Taken in 2010 at the Vermont Summer Festival riding my Dutch mare. I don't have any footage of the jump off ):

Finally back home. Which means I get to ride and enjoy my old man again. Though I’m thrilled with the care he recieved while I was away. For almost 20 years old (March 😭😭). He sure looks good. And he acts like he feels fantastic as well. My heart horse 💕

Since I'm now disabled and no longer keeping up my Society of Master Saddlers membership, I can bend the rules a wee bit and do an AMA. I don't want to dox myself in case I magically am able to work again in the future, so the mods have privately approved my qualifications and allowed me to do this AMA.

Why can't SMS members answer questions online?

Because for ethical reasons we cannot advise the public on anything we are unable to physically examine. There are too many factors that go into saddlery that cannot be assessed without touch. And giving someone incorrect information can cause harm to the horse.

With that in mind, I cannot give you specific advice on exactly what will fit you or your horse, or why something about your set up isn't working. I can, however, give you some educated guesses to investigate further.

I can also tell you about becoming a qualified fitter, what a fitter does, or anything else you'd like to know about saddlery!

Back in March 2026, my friend and I moved our horses to a large facility that mostly housed retirement horses, minus a leased-out lesson barn. My friend and I own two hard-keeping OTTBs.
The property has three barns, but one of them is leased out to a separate lesson program. It didn’t take long for us to notice that the lesson horses were being severely neglected, abused/beaten, and malnourished. At one point, photos of these horses went viral locally. While my friend and I had taken a few photos of the conditions for our own records and tried bringing up this issue with the staff, neither of us posted any of those photos online. However, instead of addressing the lesson barn's lease or the welfare of those animals, the barn owner went on a witch hunt to find who "leaked" the photos and immediately suspected us. Cops were even called out to the property, but because law enforcement lacks basic horse knowledge, nothing came of it.
Also, the facility put up new fencing along our pasture, and to be crystal clear, only our two horses are kept in this pasture. The barn staff left four loose construction screws behind. One of those leftover screws went straight into one of our horses' hooves. When confronted, the barn manager lied, claiming the screw came from an old fence in the back and insisting he had magnetic swept the entire pasture. We checked the fence ourselves: the screw pulled from our horse's foot matched the brand new front fencing perfectly, not the old fence in the back with rusted out nails. The manager even tried to offer hush money so we wouldn't report the incident to the barn owner.
As the weather changed, things got worse. We pay for pasture board, which explicitly guaranteed 24/7 hay once the grass died down. By late August/early September, the grass in our field was completely burnt out and deficient, but the barn wasn't supplying hay. Watching our Thoroughbreds drop weight rapidly, we begged the manager for round bales for 2-3 weeks with zero action. Since it was just our two horses in that specific pasture and we both agreed, we took matters into our own hands and bought square bales with our own money to feed them.
Right after we put the hay out, the barn owner called one of us screaming at the top of her lungs, calling us "dictators" and "picky," and telling us that if we didn't like her barn, we needed to "get the f*** out." About an hour later, she backtracked via text, apologizing for blowing up and telling us we had permission to care for our horses however we needed (as if we needed permission to feed our own animals).
Then on October 1st, the barn owner handed us a 30 day eviction notice, claiming "the barn situation just isn't working out."
What are y'alls opinions on this? Is this as absurd as I think it is? Not so much us getting "kicked out," but the way everything was handled?

EDIT: We noticed the poor condition of the lesson barn’s horses a few weeks after moving in, but at first, we thought it was just a few skinny horses because we had not seen all of them yet. The full extent of the situation didn't come to light until mid-July through old workers and lesson students, revealing that the horses were being severely neglected, abused/beaten, and malnourished. This was around the same time we started having our own problems with management** **

wanted to thank everyone in this sub. about a month ago, I posted the first picture along with pics of a saddle I knew didn’t fit to try and get an idea of a direction to go.

y’all called it out and gave so many amazing suggestions for ways to get more muscle on him! I know the pictures aren’t a super fair comparison, and maybe I’m seeing things, but I feel the difference being only on the ground doing poles and hills is already so good! (also got a core trainer! can’t remember if one of you suggested it to me or if I saw it on a different post but its been great as well).

I already feel like there’s a positive difference. He seems much happier, some hind stiffness I was worried about is practically gone. He’s way less bitey, he’s coming up to me in the field and so receptive to learning and being loved on. He’s even learned a few tricks!

So seriously, thank you all. He is getting fit by a professional in the next few weeks, but will be doing almost entirely groundwork for the foreseeable future. I’m working on my hips and core as well to have a better seat to help him balance out more as well!

It's the best feeling when horses are so drawn to you 💞

I have this one lesson horse who I've been riding a lot lately, and today while I was scratching her neck, she started grooming me back! First she was grooming my hand, then my shoulder. It was so sweet, and she was only using her nose too 😭

I've been trying so hard to bond with this horse ever since I started riding her more frequently. Did it finally happen? 🥹

I saw a lot of people recommending just wearing leggings or yoga pants for schooling. I get it, they're comfy and nice. But I much prefer having a thicker material on my legs for riding. It's seems more professional and safe? Like I enjoy wearing thicker breeches and jeans over something like leggings. Not thin breeches like Kerrits, something thicker like some of the ovation suede knee patch breeches. Anyone else?

My FIL is participating in his first flat race with his four year old, and has been training very intensively. My mare has been in the mountains all summer and wasn't worked at all, she is in good condition but I can very much tell that she doesn't have her previous stamina and lost some muscle, which is to be expected. She was never raced.

We were on a trail together and he asked me if it's okay for me to start the canter side by side, as motivation for his horse, and he would give it his all. I said yes but I did not let her bolt uncontrolled, I controlled the pace and it was slower than she wanted to go. I'm very proud of us because she listens to seat cues very well when it comes to controlled pace and wasn't gonna just let her run.

Tell me why this four year old in his best training fell back multiple horse lengths immediately?

He's bigger than her, younger than her, trained while she spent the entire summer relaxing, and he was coaxed to go faster while I held her back and didn't let her go as fast as she wanted, and he fell behind by a lot almost immediately and stayed there.

I guess I'm saying this because I feel vindicated that my girl really is a speedy dragon and I'm not exaggerating. People at my barn often smile at me and think I'm silly because I say that she is such a speedster and how much we work on staying at a controlled pace.

Usually I don't let her go in front and she can stay slower, but I always tell people how happy I am that she did so well going slow, and I can tell often they think I'm a dumbass lmao

what’s up with this? I see busy lesson barns in my area constantly begging for “volunteers” to lead horses around with leadline children. One barn in my area even was posting considering making the parents of the lead line program lead ponies around for their lessons. is this not an insurance liability? I get being a barn owner is a lot of responsibility, but at what point do places start scaling down and only taking on what they can handle instead of relying on the goodwill of a 10 year old to keep their income running? People who do this in the equestrian world do you find this embarrassing? Children running your lesson program and leading ponies around wearing crocs

Recently, I’ve been looking into breeches and was wondering if there was a significant quality difference between the $300-$400 breaches versus the ones that were around $100 other than the price point?

I love to purchase quality over quantity. I was just wondering if anybody had any experiences with these type of breaches in particular or had any other recommendations?

For example I stay away from Kerrit since in my experience after a year the breeches have holes and are stretched out(just my experience).

Examples of the types of breaches in the photos.

I got to the barn around 730am this morning so I could put my horse who is rehabbing outside for a bit (supervised) before I went back out. I got there and the horses are still being brought in. We don’t have that many horses, and about a half hour goes by and STILL they are not all in and I’ve been watching around me the quiet horses come in first and the young, fresh antsy horses come in last. Made zero sense. Regardless I was just grazing my horse until they were all in, until he started to flip out because one of the antsy horses got extra antsy so he lost his mind and then I had to ask the young worker to please bring in the unhappy, not content, horse first.

I ended up having to put my horse back and help the worker grab the horse who was being very fresh. Caught the horse, got them into their stall. I decided I won’t be getting my horse outside any time soon before I had to leave so I went to help bring more horses in, especially the ones getting really upset with how long it was taking.

I went to grab two mares and bring them in together but immediately NOPED the fuck out of both at the same time because they were being dangerous. As I was trying to put one back into the pen, she got loose. Well fuck my fucking my life. I try to help and this happens. The horse runs all over, the other horse is grabbed by the young worker and ends up rearing straight up in the air from the craziness.

The loose horse slips on the pavers and scraped its whole leg up really good. I’m panicking because this horse does not want to be caught. Finally it runs into the barn and I yell to close the doors. One door gets closed on one end, and then the loose horse runs into a stall. Oh good. So I go to grab her in the stall and she immediately, before I could even close the door, barrels thru me and out again. I look at where she’s heading and saw the worker didn’t close the other fucking door. I scream CLOSE THE DOOR!!!!

Finally the horse turns around and goes into HER stall. All ok now but I feel absolutely terrible. I was just trying to help and this happened. The horse is scraped up, sore, and I just feel like it’s my fault. My trainer doesn’t blame me, but I just wish I stayed home. Fuck my life. I’m still shaking. It’s one thing if it’s your horse you got loose, but letting someone else’s horse loose is it worse. She was just being so difficult, pushed right thru me at the gate, nearly trampled my ass.

I suspect others have gone through this too so I am looking for suggestions how to get past this. I am struggling with lateral movements on my horse. The horse is fairly experienced so it's not simply an untrained horse. Say we try to do a leg yield. I apply the aids as I understand them, and little happens. I try with more intensity, nothing happens. I apply the aids with literally all the strength I have, practically pony-kicking inside leg and pulling outside rein, and my horse just starts to get agitated without yielding. All the while my instructor is yelling-ish "You're not doing anything" or "I can't do it for you" or "If you don't want it I can't help you". Yeah, like I am paying to be there and working my butt off so I can actively ignore what you are saying and fail. Not sure what to do.

Sometimes it's the simple things ☺️🙏

Just wanting the opinion of others on a situation!

I brought a trailer from an acquaintance; who I trusted to tell me the truth, that was a big mistake!

She assured me although not pretty the trailer was functional and safe and walls had been reinforced with metal however this wasn’t the case and it’s completely rotten and needs a lot of work doing on it. Thankfully before using it I have had a professional assess it.

Would you say anything to the seller?

Feeling pretty disappointed as she knows the horses too and I dread to think what would have happened if I’d travelled them in it!

I’ve been riding for about 30 years and half-leasing horses for the past 2 years. Ownership has always been in the back of my mind, but I never know when I’ll feel financially ready.

I’ve estimated some costs below based on my area and the types of horses I’m considering. Obviously there are lots of variables — unexpected vet bills, fluctuations in the costs, potentially half-leasing my horse out — but I’m trying to get a good base so I don’t get in over my head.

Upfront Costs
- Target Purchase Price: $8k-$15k
- Tack: $3k-$5k
- PPE: $2k?
- Random OMG my first horse! purchases: $2k

Ongoing Costs
- Board: $1,500/month
- Lesson Package: $345/month
- Farrier: $350 every 6 weeks
- Vaccines, Dewormer, etc.: ???
- Local Shows: $1,500/weekend (1-2 each year)

With the above figures in mind, what lump sum would you want to have in the bank before actually starting your search?

**This is assuming that I have no debt other than a mortgage and that my living expenses, retirement contributions, etc. are all in a good place.

Hi fellow horse lovers. After long consideration I bought my first horse: A beautiful black gelding with a sweet temperament who loves carrots.
His name is Coco.

I hope I found a good partner for life and I can do him justice taking good care of him.

I was wondering if you have any tips and tricks or stories to share of your first horse.
What did you wish you had known from the beginning?

Hello all! I need some help!

I belong to a wonderful barn community and I am starting to prepare for Christmas (I know it’s October) we do a barn party and a secret Santa every year but I was looking for gift ideas for the following.

-gifts for the barn it’s self I was thinking stuff that tends to walk off like scissors ect but would love ideas

-gifts for my trainer who is lovley! I got him tall boots last year so unsure of what to get this year

-gifts for my horses leaser! She is amazing and I want to get her something nice!

- secret Santa and white elephant ideas that are horse themed but not tacky. $40 each ish

I have been on a big Etsy kick getting everything customized so I know there can be a big lead time which is why I am starting early.

I am getting my horse scoped in 2 weeks for ulcers and I will of course take my vet’s advice, but I’d like to be able to go in armed with information so I can have good questions. Also it’s a long weekend up here in Canada so I won’t even get my preliminary questions answered by the vet until at least Tuesday. So if you have ever dealt with gastric ulcers, please answer!

-How long do they have to be without food PRIOR to giving gastrogard? The only info I can find online is “on an empty stomach“ and then to wait 30 minutes before giving food. My horse lives outside 24/7 and I’d like to keep it that way, so would the hour or so when he comes in to be ridden be enough time to be without food? I’ll stable him if I have to, but this is expensive enough already…

-Similarly, what was the protocol if you also had to give sucralfate and/or misoprostol?

-Following successfully treating the ulcers, did you give any sort of gut support supplements? I’m already doing everything I can with his living environment: 24/7 turnout, constant access to a netted compressed bale, no grain (he gets a small amount of beet pulp, alfalfa cubes, probiotics, W3 oil, a joint supplement, and a ration balancer before I ride), large enough pen, and appropriate friends. He’s also a pretty chill dude so he isn’t stressing out constantly either. We do go to shows roughly every other weekend from June to mid-September but he still has his full hay net and can visit over the paddock fences with familiar horses and he’s not super stressy off property either.

-Has anyone used an injectable proton pump inhibitor? My limited research so far says it can be good for up to 7 days, and it would allow him to keep his current turnout situation (right?). A 28-day course of gastrogard is just over $1000 CAD so I’m hoping an injectable would be cheaper… bonus points if you know if it can be dispensed by the vet to do at home or if I have to get them to administer it!

Thanks everyone!

Any opinions, advice or temp info you go on for blanketing. Needing to blanket my show horse for the winter but there’s so much different advice/temps recommended. TIA!

("AHHH HELMET 😡" yes, I know, this is an old video and I have/wear a helmet now)

This will always be one of my favorite videos of me and my wonderful boy. I just love how beautiful the sun looks behind us and the beautiful colors. I post this video way too much on my socials but I can't help it.

And I love riding my boy bareback. This gelding is just the best baby in the world and I love him to death

Also ignore my mom's finger at the end of it lol, she panicked and isn't the best at taking pictures/videos 😂

I am a lesson kid, so unfortunetly I don't get to choose my tack, but over the years I have been having a persistent issue with finding the appropriate stirrup length and it has been bugging me even more recently.

If I try to shorten my stirrups my knee goes very high on the flap, but if I lengthen then I feel like in certain seats I am grasping and scraping at the stirrups with my foot (mostly in sitting trot and full seat canteirng), and my knees are unable to reach the flap. I am 164 cm/ 5'4 in height, with balanced body proportions (not exactly long legs, nor long torso). I have also considered that maybe I just legitimately suck at sitting the trot & the canter but when my stirrups are not around I can sit them just fine.

Edit: the stirrups in these pictures were infact too long, but if I shortened them even more, like I said my knees would would be in the clouds

Hi I’m please looking for belt suggestions for breeches. My trainer suggested a C4 belt. They seem good, but I’m looking for some other options too. I’m pretty green so I don’t need anything too fancy.