The Plaid Horse

07/26/2025

A successful horse and rider team doesn’t happen overnight. It’s miles logged, moments shared, and a million little tasks tackled together that turn connection into something unshakable.

07/26/2025

“You’ve got to know it to help them through it.” – Quentin Judge

Grand Prix rider and trainer Quentin Judge shares why great coaching starts with really knowing your riders, both on and off the horse. From building confidence after a tough round to using humor to lighten the mood, his approach is all about empathy, encouragement, and honest connection. Because at the end of the day, confidence isn’t luck. It’s built from the ground up.

Brought to you by The Plaidcast Confidence doesn’t just come from winning. For trainer and Grand Prix rider Quentin Judge, it’s the product of preparation, positivity, and personal connection. From helping clients walk into the ring with a clear mindset to offering a message of encouragement aft...

07/26/2025

Time to get off the rail! As beginner riders, we are almost exclusively taught to stay on the rail. While at that level it is for steering and safety purposes, as we progress as riders there are several benefits to riding off the rail, both for the horse and for the rider.

Here are a few reasons you should try staying off the track in your next ride!

Keeping your horse straight: The rail often has some sort of a groove, varying in depth, which keeps your horse in the track of others before it. Often times this groove prevents you from feeling just how bent or crooked your horse is. By bringing your horse off the rail, whether just a few inches or up the quarter line, you can get a better feel of where your horse needs to be straight. Do they have a dominant side? Are they curved really hard to the right? All things you can find out and work on!

Giving your horse a destination: When the horse stays on the rail, it’s a little like a person walking on a treadmill. On a treadmill, there are no elements of surprise. You’re in the same place, walking to no specific destination other than the end of the workout. You’re getting exercise, but not a lot of mental stimulation. Working off the rail is like taking of a walk through the woods. It forces your horse to pay attention, get out of its routine, and you give your horse a destination by redirecting their focus to something other than the arena wall or fence. Incorporating circles, half-turns, reverse half-turns, and serpentines can all be helpful in giving your horse a destination and help them pay attention.

Challenging yourself: Just like the horse, riders get stuck in the same routine. If your horse has a hard right bend, you may also start to have that bend or twist by staying in the same track, every day. It may be hard at first, but bringing your horse off the rail will help you get a really good feel for their body and in return, you’ll learn how to effectively control their straightness with your natural aids.

🔗 Read the full article and more like at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2023/05/09/get-off-the-rail/
📸 © The Plaid Horse / Lauren Mauldin

07/25/2025

Each week, we share a real-life barn or show moment that left someone wondering if they were in the wrong. This week from "Sensitive in the Schooling Ring”

Recently, at a local show during a flat class full of kids, a trainer was standing on the rail, clearly frustrated. The pony wasn’t barely trantering around, and the trainer snapped loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, “Take your spur and DIG IT INTO HIS HEART!”

I was stunned. I get that tensions run high at shows, and I think she meant it as a joke, but that kind of “joke” didn’t sit right with me. These are children. These are animals. Words matter, especially when you’re in a position of authority and literally teaching horsemanship.

So I said something quietly, “That’s really not an appropriate thing to say, even as a joke.” She rolled her eyes at me, muttered something about how I clearly have no sense of humor, and then treated me like I didn’t exist for the rest of the day.

Now I’m left wondering… was I being overly sensitive? Or is it totally fair to speak up when someone “jokes” about hurting a horse?

So tell us in the comments, who is the Donkey here?

07/25/2025

Barn Time Is Better for Kids Than Screen Time. Piper Benjamin LCSW, explains:

"Jonathan Haidt, a leading voice in the “no phone” movement, has proposed strategies to help distance kids from their screens, including school-wide phone policies and encouraging outdoor play. This got me thinking—how do horses and time at the barn influence mental health? As it turns out, the effects are profoundly positive.

Nature has long been recognized as a powerful regulator of human emotions. According to Kaplan and Kaplan’s book The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective, humans are hardwired to respond positively to natural environments. They developed the Attention Restoration Theory (ART), which suggests that spending time in nature helps restore our ability to focus—especially after long periods of “directed attention” tasks like answering emails, taking notes in class, commuting, and of course, scrolling on our phones. These activities demand constant concentration and can leave us feeling mentally depleted.

In contrast, nature offers what Kaplan and Kaplan call “soft fascination”—an effortless kind of engagement that allows our brains to relax and recharge. ART outlines four key components of a restorative environment: Being Away, Extent, Fascination, and Compatibility.

● Being Away: A mental or physical escape from daily demands. The barn naturally provides this, whether it’s hacking your horse on a quiet afternoon or simply enjoying the slower pace of farm life. Many barns are also physically removed from the bustle of town, offering that much-needed geographical distance from the “real world.”

● Extent: An immersive environment rich enough to engage the mind. Even routine barn activities, like brushing your horse, tacking up, or letting them graze, draw us into a world that feels vast and engaging without overwhelming us.

● Fascination: The effortless pull of our attention. Horse lovers know this feeling well. We lose track of time while grazing horses, chatting with barn friends, or simply watching them roam in their paddocks. This gentle captivation allows our minds to wander and reset.

● Compatibility: Alignment with our values and purpose. For equestrians, this comes naturally. A deep love for horses creates an environment that feels not just restorative, but essential.

But it’s not just the environment that matters. The animals themselves offer unique psychological benefits. Horses are highly attuned to human emotions, which can help children develop empathy and an awareness of how their actions affect others. Working with horses also builds confidence. Mistakes at the barn are low-stakes and often met with forgiveness, teaching kids resilience and the value of learning from errors.

For children who are shy or hesitant to open up to adults, horses can become safe, nonjudgmental companions. A bond with a horse allows kids to practice vulnerability, build self-esteem, and develop problem-solving and social skills—all without saying a single word."

🔗 Read the full article by Piper Benjamin LCSW at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/07/22/why-psychologically-barn-time-is-better-for-kids-than-screen-time/
📸 © The Plaid Horse / Lauren Mauldin

07/25/2025

From leg yields to spins, Kaitlyn Crawford’s college riding journey opened her eyes to a whole new way of thinking in the saddle. Read how stepping outside the hunter/jumper bubble—and into Western tack—made her a more thoughtful, versatile equestrian.

By KAITLYN CRAWFORD When you’re 14, you don’t realize you are inadequate because you do not fear failure. Because of this, any inadequacies are covered up by grit and force of will. But when you’re 18, and leaving the hunter-jumper world for the first time since you started riding, it becomes ...

07/24/2025

Over 150 equestrians from 71 barns across eight USHJA Zones took on the 30-day USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge, showcasing their horsemanship knowledge. USHJA congratulates the top-scoring trainers and their barns in each Zone, who will receive prize packages in recognition of their achievement.

Edited Press Release Lexington, Ky.—July 23, 2025—Over 150 equestrians from 71 barns across eight USHJA Zones took on the 30-day USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge, showcasing their horsemanship knowledge. USHJA congratulates the top-scoring trainers and their barns in each Zone, who will...

07/24/2025

For Auburn senior Baylee McKeever, riding on a collegiate equestrian team transformed her view of competition. "You want to push yourself more because it’s not just for yourself. It’s for others around you.” Baylee shares what it’s like to go from the individual focus of junior showing to the all-in team spirit of NCAA riding, where accountability, resilience, and leadership matter just as much as the score.

Brought to you by The Plaidcast Even though you’re teammates with your horse, riding is ultimately considered an individual sport. But that dynamic shifts entirely with collegiate equestrian teams, where athletes compete not only for themselves, but for their school and teammates. For Auburn Unive...

07/24/2025

After heart surgery, a devastating loss, and her brother’s life-threatening accident, 10-year-old Sofia “Fifi” Melluzzi kept showing up. With the help of her beloved ponies, she’s galloped through every obstacle—straight to the USEF Pony Jumper Championships next month.

By Sofia (Fifi) Melluzzi Like many ten-year-old horse girls, riding ponies and horses is pretty much my entire life! But what makes me unique is I was born with a heart condition, and last year I finally had surgery to fix it. I remember lying in bed after surgery, starving—and asking for a giant ...

07/24/2025

“If you’re not first, you’re last” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot in my riding career. It was used in dead seriousness, as a phrase of endearment, or as a joke (as it often was on my college equestrian team). There is a lot to be said about placings at horse shows and how we as competitors react towards how we do. When used in complete seriousness, the above phrase is very far from hitting the mark.

What is important for each and every competitor to understand is that “everyone wins well, but not everyone loses well,” as my trainer likes to say. I’ve thought about this phrase a lot, and put some thought into how I lose. A year ago if you asked me if I was a good loser, I would have answered, “Absolutely not.”

I became a perfectionist with my riding during my years competing in IHSA. My first two years at school I was in a lower level due to my lack of a show record, and didn’t get a lot of practice losing which caused extra disappointment from my end when I didn’t do well. My coach would allow everyone on my team “30 minutes and a cookie,” before we had to get over our rough ride and get back to being a team player. A few times I very clearly remember taking all 30 of those minutes to get over my results.

It wasn’t until I got into a higher level of IHSA and dipped my toes in some rated competitions as a working student that I realized not only was I definitely not always going to be the winner, but being the “loser” wasn’t always such a bad thing. Each experience I have had in the show ring has been an opportunity to grow as a rider and a competitor.

Now, my style is much more “You can’t win them all.” I’ve learned that there’s much more to each class than the color ribbon you get at the end. This was very hard for the perfectionist in me to learn, considering the fact that I still beat myself up just a little bit for the things I did wrong on my way back to the barn.

🔗 Read the full article by Amanda Terbrusch at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2021/01/06/learning-to-be-a-good-loser/
📸 © The Plaid Horse / Lauren Mauldin

07/23/2025

Equine innovation is in good hands! At our recent Plaidcast in Person event, three Madeira School alumnae shared how they’re changing the horse world—from pioneering equine IVF to leading drug safety reform and inventing new therapy tech for sport horses. Dr. Lisa Metcalf, Dr. Kimberly Brokaw, and Phoebe Lang each prove that passion for horses can fuel groundbreaking careers in science and wellness. As Dr. Metcalf said, “If your life isn’t right… explode the code.”

Brought to you by Plaidcast in Person For many, horses are a passion. For a rare few, they become a lifelong mission fueling innovation, science, and entrepreneurship. That’s exactly what three Madeira School alumnae have done, each carving a unique path in the equestrian world by blending their l...

07/23/2025

Not sure what the juniors mean when they say someone has “rizz” or that the food truck is “bussin’”? You’re not alone. "Older" Adult Amateur rider, Lauren Mauldin (who recently realized she is no longer a young person), breaks down Gen Z slang.

By Lauren Mauldin Lately, there have been signs that I might not be, in fact, a young person anymore.  One weekend at a smaller horse show, they didn’t have enough entries for all 3 age groups of Adult Amateurs, so I found myself being called for the “Older Adults.” But older doesn’t mean o...