease advertised on Facebook, and it rubbed me the wrong way. It was a "Free Lease," but the leaser was required to pay all the expenses of the horse during the lease. This included board (on the owner's property no less) and medical bills (the horse had a prior injury that required ongoing[...]
Horses are a lifelong dream for many. They begged their parents to buy them a horse growing up only to be told, "Horses are too expensive!" Horses are well known to be an expensive hobby. They are expensive to buy and expensive to keep. But unless you already have the horse, what they cost to keep[...]
Horses seem to be made of glass. They are injured easily, sometimes under mysterious circumstances, and sometimes for reasons we can't control. We try our best to keep our horses sound, and use every tool we can to keep them safe. Boots are one of the methods. Using boots is extremely popular, and[...]