"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." - Randy Pausch All of us ambitious types set goals for ourselves. We plan and work hard to achieve the things we desire; and oftentimes we do achieve them. But what about when no matter how hard we try, things just don't work …
Tag: blogger
Equestrian Athletes
It is astounding to me how few riders think of themselves as athletes. "We just ride horses," I have been told. At horse shows, I have seen even trainers chowing down on junk food all day, and guzzling sodas. Many riders and trainers do not exercise outside of riding. In my opinion, equestrians are athletes and …
Dropping the Irons
Riding without stirrups is probably one of the best things we can do to improve our riding skills. It helps to clean up equitation, strengthen the legs and core, improve the seat, and increase confidence. It hurts, but it is worth it. When I was a kid, I was frequently tortured by my trainers with no stirrup …
Monsoon Season in Texas
It has just rained and rained and rained. There has been so much flooding in the Houston area the past couple of weeks, and it is pouring outside as I write this. The good news is that we are out of the drought we have been in for the past several years. Between wildfires and …
A Perfect Ride and Terrible Weather
Yesterday was one of those perfectly magical rides that I never wanted to end. Even with thunder rumbling in the distance when we started jumping, Chance was quiet and we were completely in sync. My eye is improving at the bigger jumps, and he is not building quite so much throughout our courses. We only …
Calming the Spook
Horses are very sensitive animals. As prey animals, they instinctively are very aware of their surroundings. They know when something is different, and they can sense things we may not be able to see. This often leads to spooking. Horses are called "dumb" or "crazy" for spooking at some invisible phantom, or for peeking at a new …
Endless Possibilities
As an ambitious, goal-oriented person with big dreams I have always had a hard time with not moving forward at the pace I would like. I often think about how far I have to go to get where I want. I am also extremely hard on myself, as well as very critical of my every …
Earth Day for Equestrians
Happy Earth Day everyone! Between doing outdoor chores, meeting with a barn builder, riding, and running I spent this earth day entirely outside; and I would never want it any other way. But earth day is not just about playing outside. It is a day that we can use to raise awareness about the importance …
Show Horse Life
Yesterday, Chance and I finally made it to a show! He has managed to injure himself before every show so far this year. Not yesterday though, so maybe that streak is over! We went to simply school and hang out. If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that we have had some serious …
It’s Not Just About Height
I notice a common theme among riders, myself included, that the perception of success in the hunter jumper world directly relates to how high we jump. Obviously, grand prix riders - as well as high level hunter riders - are extremely skilled at the sport. However, jumping lower does not mean that we are not skilled …
Laurel Ashton Equestrian 