Newman’s Winter Project: Sidesaddle! I remember it like yesterday. I was sitting on the bleachers of the demonstration arena at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY on…
The Rider’s Inner Monologue: Attempted Trail Ride Well, here we are, back again at the barn with a nervous knot in my stomach. If this seems familiar, it may be that you’re remembering the…
How to Make Pony Popsicles Summer is here and after a long winter, the heat is a welcome visitor! But what do you do when summer rages on and you just can’t seem to…
What’s in Newman’s Journal? I get a lot of questions about Newman’s Journal, like: what kinds of things do I record in it, how often do I write stuff down, what do I…
Top Tips for Preparing Your Horse for Surgery The last thing that any of us want to hear as horse owners is that our beloved animals need to have surgery. In some instances, it is an…
Simple Steps to Dressage Musical Freestyle Bronze Medal Now that Newman and I have earned our United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Bronze Medal for scores at the First, Second, and Third Levels, it’s time to round out our award shelf with a Bronze Bar for scores at First, Second, and Third Level freestyle!
When It’s Just Too Cold to Ride As a resident New Englander, we are a pretty hardy bunch, and with the good fortune of having an indoor arena, I usually find myself riding…
I Don’t Ride My Horse At SmartPak, we are well known for being an office full of riders. We go to the barn after work together, talk about the latest color of…
You Know You Own a Thoroughbred When… I am the very proud owner of an oh so handsome Thoroughbred gelding. His name is Samurai (he will also answer to Sam, Sammy, Samwise the…
Birthdays are Made for Cake: A Horse-Friendly Recipe Recently, my horse Riker celebrated his 23rd birthday. Now I have to admit, in the nearly 20 years I’ve owned him, I’ve never made a huge…
A Day in the Life of a Dressage Show Scribe “Needs steadier connection” = 6.5 “Straight on center line, square and secure halt” = 8.0 “Could have better bend and balance” = 7.0 With…
From Co-op to Boarding Barn Transitioning from a co-op barn where I took care of my own horse to a boarding facility was a necessity, but not one I was really looking…
We Asked, You Answered: Spring Conditioning SmartPak asked 'what's the best way to bring a horse back into riding after winter'. Here's what our community had to say!
We Asked, You Answered: Winter Must-Haves SmartPak asked what your must-haves are at the barn in the winter, here's what you had to say!
Pony-Approved Charcuterie One of my favorite trends is fancy charcuterie boards. However, sunny days and summertime finds me spending lots of hours at the barn over…
SmartPak Equine Valentines Chestnuts are red, ribbons are blue, Happy Valentine’s Dayfrom SmartPak to you! From all of us here at SmartPak, we’re wishing you a Happy…
Sweat With SmartPak – Episode Three Welcome back to SmartPak’s Equestrian Exercise mini-series, where SmartPakers Caitlin and Tori demonstrate helpful tips and tricks on worko…
5 Tips for a horse’s first trail ride – Delilah’s big day out At my barn, where we teach lessons through the year as well as summer camp, it’s imperative that our horses be as “worldly” as possible.…