Eventing With Boyd Martin

I was lucky enough to attend the USEF High Performance training camp for event horses in Ocala, Florida, in early February this year. To be quite honest, it’s one of those things where initially I moaned and groaned about going, and then once I made the trip down there with my top horses, I loved
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Lauren Eisele & Brandon Howard: Opposites Attract and Are Better Together

By Britney Grover Portraits by Kristie Nichols Lauren Eisele and Brandon Howard describe themselves as yin and yang: total opposites that somehow complete each other. From their natural sleep schedules — Lauren would go to bed at 8 p.m. if she could and is ready for business by 6 a.m., while Brandon prefers a later
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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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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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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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Jumping Cross-Country – Part 2 with Boyd Martin

Last month we talked about jumping single fences, water and banks. This month we’re talking about ditches and jumps that include ditches. Like most cross-country obstacles out there, the main key to introducing your horse to jumping ditches is confidence. This begins with understanding: The horse needs to have a clear understanding of what a
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Daniel and Cathy Geitner: Building a Business and a Family

By Laura Scaletti Portraits by Shawna Simmons If you asked Daniel and Cathy Geitner, ‘Were you raised in a barn?’ They both would proudly answer, ‘Yes!’ Not only were they raised there, they have chosen to raise their two children, Wyatt, 15, and Lilly, 13, in the environment they know best, at their DFG Stables
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