Heather Wallace's Blog, page 12

Is My Horse Too Good for Me?

Confession: My horse is perfect.   Yes, yes, we all say the same because all of our horses are the best! Horses are in many ways a perfect creature. They are graceful, delicate, athletic, and beautiful with so much heart that they will often do anything for you as long as you ask the correct way.   The thing is, how could we compete with such perfection? Surely we come out the loser by comparison? Compared to Ferrous’s extended stride in a frame (when I can get it), my equitation looks like a...

My Favorite Horsey Things

It’s the holiday season. But all equestrians know that there is no perfect time to buy tack or pick up something special for your animal. So I got to thinking…this year I bought a pony and while I thought I had an obsession before, well, it wasn’t anything compared to the reality. As The Timid Rider,  I receive many items to review, try, or I buy myself because I’m intrigued and want to learn more. As a result, here are a few of my favorite things, in no particular order.     Treatibles Full...

The Incredible Power of Connection

It is the nature of my blog that I reveal my innermost confessions and feelings relating to the world and riding. In doing so my goal is to show you that you are not alone and that it is okay to be less than perfect. But the result is the same, I feel that I talk about myself too much. While I am trying to relate to you and expose myself, this isn’t really about me. It’s about all of us. So today I want to talk more about the power of connection with the world around us.   Not to sound new ag...

Travels to the 2018 Equus Film Festival

2018 has been a year of travel for me. I’ve journeyed wide and far through the US and off to adventures in Mongolia as well. But this November 29- December 2 I found myself in the farthest reaches of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in New York City for the sixth annual Equus Film Festival.   This was my second year attending the event as an author. My first year, which I detail here, was my first book signing. What can I say? Go big or go home. I was the new kid on the block in many ways and I met fan...

When Technology and Nature Combine to Benefit Your Pet

Advanced technology combined with the superpowers of cannabinoid oil. Intrigued yet? Well, you should be, because that is what the DROP Effect provides for your pet. I do not believe in coincidences. I received a call from a client who was welcoming a new foster dog to her home. This young dog, less than a year old, had only known the research lab and traveled up from the southern US and she wanted me to work with him to help him learn positive touch and be a better candidate for adoption.  ...

Horse Show Non-Starter

Confession: after all the anticipation of the horse show weekend, I didn’t even ride.   It’s true. There were a few factors, but it wasn’t meant to be. I told my trainer I wanted to ride in one of the fall schooling shows this year, and we talked about it and jumped some courses to prepare. When it came down to the last one, I mentioned via text that I intended to ride in the crossrails class, just for practice even though I can jump higher.   Then a few days before the show she asked if my t...

Anticipation is My Achilles Heel

Confession: I’m panicking at the thought of competition this weekend.     This summer I spent two weeks with Allan Horn, one of the 2018 Gobi Desert Cup riders in Mongolia. On the first leg of our journey home, he said something which resonated, “It seems to me that anticipation is the hardest part for you.” Truer words were never spoken. Allan was referring of course to the near panic I had before the Official Race on the last day of the Gobi Desert Cup. Although I wanted nothing more than t...

Dancing with Dressage

Today’s BLOGTOBER topic is, “What discipline would I like to try?” This is a fantastic question. Each discipline has something so special. This year I was introduced to endurance riding through my work with The Gobi Desert Cup. I’ll admit I knew nothing about it prior to preparing for the August event.   While I was at the race, I was incredibly impressed by the physical and mental strength of horses and riders. I was also under no delusion that I could do this without major training and dedi...

Hacking with Huufe: New Technology for Equestrians

Technology for equestrians and only equestrians.   My husband works in the Cyber industry and as a blogger myself, technology is a huge part of my life. I have always been somewhat technically-inclined as a result of my nerd’s brain. So when I learned of a new technology for equestrians through the immense power of social media and my equestrian blogging community, I was intrigued. I believe I first heard of Huufe on Twitter, and then happened upon an article in Horse Nation. The article intr...

Pretty vs. Effective Riding

Leave the Pretty for the Show Ring.   It is a universal truth that an equestrian must struggle with motivation from time to time. We all have busy schedules, vacations, or general ennui.  Occasionally horse lovers hit a plateau. Some, choose to make excuses while others reset. Today I was looking forward to a riding lesson with Ferrous. We’re preparing him for an Interscholastic Equestrian Association horse show at our barn at the end of October. The truth is, he has had the summer off becaus...