Posts

A good ride begins before the saddle goes on. When I arrive at a venue, there is usually plenty to think about: unloading Archie, checking his legs, walking…

Ground poles have become one of the most useful tools in my schooling sessions with Archie. They are simple, inexpensive, and easy to set up, but they give us…

My first eventing show with Archie taught me that the jump from Training Level to Beginner Novice is less about one dramatic obstacle and more about the way…

A cross-country round can finish with a horse carrying a great deal of heat, fatigue, and excitement. Even when a horse has jumped confidently and galloped…

There are a few items I never leave at home on competition day: my riding hat, gloves, safety vest, grooming kit, paperwork, and a spare set of stirrup…

Our first two-day event with Archie had been circled on the calendar for months. I had competed in individual dressage tests, show jumping rounds, and one-day…

Ditches have always been one of the more thoughtful questions on an eventing course. They may look small from the ground, but a horse sees a dark change in the…

Finding the right saddle for eventing has been one of the most practical parts of bringing Archie along. A saddle has to support three very different jobs:…

Walking a cross-country course is one of the most useful parts of an eventing day, but it is also one of the easiest places to forget that you are sharing…

Eventing has a way of expanding to fill every available hour. There is always another schooling session to plan, a dressage test to learn, a jump that needs…