HotToTrott Therapeutic Riding

10/08/2025

10/07/2025

I am so doing this!

08/03/2025

💔 What No One Tells You About Life When You Stop Riding the Horse That Was Your Whole World 💔

One day, I was tacking up Banksy like it was just another weekend, another show, another training ride.

And then… I wasn’t.

It didn’t happen all at once. First, it was little things. A lameness we hoped would pass. Time off that turned into longer than expected. Vet visits. Adjustments. Hope, frustration, hope again. Then slowly, painfully, the realisation settled in — we might not go back to how things were.

No one really talks about what happens after.

When the saddle gathers dust in the tack room.
When you walk past the trailer and feel a little hollow.
When your body still aches in all the places it learned to move with his.
When you drive past the turning to the stables.
When you wonder if you’ve lost the version of yourself that existed only when you were flying over fences together.

Here’s what I’ve come to learn:

You grieve. You absolutely do.

You miss that powerful surge beneath you when he locked onto a jump.
You miss the way he felt untouchable in gallop but still listened like you shared a secret.
You miss the partnership that took years to build — not just the horse, but the teammate, the confidant, the reflection of your soul.

You feel lost. A bit like you’re on the outside of something you once lived and breathed.

But slowly — quietly — you find your way again.

You learn that you can still be part of his world, even if it looks different now.
You find joy in the slower moments — hand-grazing in the sun, the way he still meets you at the gate, the cheeky spark in his eyes.
You realise that your bond was never just about riding. It was about knowing him. Loving him. Showing up every damn day, rain or shine.

You were never “just a rider.”

You were his person. His safe place. His constant.

And that doesn’t end just because the saddle stays on the hook.

So here’s to those of us in the in-between — the ones adjusting, aching, reflecting.

Whether or not I ever sit on him again, Banksy made me who I am today.
And once you’ve loved a horse like that, you’re never not a rider.

Not really.

You’re one of us. Always. ❤️🐴

07/21/2025

For years, horse owners and trainers have often blamed a mare’s misbehavior on her hormones. Kicking at the stall wall? Must be her cycle. Refusing to focus under saddle? Probably "hormonal." But groundbreaking new research from the University of California, Davis, is challenging that long-held belief — and the results may surprise you.

🧪 What They Studied:
Researchers at UC Davis examined 2,914 hormonal profiles from mares who had been referred to their Clinical Endocrinology Laboratory and Equine Reproduction Service. Each case file included concerns around behavior — words like “misbehaving,” “aggressive,” or “difficult” showed up consistently. The scientists wanted to know: Are these behavioral issues really linked to elevated ovarian hormones, like testosterone or estrogen?

📉 What They Found:
Out of all the data, less than 10% of the mares with reported misbehavior actually had elevated hormone levels. In fact, the only pattern that showed a reliable hormonal connection was a very specific kind of stallion-like behavior — things like loud vocalizations, biting, or mounting other horses. But the more common forms of acting out — such as irritability, reluctance to work, or general aggression — showed no significant connection to elevated hormone concentrations.

💡 So What Does This Mean?
It means we may need to stop assuming that hormones are the root of every behavioral quirk a mare displays. The UC Davis team emphasized that these results debunk a major misconception in the horse world — that mares act up because of their ovaries. According to the data, most misbehavior has nothing to do with hormones.

🎯 Why This Matters:
Understanding that behavior isn’t always tied to biology helps owners and veterinarians take a more holistic approach. If a mare is acting out, the cause might be pain, stress, environment, lack of enrichment, or even training confusion — not just her heat cycle. With this new insight, we can better meet our horses' needs and stop unfairly labeling mares based on assumptions.

📌 Takeaway:
Mares aren’t moody — they’re complex individuals. And sometimes, when she’s “acting up,” it’s not about her hormones at all. It's time we listened a little closer and looked a little deeper.

06/05/2025

As it gets hotter this summer, remember to Hydrate!!

💡Tip: Drink water regularly throughout the day, not just during rides. Add electrolytes if you’re sweating heavily or riding for long periods of time.

05/26/2025

Horsemanship is dead

Had a rather refreshing conversation with a vet yesterday (these type of vets are rare to find 🤣)

Horse was sailing through the clinical - then decided on the way to ridden phase that it was going to misbehave 🙈 threw some shapes on way to arena/when first stepping into arena before being put back in its box and getting on with the job perfectly and sailing through the rest of the clinical.

Buyer was in attendance. The vet said - the horse is clinically sound. It’s not for me to comment on that behaviour, I’m here to tell you if it’s sound or not - which it is - it’s up to you to decide if you can handle that behaviour or anything else it might decide to throw at you down the line given it’s a 5yo.

He went on to say that 90% of the time it’s the owners that are the problem and not the horse when it comes to issues arising after vetting/purchase. What a breath of fresh air!!

Said 5yo came out today perfectly well behaved and went to arena on buckle end then hacked out with new owner having realised yesterday that she did not in fact, have our number and was going to do her job 🤣

Horsemanship is dying. So many people think that horses are robots these days and are not entitled to act up in any way or show any kind of change despite you ripping their whole life/world upside down when you purchase them… they are living beings with feelings/personalities and we need to better appreciate that and understand the reasons why they may act up ❤️

04/23/2025

In light of the Triple Crown, I wanted to take a bit of time between rides this morning to debunk some misconceptions I'm seeing all over the internet about Thoroughbred Racing and OTTBs in general. The Thoroughbred is my favorite breed (and George Morris' too) and for those of you who don't know, retraining off the track thoroughbreds is what I specialize in. It hurts my heart - and my.head - to see that people really believe this stuff, so here it goes.

"Half of the horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby are being shipped to slaughter because they didn't win" - False. The horses that ran in the derby are worth more than most houses. They aren't falling through the cracks. Some will go on to breed, some will continue racing.

"75% of all race horses end up in kill pens"- False. While it is unfortunate and some OTTBs do end up in kill pens, most tracks have laws against this. As with ALL riding styles and disciplines (even RESCUES) There are bad owners that do bad things. While I have tried to find concrete numbers, the best I can offer is 5,000-10,000 OTTBs end up in Canada or Mexico each year; making up less than 15% of the total number. There are approximately 40,000 races per year in the US, with an average of 8 horses per race, you do the math. Incase you were wondering, it's the good old American Quarter Horse that leads that pack with over 50% of the horses slaughtered each year being AQHA registered animals. And AQHA supports it.

"Racehorses are drugged to hide their injuries" - while it is not uncommon to give an injured horse antiinflammatories (you take Tylenol, too, don't you?) Actively competing horses are drug tested on race day, and there is a very long list of prohibited substances. Including any and all pain killers or performance enhancers.

"OTTBs have terrible ground manners!" - one of the things I love MOST about OTTBs is that they come to me with years of handling as young horses. They know how to lead (I will admit the tend to crowd your space), they clip, they bathe, they load into trailers, stand for the farrier, and are so well exposed to high energy environments, they aren't typically idiots over little things. While most don't stand at a mounting block, you have to understand they are trained and handled in a way that is useful for their career at the track. You can't be mad at a show jumper for not understanding how to neck rein. Not to mention most OTTBs are 3-5 years old. Many young horses aren't quite "there" all the time. Me, personally? I'll take an OTTB over some poorly handled backyard horse or bug eyed barrel horse any day.

"Race trainers only care about the money, they will throw the horse out once it breaks down" -this is a long one, so strap in folks.
First things first, there are two words in Horse Business. Business IS about money. We are all in a unique environment though because we deal with living, breathing creatures every day and our decisions have total impact on their lives. Breeding, owning, feeding, caring for, and training horses costs money. The day fee at the tracks and training centers I frequent is around $65 per day. Are there people that think they will get rich in (any) horse business? Yep. How many of them actually get rich? Lol. By the time a horse is walking to the starting gates for their very first race, it isnt out of this world to think over $100,000 has already been put in to that horse. While we might think all race owners and trainers are going home to mansions, I can assure you, that couldn't be further from the truth. It makes absolute sense to move a horse out of your barn that doesn't fit your program. You wouldn't keep a crazy run away if your program was a beginner lesson barn. You wouldn't hold on to an old trail mount if you train show jumpers... Well unless you're me. Don't judge me. Point being, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a trainer looking at the numbers and saying "this horse is going to cost me $600 this week in stall, feed, hay, and shavings, and isn't going to cut it in the track, time to move him." This doesn't mean they are calling up the local kill pen and saying come get him. In fact MOST trainers reach out to their networks to try and find a suitable home, quickly. Most of those horses go for very little money to very qualified people. Some trainers have opportunities to board or keep the horse at a different, more affordable barn away from the track, and they have the opportunity to list the horse for sale as "normal" sales ads go. There are also tons of rescues and organizations out there that take in OTTBs and train and re-home them. (See links below) Now let's touch on the part where they just run these horses into the ground.
The average horse runs 6 starts his whole life. The average among my current string of 10 OTTBs is 3 starts. A good trainer can tell quickly if a horse has what it takes to be a successful racehorse, and if they are worth investing into. If a horse is too slow, or their heart isn't in it, or they don't seem that they can physically withstand it only makes sense to move them when they are still sound. Unfortunately, injuries on the track happen. They also happen in the paddock, the arena, the pen, and the trails, so let's not pretend were all high and mighty. If a horse needs 4 months stall rest for a bowed tendon, at $65 per day that's about $8000 before he can go back into training. While some might see it as passing the problem on to someone else, this is where other people who have made careers out of specifically rehabbing and lay up boarding come in. Not all injuries are career ending. Not all injuries result in an unsound horse. Not all injuries result in putting a horse down.

Which brings me to my next point

Not all OTTBs are injured! There are plenty of clean legged, sound off the track horses out there. Half of mine go barefoot, even! Just because a horse raced does not inherently mean they will have problems. Most OTTBs start new careers as Eventers, hunters, jumpers, dressage horses, and polo ponies.

OTTBs are awesome and I'm going to get one! Fact ;) OTTBs ARE awesome. They are smart, and athletic, and have more heart than any other breed I've seen. That said, if you are new to horses or thoroughbreds in general, I highly recommend venturing into this world with the help of a qualified trainer, experienced with off the track horses. Getting a horse right off the track can have it's challenges, and in a lot of cases, should only be taken on by an experienced handler. But! There are THOUSANDS of us that take care of the 'dirty work' and get these horses ready for new careers with new feed and fitness programs, post track training, and health care related needs. Just because you didn't go and get him right out of his stall at the track, he is still an OTTB, and us OTTB people... We're pretty awesome too.

I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and I sincerely hope this has cleared up some of the myths going around.

If you are interested in learning more about Off the Track Thoroughbreds, or supporting some of the amazing organizations that are dedicated to helping these horses continue a long and successful life after racing, please check out some of the links below. ***Edit to add: this is an article I wrote a few years back, and I definitely need to update my list of aftercare programs and OTTB resources. If you guys have suggestions, it's probably easiest to PM me from the original post since it's almost impossible to get to all the comments. Thank y'all so much for reading!

ARH Equine
Retired Racehorse Project
www.CanterUSA.org CANTER USA
Turning For Home
New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program
Remember Me Rescue
Gulf Coast Thoroughbred Network
www.lopetx.com LOPE Texas ("LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers")
Oklahoma Thoroughbred Retirement Program
Beyond The Roses Equine Rescue & Retirement

03/27/2025

02/27/2025

Yep!