Laundry sucks and there is plenty of it if you are a horse person. Horse slobber and hair on your clothes, filthy horse blankets, sweaty saddle pads, tangled polo wraps, etc. Simplify your life by using these super handy laundry hacks to save yourself time, money and energy: 1. Vacuum hair off of saddle pads and blankets before washing them. It will keep your washing machine cleaner and do a better job of getting the hair out of your blankets. 2. To get wrinkles out of dry show shirts or polo shirts in a flash, put them back in…

  Dictionary pet peeve noun INFORMAL something that a particular person finds especially annoying. Equestrians are very different from non-horsey people. The things that bug us, a non-horsey person would never even understand let alone notice. But equestrians are a special breed of hardworking, determined and rather particular people. Chances are if you are reading this you are an equestrian and you’ll totally understand these 13 pet peeves… Which pet peeves would you like to add to the list? Email them to sable@eventingconnect.today. 1) When someone doesn’t clean up their crosstie area. Thanks your mess has just ruined my day….

  Think of all the barns you have been to in your life. Which barns stand out in your mind as being the nicest/most organized/well managed? I bet these barns will all of have something in common – they are spotless. You do not need to have expensive stall doors and fancy flooring to have a barn that leaves people with an incredible impression, it just has to be clean. However, a clean barn does sound like an oxymoron. Fortunately, you can have a barn and yard that sparkles if you implement these five easy rules: 1. Hang a hoof…

  WARNING: Uncensored language. But all in fun.   Horses as a species are a paradox in the extreme. For those of us who love the world’s most improbable mammal – and insist on attaching ourselves to it mentally, physically and worse, emotionally – it is simultaneously the greatest waste of time and money imaginable, and yet also our very favourite thing to do. As berserk as the horses are, though, the people who frequent the industry are doubly questionable. I doubt there is any other sporting activity that brings out quite so many different types and kinds of humanity….

  As we delve into the month of November, lots of riders are taking on the challenge to drop their stirrups for the month. Some go so far as to taking their stirrups off of their saddles altogether. Riding sans stirrups is integral to developing a good seat, correct feel, and instinct for what to do when things go wrong. I think jumping small fences without stirrups really shows you where your balance is in the air, and how you tend to lean left or right. You also never know when a tack malfunction could leave you stirrup-less on course,…

  For most of us in North America, the 2019 eventing season has wrapped up.  Our horses are enjoying a little down time– some longer than others, depending on your winter climate.  Still, it’s never too early to start looking ahead to next season.  Since I’m very goal-oriented and driven to succeed, I like to develop a “roadmap” for the upcoming competition year and start planning early. What guidelines do I use to develop a competition schedule? 1. Identify your end goal (AECs, Area Championships, CCI, etc) and review the qualifications necessary for you and your horse.  Is this goal realistic?  Is it very ambitious,…

  Equestrians are not your average human beings. We are a unique breed of people that are extremely passionate and dedicated to our sport and more importantly to our horses. The equestrian community is small. Everyone knows everyone and the camaraderie in our sport is unparalleled. As an equestrian, it is easy to focus only on your riding results and using that as a gauge to measure your success. We have all felt like failures from time to time because of horrendous results at a competition. But there is much more to you as an equestrian than just your competition…