The Plaid Horse

12/20/2024

Piper speaks with Jessica Newman, founder of JustWorld International. Ada Haensel also joins to talk about her non-profit organization, Speaking of Horses. Brought to you by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services. Listen in!

LISTEN NOW To listen to the Plaidcast, you can use the player above, Stitcher, Spotify, iTunes, Google Play Music, or your other favorite podcasting app! Piper speaks with Jessica Newman, founder of JustWorld International. Ada Haensel also joins to talk about her non-profit organization, Speaking o...

12/20/2024

1. Think to yourself, this costs how much? I can totally do that myself!

2. Prime yourself some clippers, ignoring the fact that they cost more than the quoted price of the body clip. Tell yourself, “I’ll be able to use these for years to come!”

3. Excitedly open your new clippers at the barn and start begin to take away all that hair.

4. Realize your clippers came with dog blades, not horse blades.

5. Stew in frustration as your trainer comes over and tells you that yes, you do actually have to bathe your horse before you can do a good clip job.

BY LAUREN MAULDIN It’s that time of year. When you don’t know if you’ll go to the barn to find your horse covered in blankets or covered in mud. In Texas, we have the added benefit of going from 80 degrees to 30s in a matter of days. For many of us, that means body […]

12/20/2024

Certain proposed amendments to the USEF Bylaw will be considered by the USEF Board of Directors in January at the Annual Meeting. The proposed amendments are intended for the following purposes:

1.) to ensure consistency in nomenclature between the Bylaws and the rule on the unethical treatment of the horse.
2.) to describe the responsibilities of all three councils (International Disciplines, National Breeds & Disciplines, and Member Services).
3.) to designate an ex-officio non-voting seat on the International Disciplines Council for the USEF Team USA Commission Athlete Representative.

Consideration of the proposed amendments will follow a 30-day consultation period, during which time USEF invites members to provide feedback on the proposed amendments.

USEF Members Invited to Provide Feedback Edited Press Release Lexington, Ky. – Certain proposed amendments to the USEF Bylaw will be considered by the USEF Board of Directors in January at the Annual Meeting. The proposed amendments are intended for the following purposes: Consideration of the pro...

12/19/2024

I have always known the horse world is competitive. Personally, I’m competitive with myself but appreciate the successes of my colleagues. I’m a new farm and business owner and am beginning to see how critical and unsupportive other trainers are of each other and its effects on our future riders.

Why can we not support each other and cheer each other on despite being on “rival” teams?

BY SARAH CARTER I have always known the horse world is competitive. Personally, I’m competitive with myself but appreciate the successes of my colleagues. As a member of the middle class, I recognize that getting anywhere in the horse world is hard and requires a ton of work. I’m a new farm and ...

12/19/2024

In today’s climate, multitaskers are thriving and there are no excuses for the rest of us. Looking to expand your equine knowledge, but don’t have the time to sit down and read? Start your New Year’s resolutions off strong with six great educational audiobooks you can play anywhere, anytime to learn more about training techniques, horsemanship, and more. Keep reading for more information!

By TEAM TPH In today’s climate, multitaskers are thriving and there are no excuses for the rest of us. Looking to expand your equine knowledge, but don’t have the time to sit down and read? Start your New Year’s resolutions off strong with six great educational audiobooks you can play anywhere...

12/19/2024

The benefits of having fit horses are almost too numerous to mention. Fit horses will have fewer injuries, longer careers, more rapid recovery time, and be better able to cope with all the demands of travel and horse show life. Whether your goals are maintaining fitness, increasing fitness, or enacting a rehabilitation program, many riders overlook probably the most underutilized fitness technique: the mindful walk.

By Abby Funk The benefits of having fit horses are almost too numerous to mention. Fit horses will have fewer injuries, longer careers, more rapid recovery time, and be better able to cope with all the demands of travel and horse show life. Whether your goals are maintaining fitness, increasing fitn...

12/19/2024

It was another great turnout for Plaidcast Live! Thank you to everyone who came to hear special guest Tik Maynard and host Piper Klemm deliver an amazing conversation at our event tonight.

Plenty of laughs, learning, friends made, and books signed. We hope to see you all again soon!

12/18/2024

A career in the equestrian world will always benefit from a foundation in business education.

The University of Louisville in Kentucky offers an equine degree program that’s part of our accredited business school, giving horsemen and women the opportunity to bolster their business skills.

Dr. Amy Lawyer, the Equine Industry Program department chair, worked in reproductive science and barn management before taking on her current role—a prime example of the program’s real-life application.

By JESSICA FARTHING A career in the equestrian world will always benefit from a foundation in business education. The University of Louisville in Kentucky offers an equine degree program that’s part of our accredited business school, giving horsemen and women the opportunity to bolster their busin...

12/18/2024

Savannah College of Art & Design fielded two Bees teams for the 34th Annual Holiday Tournament of Champions, December 7 at Virginia Tech, because they are the defending Tournament Series Champs.

What’s the best possible outcome? Champion and Reserve. To be fair, while SCAD Team Bee-Strong won comfortably with 41 points, Team Bee-Lieve had to take advantage of the tie-breaker to prevail over a very good Sacred Heart team who also scored 31. SCAD Bee-Strong didn’t have the dominant performance they have shown in the recent past, but got blue ribbons from predictable sources, with Celia Cram winning Open Fences, Alex Alston in Open Flat, and Peter Cavagnac winning both the Limit Flat and Fences to seal the deal.

Edited Press Release Savannah College of Art & Design fielded two Bees teams for the 34th Annual Holiday Tour nament of Champions, December 7 at Virginia Tech, because they are the defending Tournament Series Champs. What’s the best possible outcome? Champion and Reserve. To be fair, while SCAD Te...

12/18/2024

Mainstream sports today thrive on visibility and accessibility. Analysts dissect plays on television, coaches explain strategies on podcasts, and athletes break down performances on social media. This accessibility deepens fans’ understanding and broadens the sport’s reach.

Equestrian sport, in contrast, feels hidden. Critical conversations often happen in niche forums, private rings, or within books that don’t reach new audiences. When we do hear from leading voices, it’s often reactive—addressing controversy or crisis—and largely confined to platforms like Facebook.

Karl is already part of the solution. His “walk-and-talk” series exemplifies the kind of detailed, open-access storytelling that can push our sport forward. By being vulnerable, authentic, and dedicated to sharing his insights, Karl has built an incredibly engaged community. Imagine if more athletes joined him—breaking down their training methods, sharing competition strategies, and discussing how they navigate setbacks.

This isn’t about one person’s perspective on position—it’s about our collective responsibility to ensure the sport grows and thrives. This one debate engaged our community more in a single day than I have seen in years. Imagine if we did this more often, proactively, with intention and positivity.

By CAITLIN CREEL Regarding the latest debate about position, let’s acknowledge something important: we’re discussing a blog post from 2022. I won’t speak for Karl, but I suspect his opinion may have evolved over the last two years following ample opportunity for new learnings and experiences, ...

12/18/2024

World Equestrian Center - Ocala was alive with excitement as the final grand prix of 2024 unfolded amid an enchanting Winter Wonderland. Thirty-seven horse-and-rider combinations representing 13 nations competed for top honors in the $75,000 Mars Equestrian Grand Prix. Fresh off a national grand prix victory from last week, Tracy Fenney and her fan-favorite partner, MTM Apple, delivered a nail-biting performance that brought the crowd to its feet, chanting the mare’s name.

Erica Quinn and Magic In The Making Conjure Victory at the $12,500 Golden Ocala Hunter Derby, and More Results From Ocala December II Edited Press Release Ocala, FL – World Equestrian Center – Ocala was alive with excitement as the final grand prix of 2024 unfolded amid an enchanting Winter Wond...

12/17/2024

Armchair quarterbacks of our sport this morning got the rare treat of the masters, instigated by McLain Ward and followed up by Beezie and John Madden and more, actually weighing in and having an opinion on current times. It was a great thought exercise and spurred mostly interesting conversation for all of us.

Karl Cook has been building a trademark around “Strategic Riding” as the fiery and fresh face of Nöelle Floyd’s Masterclass series. To the tune of grumbling skepticism, he’s been on a mission to debunk the “Perfect Position.” To Cook, certain aspects of the classic equitation we arbitrarily emphasize in beginner riders all the way up to top levels result in a lack of effectiveness that will hurt the next generation of riders if we don’t update our pedagogy.

In a public Facebook post this morning, 6-time Olympic Show Jumping legend McLain Ward shared his thoughts on Cook’s theory by reposting the article from Nöelle Floyd’s page and saying, “This theory is absolute nonsense!”

By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ Armchair quarterbacks of our sport this morning got the rare treat of the masters, instigated by McLain Ward and followed up by Beezie and John Madden and more, actually weighing in and having an opinion on current times. It was a great thought exercise and spurred mostly int...

12/17/2024

Freejump’s stirrups, airvests, and helmets are created, built, tested, and assembled in France. Many other companies have products built and assembled in countries far from their headquarters, limiting quality control. Freejump is able to view every part of the process. “We understand the product, because every stage of it is ours,” says Damien Aurenche, Freejump’s sales and marketing director.

By JESSICA SHANNON Freejump’s air vests and stirrups are synonymous with safety. Their products are approved and used in all arenas, including the hunters, where they are becoming more and more popular. The company is proud of their innovative designs for safety equipment while being leaders in th...

12/17/2024

“I like to use a single take off rail. I can adjust the distances based on what it is I'm working on and how much space there is. If a rider seems tight, I make the takeoff rail a bit of a forward two or three strides. If a rider seems to be rushing, I can make that same two or three strides a bit on the short side. This rail can also be very helpful placed about 9’ in front of a trot jump to help with timing.” –Stacia Klein Madden

Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.  This week...

12/16/2024

From Kindergarten all the way through college prep, Garrison Forest School prides itself on developing horsewomen of empathy, curiosity, and confidence.

The school is based on 110 acres in Owings Mills, MD, and has a co-ed daycare and preschool, and an all-girls K-12. And in their equestrian program, the school is focused on an individualized program tailored to help each girl achieve her goals, opening the door to possibilities for a future equestrian career.

And if you are an equestrian, you only have to leave your dorm and walk down to the barns for your lessons.

By JESSICA FARTHING From Kindergarten all the way through college prep, Garrison Forest School prides itself on developing horsewomen of empathy, curiosity, and confidence. The school is based on 110 acres in Owings Mills, MD, and has a co-ed daycare and preschool, and an all-girls K-12. And in thei...

12/16/2024

I’m in my mid-thirties, and there are two things that will, without fail, make me cry: the scene from Black Beauty when the kids have to sell Merrylegs, and videos of little girls getting surprised with their first horse at Christmas.

I think it’s because I remember what it was like to want it so badly. For may of us, riding and horse ownership feels like an impossible dream. It’s expensive. It’s a hard thing for non-horse people to get. Owning a horse is a financial hardship that many families can’t make work, and even if there are funds it takes incredible commitment and patience.

BY LAUREN MAULDIN I’m in my mid-thirties, and there are two things that will, without fail, make me cry: the scene from Black Beauty when the kids have to sell Merrylegs, and videos of little girls getting surprised with their first horse at Christmas. I think it’s because I remember what it was...

12/16/2024

Recently I was out with a bunch of amateur ladies discussing everything from fashion and travel to trying to solve the problems of horse show life. We all participate in the sport in various capacities and at different levels at this point but one thought resonated throughout. The scores given in the hunter ring are arbitrary. We all want to bring back the leader board which caused much excitement at the ring to see where your round had placed you.

BY KIMBERLY MALOOMIAN Recently I was out with a bunch of amateur ladies discussing everything from fashion and travel to trying to solve the problems of horse show life. We all participate in the sport in various capacities and at different levels at this point but one thought resonated throughout.....

12/16/2024

Traveling with horses may appear to be a daunting task, especially when they need to be entrusted to someone else’s care. Whether you’re importing a horse, relocating, or flying for a competition, the process is complex and intimidating.

HorseFlight, established in 2007 by Emil Spadone and Seth Vallhonrat, was created to alleviate this stress and streamline the entire transportation process, making it as smooth and easy as possible for both horse and owner.

By KRISTINA LOTZ Traveling with horses may appear to be a daunting task, especially when they need to be entrusted to someone else’s care. Whether you’re importing a horse, relocating, or flying for a competition, the process is complex and intimidating. Horseflight was started in 2007 by Emil S...