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Tuesday, November 18 2014 / Published in Weekly Feature

Adventures of My Green, Hot Horseman

By Susan Friedland-Smith

Back in July, my husband, Mark, who is now a budding equestrian, purchased a helmet in anticipation of his future riding “career.” I really had no idea he was planning on crossing over to the horse side. He’s more of a beach goer and skier.

Mark getting ready to groom before his lesson.

Mark getting ready to groom before his lesson.

I knew something was up when he texted me to ask if my saddle was all-purpose or dressage. I was in Illinois visiting my family and he was flying to meet me and I was poised to pick him up from the airport. I assumed he had met someone on the flight from Orange County to Chicago who was a rider and he was trying to talk shop. Not so. When I met him curbside at O’Hare, he had his briefcase and suitcase next to him with the book Horseback Riding for Dummies in the crook of his arm.

We had been apart for a couple of weeks and, in that time away, he had begun reading up on horses. I was dumbfounded as I scanned through the pages of the yellow book noting underlined passages and comments in the margins. I thought he was trying to impress me (and it worked), but apparently he had decided to begin riding and, before he got on a horse, he wanted to be as knowledgeable as possible.

Mark didn’t want to waste his time learning beginner things during his upcoming lessons. He shared if he could master the knowledge of gaits and proper position out of the saddle, he would then be getting the most bang for his buck during an actual lesson in the saddle. I was amused but didn’t think much of it as we were visiting family and 2,000 miles away from home.

A midsummer trip to the tack shop turned into a shopping adventure that included buying riding breeches.

A midsummer trip to the tack shop turned into a shopping adventure that included buying riding breeches.

A few days into our trip, we took my 15-year-old niece to her local tack shop for saddle repairs. I lost my husband in the store, and when he surfaced several minutes later, he was wearing riding breeches and being waited on by two female sales clerks. As the women went off to find him different sizes and models of riding pants, he pointed to the white breeches on the rack and asked if he could wear those. I told him he wasn’t ready for that quite yet, and softened my “no” by adding that white shows all the dirt.

“Are you really going to ride?” I was thinking that I should be the one getting new breeches, because I’m the true equestrian in the family.

He said, “I’m not going to ride, I’m going to jump!”

And with that, 20 minutes later he bought the gray Tailored Sportsman breeches. I only bought one item: a sticker of a horse and rider jumping, which I plan to attach to the back window of his car after he jumps his first course. The next day he bought a helmet from another tack shop and ordered paddock boots and half chaps online.

That night around 11 p.m., I found him in my parents’ office watching YouTube videos about how to get the correct diagonal. He watched and replayed, watching again. He then asked about leads and which diagonal to be on when the horse is on the left lead. The earnestness with which he observed the girl posting and changing diagonals overrode my gut instinct to openly laugh. He reminded me of a Boy Scout.

I guess his sudden interest into equestrianism shouldn’t have been a surprise. About two years earlier during Thanksgiving break in Illinois, we “played” polo for about 10 minutes on my niece’s friend’s mom’s Argentine polo ponies. When he dismounted after his brief but successful foray into polo (yes, he cantered past me and swung the mallet, hitting the ball way out of my posting trot reach), the polo pony owner asked, “How long has your husband been riding?”

The International Helmet Awareness Day Twitter photo which led to equestrian legend Lucinda Green to begin following Sidelines columnist Susan Friedland-Smith on Twitter.

The International Helmet Awareness Day Twitter photo which led to equestrian legend Lucinda Green to begin following Sidelines columnist Susan Friedland-Smith on Twitter.

I responded, “He doesn’t.” I guessed he’s just a natural.

On our return flight to California this summer, Mark brought a small piece of string on board. As he read the section in his Dummies book on how to tie a horse, he practiced the quick-release knot using a pencil as the hitching post and the string as a lead rope. I thought for a second of how crazy we must have looked if anyone on the plane took note of our actions, but then dismissed the embarrassment knowing that hands-on learning is really the kind of learning that sticks regardless if it happens at a barn or on an airplane.

Two or three days after our return flight with the string, it was International Helmet Awareness Day and I noticed on Twitter that six-time Badminton Horse Trials champion and British Olympian Lucinda Green tweeted a selfie sporting a riding helmet and SWIMSUIT! A challenge was issued via retweet for people to start sharing swimsuit/bikini, and Speedo (yes, Speedo) selfies while wearing a riding helmet.

“Mark, some people are tweeting helmet photos in swimsuits and someone has asked for men to pose in their Speedos and helmets. Are you up for it?”

The perfect Christmas present – a horse and a hot horseman!

The perfect Christmas present – a horse and a hot horseman!

My husband has been Elvis, Michael Jackson, and last year he won a Halloween costume contest as a very compelling version of Richard Simmons. Asking him if he wanted to “dress up” or in this case, undress a bit, I knew he’d be game. He disappeared into the house.

Next, Mark came out to the back yard in his blue bikini Speedo (used only underneath a wetsuit) carrying my old bridle the wrong way in one hand and Horseback Riding for Dummies in the other.  The Speedo is ancient and stretched out and I’ve thought of buying him a new one, but I can’t bring myself to that, as I don’t want to be perceived as an advocate for middle aged men wearing Speedos.

So while wearing only his tiny swimsuit and new riding helmet, he pretended to be practicing how to bridle a horse using our Golden Retriever as a horse. Our dog’s head was strategically posed to create for a more modest photo.

I sent out a tweet that said: @susanwordlover All riders from Olympians like @LucindaGreenMBE to newbies like my hubs should wear helmets.

I am pleased to report that in addition to advocating riding with a helmet, I attracted a new Twitter follower: Lucinda Green herself.

Following that excitement, Mark began riding lessons. He caught on quickly to the idea of the ideal position and picked up the steering concept. However, he felt the hour-long lessons ended too quickly, as he wanted a more rigorous workout. He also shared that his balance “sucked.”

In addition to simple equitation, Mark learned how to groom and tack a horse. Before one lesson he did the most thorough job picking a hoof that I have ever seen! I literally think he held up the school horse’s hoof for five minutes brushing away each grain of sand. His fastidiousness put me to shame.

About a month ago as I was getting ready for a lesson, Mark asked, “Do you want me to brush down the horse for you?” It was then I realized a perk for his newfound interest in my hobby: my groom is now my groom! I never would have guessed it could happen. In the midst of the comedy, we have a new camaraderie centering on horses. And I can’t wait until our next trip to the tack store!

About the writer: Susan Friedland-Smith, a middle school history teacher living in North Tustin, California, has been horse-crazy since girlhood. While encouraging her newbie equestrian husband’s riding pursuits, she has been on a quest to find her next equine best friend. Join the quirky adventures by following her blog Saddle Seeks Horse at www.susanfriedlandsmith.com and on Twitter @susanwordlover.

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
#horseshow #horses #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #horselove #horsestagram #instagram #showjumping #equestrianlife #equine  #horsebackriding #dressage #horselife #pony #of #horserider #horseshoe #horsemanship #horseshowlife #riding #instahorse #horseaddict #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is. It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is...

 ✨PF'S DIAMO BLUE✨
Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
17.0hh, Oldenburg International Hunter Derby/ Jumper Stallion
An outstanding Pedigree- Chacco Blue and Diamant de Semilly
WBFSH/ Rolex top ranking Jumping Sires 2017 thru 2022
Standing at Ryan Pedigo Sport Horses, in California

For more information, you can contact 
🖥Ryanpedigosporthorses.com
🖥Ryan.p.f@hotmail.com
☎️(714) 357-2714

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

@ryanpedigosporthorsespf_

#stallion #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #equine #dressage #pferd #equestrianlife #mare #hengst #horseriding #instahorse #cheval #pferde #equinephotography #horselove #dressagehorse #pony #horselover #caballo #foal #quarterhorse #aqha #arabianhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
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