Remember “Bilbo” and “Pippin?” Two hobbits from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series? Well, meet Bilbo “Billy” and Pippen two miniature horses! With my horse out of commission and a driving clinic coming up (for which I’m the organizer, to…

What’s more fun than one day of lessons with Trish Demers? Two days of lessons, that’s what! The HUB Club of northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin invited Patricia “Trish” Demers from Prescott Valley, AZ back to the Chicagoland area for a carriage…

In December, Newman just didn’t feel right under saddle so I asked the local veterinarian I work with to maintain my horse’s health and soundness to come out and try to diagnosis this subtle asymmetry. Through a bevy of lameness…

I recently returned to my alma mater, the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, at the request of the first-ever SmartPak Vet Student Class Rep, 3rd year veterinary student Cheyenne Sams. She had scheduled a “Lunch & Learn” for…

Just before Christmas, my husband and I were lucky enough to make an unexpected trip to Hawaii for 5 days and 4 nights. It was our second time on the island of Oahu, where the state capital of Honolulu is…

Come November in the Midwest, the carriage driving season is over and there are no more shows, clinics, or recreational drives. So what’s a driver to do to fill their time? Come to a day of panel discussions on a…

Almost a year ago, I set out on a journey to learn how to ride sidesaddle, as my horse gets bored quickly and thrives on new challenges (as long as the question is more mental than physical). If he were…

What to do when you’ve reached a plateau in competitive dressage: try your hand at earning a new Dressage Seat Equitation award from the USDF! I say “new” but I think this award has been open to all riders –…

There aren’t a lot of recognized carriage driving shows in my area (in fact, there’s not a single one in the entire state of Illinois!) so it’s challenging for me to compete my horse in Combined Driving Events. However, as…

There are two kinds of people in this world: those that HAVE taken a lesson with Patricia “Trish” Demers and those that WISH they had taken a lesson with her (and those, like me, that have been evaluated by her…

Preparing for the upcoming summer show season begins in December of the year before and continues straight through the spring. This year, I wrote all the little tasks down and even I was amazed at the sheer enormity of the…

As I sit inside during yet another New England nor’easter, I thought I would share some of the equestrian books that I’ve collected for study whenever the weather makes me think more hot chocolate than half pass. Books ARE my…