The show is over! It went really well and everyone that came seemed to have a good time. The biggest stress factor for me was keeping all of the entries that came in that day as well as the adds and scratches organized and up to date for the announcer and judge. As a competitor, I think I’ll try harder to have my ... Read More »

In preparation for our upcoming horse show, I need to come up with ways to spruce up our existing jumps and make sure we have enough of everything to make a full course. To do this I first came up with a likely course that I’ll use for the horse show, assumed that I’ll want at least one if not two oxers and that ... Read More »

The horse show I’m putting on at Sycamore Stables is less then two weeks away! While myself and others at the barn continue to prepare things at the farm, the most important work is the work I do at home, putting together programs, updating the website and emailing prize lists to everyone I know. If we don’t ... Read More »

I spent the last week at a horse show. Part of showing is dealing with personal emotions and for me it is also about knowing how to deal with my student’s emotions. Whenever we show, I want to make sure that my students get the most they can out of the experience whether they win or lose. This is considerably easier ... Read More »

I’ve been coaching an Intercollegiate (IHSA) Team for a while now but this year I’m looking into beginning a high school team. The way that the two associations run horse shows are fairly similar but I’m sure there are some differences. The biggest difference from a coach’s point of view I would ... Read More »