It presents step by-step training programs and showing advice from recognized experts in hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage, and eventing, along with money- and time-saving ideas on health care and stable management.
My career path started when I took journalism in college. After graduating, I was employed at a bi-weekly newspaper and then moved to a weekly in Massachusetts. I’d planned to work my way up to a big-city newspaper, but life took a (great!) detour, and soon I was offered a job as junior editor at Practical Horseman magazine, then in rural Pennsylvania. After a few years, I became the managing editor of a small magazine, HorsePlay, and moved just outside Washington, D.C. Next up was the editor’s position at Dressage Today until I returned to Practical Horseman as editor. Looking back, I see the progression my career took. (It’s so much clearer than when I was actually living it.) At each step, I made mistakes—and still do—but was fortunate enough…
George H. Morris is the former chef d’équipe of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Team. He serves on the USEF National Jumper Committee and Planning Committee, is an adviser to the USEF High- Performance Show Jumping Committee and is president of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. Do you want George Morris to critique your riding? If so, send in a color photograph, at least 3 x 5 inches, taken from the side, in which your position is not covered by a standard. Mail it to Jumping Clinic, Practical Horseman, 178 Thomas Johnson Dr., Suite 204L, Frederick, MD 21702 or email a highresolution (300 dpi) copy to practical horseman@aimmedia.com. Please indicate photographer’s name/contact information. Submitted photos may also appear on Practical Horseman’s website and be displayed on Facebook.. 1…
Based at Fox Covert Farm, in Upperville, Virginia, Jim Wofford competed in three Olympics and two World Championships and won the U.S. National Championship five times. He is also a highly respected coach. For more on Jim, go to www.jimwoffordblogspot.com Pssst! Hay! HAY!! This is your horse speaking. It’s me, Prince. That two-legged idiot who usually writes this column has gotten into the eggnog or something and is MIA. Although I must say I have developed quite a taste for eggnog myself, especially when he puts cinnamon on it. It tickles my nose and makes me sneeze, you know, and I’m like, “whoa” (funny me, saying “whoa,” that’s a horse-laugh). Anyway—what’s in this stuff? It has a real kick —a “kick,” (yuk)— there I go again. I crack myself up…
PH Why did you choose this sport? JH The truth of the matter is, I was always a competitive person. But I matured late. In elementary school, I was good at all the sports. But by high school I was one of the smaller, slower kids. After a while it is no fun playing baseball or football if you are not competitive. But the horses? I was always good at that. PH Did you always know you would be a riding professional? JH Not really. At 18, I spent one day at the University of Wisconsin. I hated it. When I walked in, the professor had a list of students and for some reason my name was not on it. I was supposed to be somewhere else. So I said…
Come spring, most high-school seniors will experience the joy and relief of getting accepted into a college. For equestrians, however, the moment may be tempered by a tough decision: whether and how to keep horses in your life for the next four years of school. Below are 10 suggestions to make that decision easier. 1. Take Your Horse with You Ask 10 people if it’s a good idea to take your horse to college and you’ll get 11 different answers. Add to that the myriad variables involved, starting with academic goals, riding ambitions, budget and time availability, and there’s no easy answer. There is a consensus that having your horse at school adds a heavy ball to what is already a juggling act of your college experience. Some riders swear…
Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association IHSA offers opportunities for riders of all experience levels in both team and individual competition. IHSA features eight levels, on the flat and over fences with courses starting at 2-foot-3 in the Novice division and going up to 2-foot-9–3-foot for Open riders. Established in 1967, the IHSA counts nearly 400-plus member colleges, whose teams range from the competitive to casual in terms of time commitment and intensity. The IHSA’s mission emphasizes learning, sportsmanship, fun and keeping equestrian involvement affordable for students. The IHSA has several scholarship programs, and many of its member schools offer financial help toward college expenses. These range from academic scholarships to grants and traditional financial aid. For more information, visit www.ihsainc.com. National Collegiate Equestrian Association NCEA competition is head to head. One…
