I'm a sports dietitian and I work with an equestrian team for performance in riding and energy etc. and gave a food insecurity survey (do you go hungry or have enough money for food) in my collegiate equestrian team and was shocked at how many of my athletes couldn't afford adequate food to sustain themselves. (Survey United States Department of Agriculture (.gov) https://www.ers.usda.gov › s...PDF US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form)

Can we have a discussion about this, because the outside perception of equestrian is "rich people's " sport.

That coupled with the prevalence of eating disorders I'm treating, I'm feeling like I needed to reach out to y'all for input.

I haven’t bought a horse in 10 years, so maybe this has been an issue for a while, but I’m finding myself incredibly frustrated the last couple months and I’m wondering if it’s just me having bad luck or if this is a common experience.

I’m looking to purchase a horse, specifically a young project. Nothing fancy, but it should be relatively well-built and have some semblance of a brain between its ears. The amount of people who don’t know how to appropriately use photos in a sale ad blows my mind. I can’t tell anything about the horse from three crooked pictures of it eating hay in a field. Less than half of the sellers include any kind of videos of movement, and when I ask for some or additional photos they say they’ll take some and never get back to me. Do you even want to sell the horse?

Another recent favorite experience of mine was driving 15 hours and spending hundreds of dollars to go look at a horse that I knew would sell quickly. I liked the animal and after thinking it over for a day I messaged and said I’d like to proceed with the purchase and the owner came back and said she had wondered what taken me so long to respond when I’d only met the horse less than 48 hours prior, and that she essentially wasn’t ready to sell the horse yet but they’d let me know, so I should wait for a decision. Then, they come back to me TWO WEEEKS later and say she decided to sell it to someone else. Mind you, my meeting the horse and being a “good match” was very important to this seller, but now the horse is just getting shipped to someone halfway across the world that I highly doubt came to meet it haha.

I’m also finding people don’t even read the ads I’m posting before sending me animals. If I want a 4-6 years old mare within five hours of Colorado, I get at least half a dozen people trying to sell me 2yo geldings in South Carolina.

Sometimes I’ll message people who have posted ads and ask for more information or express interest in meeting the horse ASAP if they’ve already covered all I want to know, sometimes within hours of the ad being posted, only to be met with crickets. I want to give you a large sum of money, can I at least get an answer back? 🥲

I see a lot of sellers these days complaining about time wasters and tire kickers, but I’m finding it’s just as bad, if not more so, from the other side. Please tell me this isn’t just my personal experience.

As a blanket statement. I generally find a-lot of horse people really hard to get along with. Mostly in a working (employer/employee) relationship. Not only are we generally poor communicators but they seem completely allergic from hearing new ideas. The its “my way or the high way” mantra goes hard.

Also yes, horses are expensive. So that doesn’t leave much aside to pay employees but we also struggle to have realistic times for jobs. 3hrs for one person to muck out paddocks with a dozen horses over 15 acres of steep hills. Just with a wheel barrow and some buckets. Plus with the expectation of cleaning the yard as-well within those 3hrs is a stretch.

Sorry if this isn't allowed here, but I was wondering if any of my female (or those who identify as female) rider friends had any advice to an 18-year old who has been underwear-line conscious ever since she hit puberty! Thought I'd ask this question with the outdoor show season not far away here in the northeastern US.

Thongs/g-strings are just a bit too uncomfy and going without chafes really badly. On the flipside, almost all of those artistic "butt and saddle" pics of me turn out like this, so it's like oh cool, that's the first thing you notice.

I have noticed that some brands of breeches are thinner fabric than others, but it usually doesn't make too much an improvement when I switch up from, say, Tailored Sportsman to Ariat or Struck. Underwear on display, I'm low-key embarrassed.

I'm US-based if that helps with brands, too. Anybody have any tips?

Yesterday- almost two years to the day of a severe fall that landed me on 18 weeks bedrest, I ate dirt again after my horse massively spooked (like went from a working walk to jumping all four feet in the air and twisting to the side, landed bucked and unseated me.) the fall would have been “whatever” - I’m not even sore…excepts for the spot where Leo stepped on me and managed to gouge a chunk out of my calf through my unscathed tall boots and two layers of tights - riding tights and thermals cause were in NY.

And yet I feel so much guilt. My friends are teasing me. I understand people don’t get the risks we take, but my friend got a concussion skiing this weekend and isn’t being treated like a crazy person who sucks at her sport.

While injuries happen but have been rare in my 3 decades of riding, I feel consumed with guilt and shame and every negative depressing emotion out there. I was mortified to come home and tell my parented even though he’s nothing but supporting.

Does anyone else deal with emotional baggage after a fall?

I’ve unexpectedly acquired a four year old, unbroke gelding. He’s super sweet and so gentle. I’ve gotten him saddling like a pro and haul him to competitions with me just to hang out and get some exposure. He’s a real star.

I have lots of experience working with green broke babies and re starting retired racing quarter horses, but I want to take the next step and start one from scratch. I do have my own plan and ride for a trainer, but just wanted to ask for tips and groundwork advice others take for braking their young ones! Right now we’re working on round pen manners, front/hind end awareness, giving his nose to pressure, and I’ve been putting my foot in the stirrups and getting up and down but not on. I want to hear others approaches and methods!

I started out helping with a green horse (very green and just broken in) because the owner was struggling with time and was having difficulties with finding someone in the same skillset. Unfortunately, I live almost 2 hours away and am just in the area over weekends and the beginning of the week (for this term). I’m able to put maybe 3-4 rides a week. The horse is now going wtc and I have her listening to my weight aids (slowing the trot and opening it up). As with any green horses, things come up (like the horse wanting to trot quick or not listen to weight/steering) and I need to modify my training plan for the day to deal with it. The horse also will try to spook and this needs to be dealt with immediately or she will continue the behaviour throughout the ride (wb brain).

Unfortunately, the owner has fears with this horse. She has the riding experience, but it has been over 15 years since she worked with a green horse. The potential spooking and green horse antics seems to terrify her. Last time the horse spooked, she wanted to have her worked 6-7 days a week and was going to send her away to training for 3 months to be taught how to spook in place… I reasoned with her that this was unrealistic. Every horse spooks and has a natural way of how they react to new stimuli, but they do learn how to better think through new obstacles with time. This horse is honestly a very well-minded 3 year old, but feeds off people’s energy and also takes anything they learn the extra mile. For example, she learns to bend in one lesson and then she wants to over bend to please the next ride. She isn’t really prone to spooking and doesn’t really do so with me, but I could see how she would given the opportunity.

Another rider has been giving the owner lessons over the week. There has been problems with that I won’t elaborate much on. The rider has a very different background and thought the horse needed forward above all else (basically putting the bull before the horns) and this created an issue where the horse wanted to race and all seat aids disappeared. I have fixed that, though the inclination still remains, so at the beginning of every ride, that is where the horse’s mind goes. I work a good chuck at the walk until I feel the horse is coming back to me and moving forward appropriately to contact.

Another rider will be introduced in a week for trail rides. This was actually my idea as I wanted the horse to have hill work, but didn’t have the time myself. Only, I thought this would start next month since we still have snow, so this rider will be potentially schooling the horse once a week. I’m unsure of the rider being introduced and whether they have experience with green horses. I’m working on specific things and I’m concerned if some things are to be reinforced (like the quickness), this will create long-term bad habits.

I guess this is a rant. I’m very thankful to be riding again, as my own horse is retired and I can’t fork out extra money for a lease while I’m doing my masters and paying for rent. I’m just passionate about training and dislike how confusing it must be for the horse. I’m just confused what the owners actual goals are here. She said she wanted a dressage horse, but it seems to me she wants a bombproof one. In my eyes, all these mixed messages could cause issues and frustration in the horse, actually making the horse more prone to spooking due to a lack of confidence.

Possibly moving to Orono, Maine for college. Just interested in barns nearby. I need pasture 24/7 or substantial turnout. I know they get a lot of rain so I wouldn’t mind a stall/turnout combo.Trainer on site is preferred.

I know they are mostly for getting them used to the bit in their mouth, but what about for anxious trail horses? I’ve seen people call it a “fidget spinner bit” lol. My horse is very adaptable to any bit I’ve used (currently using a no-joint ported kimberwick), and does not have behavior issues with any bit I’ve tried so I’m considering trying a roller bit for trails since he tends to be distracted and anxious. Opinions on this? I don’t know much else about roller bits at all beyond this!

I have been riding and taking showjumping lessons for 4 years now and I just moved across the country. I've always been serious about riding and wanting to grow. I've been bitten by the "i want a horse" bug again. I normally just ride lesson horses and I think there are pros and cons to that. I would love to own a horse and I plan to in the future but it's not possible right now. I know leasing is a good option and I was wondering what you guys recommend. partcal lease? full lease? pros and cons to both? tips when it comes to leasing and when you should just get your own horse? I can't lease a horse quite yet because money and getting settled in a new area but I was wondering since now it is a greater possibility and I'm super excited about that. Thanks!

I am new to horse ownership and know only the basics about hoof care, although I have ridden and leased for over ten years. Our vet was out this week for vaccines and a health checkup, and he noted all four of her hooves demonstrate this striated growth pattern. The very newest growth at the coronary band is slightly raised, the rest is flat. He said the growth pattern was indicative of inflammation, but didn't elaborate much past that. We went on to discuss other things and I forgot to ask more about this. I can follow up with him too, but am curious to know more about this type of hoof growth, if there's anything I can do to prevent it, and if I should do anything now to help her. She is not displaying any lameness or signs of pain (that I can detect). TIA!

hi everyone! currently i’ve been on about a month and a half break from riding for physical and mental health reasons but i’ll be returning on the 31st! besides that, i have been riding consistently since july and have pretty much all the “basics” down as in trots and cantering. i’ve only done (trotted) small cross rails like very few times with my old trainer- i am at same barn but am now with a new trainer. she definitely has taught me differently and i think i learn better with her, i got my canter faster with her and i feel like my older trainer just kept literally having me do a posting trot and trotting cross tails for months and i wasn’t learning anything new. now that i have a new trainer, i love it and i’m learning faster, how soon do you think i can start to canter jumps and start jumping more? that’s my goal and i feel like i’m ready for it because i’ve been doing flat work ever since july.

Hello, I don’t know where to ask, so I am asking here, but does wearing spurs so low that they touch the ground when you walk damage the spurs? Thanks