Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome

I’m moving up a division and I feel like I don’t belong. Despite the years of training, I’m dealing with imposter syndrome. What can I do to shake this feeling off? What exactly is the imposter syndrome? This syndrome is the internal feeling and belief that you’re not as good, as smart, as talented or
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Jen Brandon: Jumping Out of the Frame

By Shya Beth  Jen Brandon’s painting style fits perfectly with the powerful and swift jumpers, delicate equine features being blurred into the brush strokes as her subject leaps over the obstacle. Jen, or “the girl behind the painting,” as she calls herself, loves life and all it brings with it. Surrounded by horses her whole
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Christian Simonson: Riding High and Flying the Skies

By Ruby Tevis Portraits by Melissa Fuller When Christian Simonson puts his mind to something, he’s sure to achieve it. An exceptional student, avid mountain biker and young pilot, Christian succeeds in many areas, but his biggest passion is the sport of dressage. As the son of his Dutch equestrian mother, the multitalented 18-year-old and
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McKenzie Cumbea: Mental Toughness, Consistency & Hard Work

By Lilly Steger Portraits by Pam Jensen McKenzie Cumbea is plucky and upbeat, and possesses the gutsy confidence that gets eventers into the startbox. “Fake your confidence if you have to,” she advised. A Connecticut native, McKenzie grew up riding with her sisters at a local hunter-jumper barn and fell in love with horses. She
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Dogs and Horses: Who is Liable?

By Armand Leone and Jessica E. Choper Dogs and horses go hand in hand. Where there’s a barn or horse owner, there’s often a dog tagging along. More often than not, horses, dogs, and their people can coexist peacefully and without issue. That said, there’s the occasional problem caused by a dog that may have
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Calista Yun: Saving Lives by Baking Cookies

By Britney Grover When 13-year-old Calista Yun isn’t riding or doing her 7th grade schoolwork, she’s in the kitchen — baking and decorating horse treats for her business, TuffCookie.co. Though it began with making treats for her own pony, Calista’s mission to “leave no pony unspoiled” has grown into nonstop baking in her Manhattan Beach,
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Richie Moloney: The Quiet Man of Irish Show Jumping

By Louise Parkes Portraits by Melissa Fuller Richie Moloney doesn’t like to brag, but then you don’t need to sing your own praises when you’ve achieved success with the minimum amount of fuss. His natural talent has seen the 39-year-old Irishman collect some of the biggest prizes on the U.S. show jumping circuit, including the
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Turning an Art Passion Into a Profession

Sandra Meyer Atlanta, Georgia Professional Artist How long have you been part of the horse world? Horses were a big part of my childhood and I would ride bareback and Western under the sunny skies of San Diego County in California, where I grew up. If I wasn’t riding horses after school, I was teaching myself
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Opportunities for Young Riders in the Hunter-Jumper World 

By Andrew Welles  From your experience as a trainer, what are ways young riders can grow in their training if they don’t have the means to have a string of horses of their own?  Take advantage of every opportunity the sport offers you. If that’s a riding opportunity, make sure it’s with good horses that
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Unbridled With Harold Chopping

By Jan Westmark Harold Chopping grew up in Canada, where he had a successful career in both the hunter and jumper ring. He represented the Canadian Equestrian Team on multiple Nations Cup teams, competed at three World Cup Finals, and was the alternate for the Barcelona Olympic Games.  Harold moved to the United States and
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