The Clothes Horse

10/31/2025

With the thinnest cloud cover in the sky and spectacular temperatures the morning of Oct. 31, Del Mar prepared to roll out the red carpet for the 42nd Breeders' Cup World Championships.

10/31/2025

Be careful out there!

10/27/2025

Something lovely for a Monday morning!

10/23/2025

Aren’t they stunning??? 😍

10/22/2025

The Best Turned Out Horse Award, presented by The Clothes Horse, was presented on Tuesday, October 21, to Larinto VDR, a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Mr. Blue x Toulon. The stunning bay was ridden and owned by Grace Griffin of Medina, MN, and groomed by Mia Bando.

Mia, who started as a working student, has worked at Dandelion Farm in Maple Plain, MN, for Joshua Graves for one year, but the pair have been friends for many years. “We’ve known each other for a very long time, and when he started the training job at Dandelion Farm, I joined as the manager,” she explained.

Mia is partial to Larinto VDR, noting he is a “very special horse.” She added, “He gets a little nervous sometimes so you just have to tell him it’s okay. He’s a good boy, and he’s just the best. Once he likes you, you’re his person.”

Mia said that working with horses is what she loves most about her job. “I just love them all so much, and I know all of them so well,” she said. “I try to get to know them as soon as they come to the barn and learn all their little mannerisms and everything.”

Grace has owned “Rock” for just over a year and loves how close Mia is with her horse. “She knows him back and forth,” she remarked. “He’s very anxious sometimes, so she’s really good at walking him around and making sure he feels comfortable. Those two work really well together.”

Joshua and Mia are younger professionals, which Grace relates to as a college student. “We can be really good friends, and I respect them and what they do,” she said. “We have a really great family atmosphere at our barn with a lot of kids and a lot of older adults. It’s a mix of every kind of rider, and it’s really fun to get to know each other.”

10/21/2025

😍😍😍

10/21/2025

From Pamukcu greeting her adorable, almost 9-month-old daughter to Vogg, Spencer and Martin celebrating their top three finishes with a champagne spray, don't miss all the views you might have missed.

10/19/2025

10/19/2025

Brought to you by The Plaidcast Every fall, junior riders across the country set their sights on the equitation finals. The medal classes at Capital Challenge, Harrisburg, and the National Horse Show are cornerstones of the indoor season. Yet among them, the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS...

10/17/2025

Who Rescued Who - Arlilla & Copper Halo 😇

After losing my father to a distracted driver, then spending the next two years caring for my mother with dementia, I was left adrift in a storm of grief. Not long after, my heart horse, Nessie, passed away—and with her went the last thread I was holding onto. On top of everything, I was battling ongoing health issues that made each day feel like a mountain I couldn’t climb.

I thought I was done with horses. I thought my riding days were over.

Then came a phone call.

Julie from Healing Arenas reached out to me one afternoon. She told me about an off-the-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) who had just arrived. “This horse is special,” she said. “He’s exactly what you need. He’ll heal your heart.”

I didn’t believe her—not at first. How could a horse I’d never met possibly know what I needed?

But Julie was right.

From the moment I met him, there was something different. For a horse fresh off the track, he was surprisingly calm and grounded. Kind eyes. A quiet energy. An old soul wrapped in a young body. It was like he saw me—not just the surface, but everything beneath it. My pain. My exhaustion. My silent hope that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t meant to give up yet.

Even though he was green, he carried himself with a gentleness that surprised me. While I was supposed to be the one training him, it was clear from the beginning: he was also taking care of me.

When my health made it hard to ride consistently, he never held it against me. Whether it had been a week or a month since our last ride, he showed up exactly the same—steady, calm, and ready. On days when I was weak in the saddle or unbalanced, he would slow down, almost as if to say, “I’ve got you, Mom.”

At our first show together, I was nervous. My body wasn’t where I wanted it to be, and I wasn’t sure I could make it through the course. But he surprised me once again. When I needed to take a walking break mid-course to catch my breath, he adjusted his pace to the slowest, softest walk—like he understood. And when I took a deep breath, picked up my reins, and said, “Okay, let’s go,” he stepped right back into the perfect canter, ears forward, ready to try again. Just being able to show and have fun was the best win I thought I would ever have.

10/09/2025

Pennsylvania National Horse Show 2025 is live now!

Pennsylvania National Horse Show - 2025 - watch our live stream on ClipMyHorse.TV. Your equestrian sports TV.

10/06/2025

Won’t be long now!!!