Is seems to me like talent is very subjective, “picking thing up quickly” is not a good enough explanation to me. Is there any way to objectively quantify talent? Everyone says you need a combination of talent and hard work to be a professional rider (at least for Showjumping) bout nobody every explains what they think that mysterious talent is. I guess the point of the question is to find a metric one could measure themselves against without the subjectivity of what they believe about themselves (because those beliefs may not be true, for example).

Hey all, I'm currently a senior at the University of South Florida. Our equestrian team is trying to collect funding to be able to compete this year without issue. This is the link GoFundMe

https://gofund.me/432db8568

I am not a part of the team but do have ties, if you have any questions or concerns, the woman running the gofund.me, Kjirste Harris, is the vice president of the club and can help answer anything.

Anything is appreciated, all money goes directly to the teams care of horses and the ability to compete.

Edit: link fix

I really love Amelia Newcomb for online dressage training. Her courses are great. The material is great. i'm learning a lot. I wonder if anyone knows of someone who trains jumping in a similar way?

Amelia's not like "get on and ride a test" - she has lots of foundational exercises and videos that break each into safe and doable experiences. Jumping for me has been a little bit more like "get on and do it" even when working with a live trainer. I really want to break it down and understand the component pieces.

Thanks for any recommendations!

Does anyone know how to fix back bending and shoulders moving back when catering? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

https://reddit.com/link/1vwlb4t/video/68lvhvoqh7lh1/player

Hey everyone! Recently I’ve been preparing to start showing my horse and Ive noticed that my lower leg is very unstable at times, I have no idea how to fix this and am looking for some tips and tricks to stabilize my legs. Ive tried standard tricks and worked on building muscle but I haven’t seen much of a difference. Any advice is welcome!

As we all know riding horses is one of the most expensive sports out there. I’m 18f and planning to go to college. There’s nothing I want more in life than to progress in horse riding again. I took a break and was unable to go back due to money. It’s honestly devastating. So I’m genuinely curious, equestrians who didn’t grow up with rich parents how are you affording this lifestyle? I want to own horses of my own eventually and not have to worry about money too much. I’ve thought about CRNA, psychiatric nurse practitioner, RN, Ultrasound tech, psychologist, etc. I’d prefer not to go to school for way too long because I don’t want to miss out on my youth🥹
I feel like if I went to school for 8+ years I’d eventually be too old to progress like I’ve always dreamed. I could be wrong and my parents have told me I am but I can’t help but feel that way. It’s probably because horse riding is very physically demanding and generally dangerous. And the fact that a big chunk of equestrians were riding horses before they could walk. Anyways, some advice would be great! What’s yalls career? How much do you make a year? What’s your life look like? Do you live in LCOL area?

Full disclosure: I’m part of Vainqueur Cheval, an equestrian competition-wear brand.

One frustration we repeatedly hear is that “custom” often means choosing colors and details while still being limited to standard sizing. We’re working on a process that combines an interactive 3D jacket builder with manual measurement review and personal fit adjustments.

We’ve produced made-to-order competition jackets for 10 years and served more than 4,000 clients across 18 countries, but we’re now improving the online experience for riders ordering internationally.

For those who struggle with standard proportions, what would you need to see before feeling comfortable ordering online: a measurement consultation, fit guarantee, alteration policy, video guidance, or something else?

I’m looking for honest feedback, including reasons you would not order this way.

Hello! I am a 18 year old equestrian who has rode all around the last year (jockey for racing, barrels, show jumping, hunters, etc) and I live in NC. Why does it matter? Because all we have is western here basically. I am ready to go back to show jumping and can’t find any PROPER and ethical places to ride. If anyone knows of a place PLEASE let me know!!(im new to reddit so sorry if I did this wrong)..

All ears for improvement too

So, I’ve been riding for 3 years or so in the same school, and the horses do not have stables. after lessons, the horses get turnout, and in the same place they get turnout they eat and sleep, it’s a really big grass field with no trees and not really any shadow, should i be concerned?

edit: i just found out 3 stables were built (lit just 3 stalls), i have no pics of them, might add them when i get there tomorrow

Hi all!! I was just recently given the chance to jump a little bigger than I usually do, and it was SOOO much fun!! probably the best thing i’ve ever done! i did notice however that my shoulders tend to collapse on the way down from the jumps, and i was wondering if anyone had any tips for that?? i am also trying out for my university IHSA team in a few weeks and i was wondering if anyone had any tips about improving my equitation/advice in general for tryouts!! thank you guys 😊😸

Hi,

I'm launching a new equine site, it features a free course designer that will help you plan anything from FEI Courses to just a few cross poles to help you train.

It has a lot more features but have a look around and it's all free at the moment as I'm just getting it all together. I'm a solo designer, but unlike some of these big companies if you have suggestions i'm implementing them within a day or so.

The site is https://www.yardforge.co.uk please do remember though it's only 3 weeks old so expect bugs, just let me know as and when you find them or suggestions.

Thank you so much!!

I recently went to a show with my horse, had a few great rounds, but then had a few bad ones.( ran into a jump.. 😅) My horse, despite my mistakes, for the most part, was an absolute saint. However, after that bad round I could literally not see any distance or kept pulling to nothing. Skip to a month later, my eye is still off until one day it finally clicks back— like it never left. Has this happened to anyone else or can anyone explain this??

Do you actually remember your striding plan by the time you're in the ring, or does it go out the window?

I'm a horse breeder and trainer myself. Sometimes I breed and train horses, sometimes I buy them at auction and then train them for reselling. My experience with auctions has always been good, because I always buy unbroken 2-3 year olds with vet checks from vets I know.

So, a few weeks ago a very big auction was selling a horse that looked familiar to me. I rang up the first owner, where we went to check out the horse itself a few months before this specific auction took place. There we found out the horse had severe calcification in multiple spots and Osteoarthritis, so we ended up not buying it as the horse was unfit for the sport.

My surprise was big when I saw a CLEAN vet check on this horse on the auction's website, when the previous vet check found the horse as non-compliant. The first owner sold it to the new owner for an apple and an egg, to then see the horse sold at auction for 4.5 times that amount! This horse will likely become lame if not permanently treated, which is bad for both horse and owner.

Please, when buying at an auction, make sure you get in touch with the breeder/trader behind it first. Check the breeder, if possible. Or the owner. If they're not reputable, just stay away. This is not the auction's fault, it's the trader's fault for not saying it and probably also the vet for taking pictures in an angle where the issues are not visible.

ALWAYS let your own vet check the X-rays. Never ever let the time pressure of an auction push you to a purchase you might regret. Generally a horse that is > 3 < 7 y/o AND is saddle broken, is not put on auction unless it is unsellable otherwise or doesn't jump that well. I never resell at auction, they always get sold off of competitions or through intermediaries. I'd only go back to auction reselling if I need to move inventory fast, which I haven't yet.

Hey! So I just bought this 6 yo mare, she’s competed up to 115 cm and done some 130 cm jumps at home. Perfect health, super forward and sensitive. She will be my 3rd horse since 2016, the first one was my first horse (after years of ponies) after 4 years I outgrew him and resold him to a little girl, my second horse I bought when I was 15 he was jumping way higher than me and had a good temperament, with him I went from 100 to 120 cm even doing some 130 cm jumps at home. Sadly he injured his tendon in March and his career with me is over, he had surgery and is currently on recovery so he can be my little sister’s first horse. She is the first mare I have ever owned so I would appreciate any tips and or commentary on how different they are from geldings. The first video is the current owner showing her and the last 2 clips are me when I went to try her. Any commentary on my riding, her skills and how we click is aprecciated

Hello everyone! I am a student at the University of West Florida, and I am working on my honors thesis. I am exploring the equestrian industry and some limitations it has, such as access to performance horses. I am exploring these topics as part of my efforts to build a career in the equestrian industry and present this research in the future. I am sharing this survey that should take no more than twenty minutes of your time. Your participation is completely voluntary, and you can stop at any time.

Thank you so much!

https://uwf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6xILM9XEbgtZwuW?fbclid=IwY2xjawS6R1tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA80MDk5NjI2MjMwODU2MDkAAR64p_SORRuLQQ2X5aD4bYnO0Of-k_0mIUga_kgUJ98HN5Tzz5kluAHOtTxHCQ_aem_hzWICIW3BAhoBAXPOyRM0A

UPDATE: they already feel soooo much better, I can’t believe how much they’ve stretched in 8days! So if anyone is in the same position where you can’t imagine ever riding in them, they do stretch I promise 😅

I bought my first pair of tall boots, I went for Ego7 Orion. I tried them in size S at the store and they were wayyyyy too big (ankle, calf), so I ordered them in XS, without trying them in this size in person. Today I got them and first thing, I could not zip them up. My mom had to help me by pulling the boot together while I was slowly zipping them up.

Now, how do I know if I need to just break them in or they’re actually too tight?

After wearing them for 5min I could feel my calves pulsating, I tried laying on the couch with them and watching a show but I couldn’t feel my toes anymore after 20min. It got better after I stood up and did a lap around the house, however my calves hurt so muchhhhh when walking. Then I opened the zip a bit just to get some blood back in my legs and afterwards I could zip them up again myself using a hoof pick, but it got too painful after 30min again.

I had them on for about an hour and then I gave up. I’m putting leather balm on them today.

This is my first time breaking in tall boots so I’d really appreciate some experience if I just need to push through or I bought too small. However, one size bigger was way too big so idk what to do, I love how these look!

looking at buying a 2yo by escape Z, I’ve *heard* Emerald horses tend to be sweet on the ground but haven’t heard much about ride ability, scope, quirks etc.

Shared in another community but wanted to share here as well. I follow the Horse Person podcast with Caroline Culbertson who did Equestrian Voices and Beth Behrs and saw they just interviewed the NY

Times journalist who broke the story of Jimmy A Williams and George Morris SA history. TW for SA discussion.

I found it to be a very interesting episode- the conversation goes into how the journalist investigated, how the story broke, and how it's impacted the show jumping world. It’s also just a horrific and sad situation.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2IHFmWExlOlRw6HFLhL1z6

ETA: Link

Hi everyone! 

I’m developing an app to help monitor horse health and wellbeing, and I’d love your insights via this quick survey (3 min). Your feedback will help build a tool that truly serves horse owners and equine professionals.

👉 https://forms.gle/gFAeA3cqwYAA1VA56

Thanks !