My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Jody Jaffe’s Commander Speaks is a delightful and thought-provoking novel that brings a unique and refreshing perspective to the equestrian world—through the voice of a horse. As someone who has spent a lifetime listening to horses who can’t articulate their thoughts as coherently as Jaffe’s equine protagonist, I was completely enchanted by Commander (or, as […]
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I’ve always loved the Budweiser commercials that featured their magnificent Clydesdales — except for the horses’ docked tails, a practice that is both cruel and unnecessary. Thankfully, Anheuser-Bush recently announced that it had stopped docking the tails of its Clydesdales, stating that “The safety and well-being of our beloved Clydesdales is our top priority.” It’s […]
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After Zelda died, I had an overwhelming need to visit Freedom. He’s been retired in Virginia since October of 2021, after I broke my ankle for a second time. Too much time had passed since I’d seen him and although I’d gotten regular updates from the retirement facility, I needed to touch him again and […]
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How many times did you read Black Beauty as a child? I’m not sure I can even count that high! Unlike the pure equine fantasy novels of Walter Farley (I longed for him to write a book about a girl as I read and re-read The Black Stallion and the Island Stallion series), Black Beauty […]
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As war rages in the Ukraine, horse owners around the world have asked how they can help Ukranian horses and their owners. There have been heart breaking posts on Facebook as families flee the devastation of war. Recently we heard from a friend in Ukraine, that several of the people that own horses are walking […]
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On December 22nd, between 4-5:30 a.m. someone stole Whisper, a 32″ miniature pony from her family’s farm. The gate couldn’t be opened by a horse. Rachel Johnson found her own horse loose just after 5:30 a.m. on a road near her house, but the mini was gone. There was half a candy cane where the […]
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The new Netflix docuseries “Bad Sport” revisits some of outrageous sport scandals in recent memory, including episode 5, which covers the horse killings for insurance scandal of the 1980s. While the memory of the killings — and the people it brought down — are still fresh in my memory, for many younger riders, this may […]
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A year ago, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) accused show jumper Andy Kocher of using “electric spurs” on his horses. In April, Kocher was suspended by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Tribunal for 10 years, fined and forfeited winnings from eight competitions where photographic evidence showed signs of the cables running up his breeches — […]
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