Cobblestone Riding CLUB

Public Service Announcement
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Yes!

🐴 The barn is my sanctuary

I love that!

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How a horsewoman knows she is rich:
I am rich. I have $50 in my checking account and a golden mare in the barn.
I am rich. I have a car that mostly works and enough gas to get to the barn every day this week.

I am rich. I have boxes of pasta and generic sauce in my pantry and enough hay to feed my horse through the winter.
I am rich. I have enough old coats and sweaters to layer up and stay warm while I do barn chores.

I am rich. I vacation by camping with my horses and going to cheer on my horse riding friends at horse shows. Sometimes I even play too, and spend $20 to bring home a fifty cent ribbon that I will treasure more than a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower.
I am rich. I have tools: duct tape and baling twine and the know how to fix just about anything with these tools.

I am rich. I find joy in making my own things, making do, and making right. I have a 30 year old saddle, an over 50 year old body, and the wonder and joy of a 6 year old child learning that a horse can give her wings.
I am rich.

My wealth is not measured in dollar signs but in horsey snorts and nickers. My riches aren't spent on electronics and fancy clothes but are shared with my human and four footed friends.

Next time someone finds out that I have a horse and says, " You must be rich to afford that" I will smile, and agree.

photo credit campcorrals.com Nacho in his mini corral when he goes and visits for Halloween
story credit Caitlin Mendoza (with a few liberties taken by me 🙂

Yes!

When it comes to performance, most riders focus on what happens in the ring. But high-performance coach John Haime believes that one of the most overlooked influences on a rider’s success is something far more personal: the people they surround themselves with.

“Who you’re around is critical,” Haime said on episode 441 of The Plaidcast. “If you’re around positive people, people who care about you, want to help you, and believe in you, you have a better chance to succeed.”

It’s a powerful reminder that success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Riders are shaped not only by their habits and mindset, but also by their communities, and that’s especially true for juniors.

As riders move through their teenage years, they’re developing not only their athletic skills but also their values, identities, and emotional resilience. Haime emphasized that during this stage, peers play an outsized role. “If you’re a teenager, your friends are influencing you more than your parents are,” he said. “That’s just the way it is.”

Whether it’s a barnmate who cheers you on or a teammate who constantly criticizes others, those voices become part of a rider’s internal dialogue. “If you’re around people who are tearing others down or chasing superficial goals, that becomes your environment,” Haime added.

Not everyone you ride with or spend time around will lift you up, and that’s okay. Haime’s advice isn’t to avoid every tough interaction, but to be intentional about where you invest your time and energy. “The more you grow as a person, the more you start thinking about who you want to be around,” he said. “That reflection is part of building confidence.”

Klemm echoed this idea with a personal perspective. “The number one thing that changed my life was choosing different people,” she said. “When I was around people who pushed me to be better, everything changed.”

🔗 Continue reading the full article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/08/25/why-you-are-the-company-you-keep/
📸 © Heather N. Photography

"We all know that the secret to finding 8-10 proper jump distances in a course is to stop looking for the distances. Easier said than done, right? The best way to “find” the jumps is to maintain the correct pace and track and the jumps will come out of stride.

My struggle has always been that my ammy brain goes full on “clear the mechanism” the moment I enter the show ring. Standing at the ingate I have a plan of action, but the moment I pick up the canter that plan vanishes like ringside mimosas before the adult ammy classes. I needed something incredibly simple, that didn’t require lots of brain power, and would keep me on pace.

My pony, unsurprisingly, likes to back off in the turns. My instinct is to settle into that too slow rhythm and then find the jump on the half stride. My brain knows that it is unreasonable to ask him to leave the ground if he has no impulsion, but often I don’t realize how much we have slowed down until it’s too late. However, the flip side of that is that if I do remember to keep him going through the turn, there’s a high possibility that I will continue to build and still find the jump on a half stride because I overshot my rhythm.

Staying on my track is easy, but maintaining my pace has long been my Achilles heel. I tried counting, but it was too easy for my to get off beat without realizing it: 1, 2, 3, 4 could become 1…2…3…4…because I was matching my counting to the canter, not the canter to the counting. Fortunately my trainer at the time recognized my dilemma, and helped me figure out a method to beat my own brain at screwing things up. It’s a game changer, and in case you don’t have a trainer who can identify your ideal canter rhythm on the fly, I am here to bring you the condensed version that has saved my behind on any number of occasions!

The first key is finding your ideal jumping canter’s Beats Per Minute (BPM). I stole some tips from Dressage Land (who knew that musical freestyle would come into play in the hunter ring?!) to help you find your ideal BPM. There are a couple options, but regardless of which one you choose, warm up fully before you start. It is helpful to have a cell phone, 3 same colored polo wraps and one wrap in a different (and bright!) color, and an extra person on the ground to help you out.

Most canters will fall in the range of 95-110 BPM. My pony’s personal ideal is 104 BPM. Before you start the process, wrap one of the front legs in the single bright colored polo, and the other 3 legs in the neutral matching wraps. Track so that the bright colored wrap is on the inside front leg. Every time that leg strikes the ground at the canter, will count as one beat. Whichever method you decide, I would recommend counting a couple times just to factor in human error."

🔗 Read the full article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2020/11/12/life-hacks-for-maintaining-a-proper-pace-on-course/
📸 © The Plaid Horse / Lauren Mauldin

🐴 Here are 15 interesting facts about a horse's brain:.
1. A horse’s brain is relatively small compared to the size of its body, and accounts for only about 0.1% of its total weight.
2. Despite their small size, horses have very complex brains, with a highly developed cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for conscious thought, decision-making and memory.
3. Horses can learn and remember complex tasks, such as navigating a jump course or performing a dressage routine, through a process called associate learning.
4. Like humans, horses have a left hemisphere and a right hemisphere in the brain, each with specialized functions. The left hemisphere is responsible for the processing of logical and analytical information, while the right hemisphere is more involved in emotional processing and creative thinking.
5. Horses have a great memory and can remember specific people, places and experiences for many years.
6. Horses can learn by observation, and often they can acquire new behaviors and skills simply by observing other horses or humans.
7. Horses have a very sensitive sense of touch and can detect even the slightest pressure or movement on their skin. This helps them respond to subtle cues from your rider or guide.
8. Horses can process visual information very quickly and accurately, allowing them to avoid potential hazards and navigate their environment with ease.
9. Horses are social animals and rely on nonverbal communication to interact with other horses in their herd. This communication is facilitated by the horse’s brain, which can interpret subtle changes in body language, facial expressions and vocalizations.
10. Ultimately, like all animals, horses have a unique personality and individual traits that are shaped by their experiences, genetics and environment—all of which is reflected in their brain function and behavior.
11. Horses have a very strong sense of smell and their odor bulb, which processes smells, is relatively large compared to other parts of their brain.
12. The brain, which is responsible for coordinating movement and balance, is also relatively large in horses. This is because horses must be able to move quickly and efficiently to escape predators or navigate through difficult terrain.
13. Horses have a very high pain threshold, which is believed to be related to how their brains process pain signals. While this can be beneficial in some situations, it can also mean that horses may not show obvious signs of pain, making it harder for their caregivers to detect and treat underlying health issues.
14. The hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory, is particularly well developed in horses.. This allows them to remember not only specific experiences, but also general concepts and patterns that they can apply to new situations.
15. Finally, studies have shown that horses, like other animals, are capable of experiencing emotions such as fear, happiness, and anger. These emotions are believed to be mediated by the limbic system, a group of interconnected brain structures that play a key role in regulating mood and behavior.

We can’t wait for the Gold Crest Fine Tack hunter derby at the Summerfest horse show! The winners will get a chance to choose their very own colors for custom merch! What an awesome set of prizes for a super fun class!

Yummm

Hungry Horse Breakfast........