Old Road Plantation

04/25/2026

🐴 SOLUTIONS: Improve your position alignment and seat 🐴

To improve your self-carriage and alignment and deepen the connection to your seat …

Imagine the fascial current as a continuous circle of energy that is both uplifting and grounding. Fascia is an elastic, tensional network that connects all parts of your body. Visualize the energy of the fascial current running up the front of your body lifting the p***c bone toward the breastbone, going over the head, circling down the back to the shoulder blades, the base of the ribcage, through the seat bones and flowing down to the heels. This visualization will improve the connection of the seat bones and uplift and align the trunk over the pelvis, beautifully supporting you in self-carriage.

— Helen Fletcher

🎨 Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz

Thanks to Dechra US Equine for our coverage of the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. It includes lead-up events, rider interviews, competition reports, horse spotlights, photos, videos and more!⁣⁣

04/17/2026

Save on horse riding apparel at Chick’s Saddlery! Shop discount equestrian clothing, boots, shirts, jackets & riding gear online — quality styles at low prices.

04/17/2026

Now that I finally own my own barn after years of boarding, there’s SO much I didn’t realize as a boarder that I TOTALLY get now, Jamie Sindell writes.

Dear Barn Owners of My Past:

I would sincerely like to apologize for believing it was appropriate to grab hay whenever I wanted. I had to stuff Precious Pony’s face full. Heaven forbid she stands for an hour deprived of hay. What I didn’t realize is that Precious wasn’t wasting away. Hay is freaking expensive. Every. Single. Flake. Is money.

It was obnoxious to snag hay. If I believed you were truly starving Precious, I owed you a conversation. Sorry!

I also extend an apology for not thanking you regularly. I now comprehend what it takes to haul my butt out of my cozy bed on a frigid morning. I feel the pain of wrestling a frozen hose and slinging manure pucks into the wheelbarrow. I would absolutely prefer to skip chores and arrive in my heated vest to ride Precious Pony. You never had the choice to ditch the horses and sip a latte by the fire. Instead, you were out there caring for the herd.

In the summer, scorching fly-filled days when sweat soaked every fiber of your clothes, you ensured the horses stayed comfortable and healthy. I’m genuinely sorry I didn’t express my gratitude enough or bring you a Strawberry Acai on the regular. What I understand now is that one thank you or kind gesture makes a stressful barn day less painful.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say MY BAD for believing everything in the barn should look like an Instagram reel. Days the stalls weren’t done ASAP, water was lowish, or the ring wasn’t dragged with a pretty pattern…. Well, now I recognize crap happens! You have a life beyond Precious Pony, and gasp, maybe even a family to care for too!

Things come up. I’ve had sick kids upchucking into bowls, a spouse stuck at the airport, and busted-frozen pipes cramping my watering style. Crazy days make it extra hard to get everything looking just so. If the horses are regularly getting good care, blips aren’t a crisis. Precious Pony will survive to trot another day!

Turnout! Ugh. I was a brat. When I believed Precious Pony MUST go out to frolic, but the fields were a mucky mess, that wasn’t my call at your barn. In fact, Precious Pony would not only destroy your sopping fields, but she might pull shoes or come in limping.

Currently, my fields are moats. Every time the horses gallop through the mud, I cringe. Turnout all the time isn’t always feasible or a solution.

I am also sorry if I didn’t respect your barn rules. Your barn is your pride and joy (when you can muster up joy after caring for Precious Ponies all day). I know I now savor my crossties clipped, halters hung on a bias, and aisle neatly swept. At the end of a longggg day, these details matter. Forgive me for the days I left my brushes strewn about or my muddy blanket heaped in a mountain on the floor.

Finally, my biggest regret… I wish I lent you a hand more often. On days you were overwhelmed and rushed, I wish I hadn’t zipped out of the barn. An extra set of hands for turnout or holding Precious Pony for the farrier goes a long way. Presently, those extra free minutes mean I can grab my daughter from preschool on time instead of dashing in late, a hay-covered-mom-failure.

Let’s face it. Most people don’t board because it’s a cash cow. They do it because they love horses, even if down the line they become a little jaded. If I disagreed with some of YOUR decisions at YOUR barn, I hope I was respectful and kind. If I wasn’t, shame on me. No matter how strongly I felt about Precious Pony’s care, hushed whispers among disgruntled boarders wasn’t the way to go.

Now, when I take on a boarder at my farm, it is my choice. Though I will tolerate the owner and love Precious Pony like my own, at the end of the day, I own this joint. I want respect. You deserved the same.

Sincerely,

Jamie Sindell (Exhausted Owner of Wish List Farm est. 2022)

📎 Save and share this article at

04/14/2026

Seems to me the help isn't helping much. Anyone looking for a job?

03/31/2026

02/07/2026

02/07/2026

Have you ever said," I really want to move to warmer weather and would love a covered arena." Well now is your chance! Old Road Plantation is up for sell or lease. All the amenities needed to run a top notch program. Multiple pastures, 15 stalls, Conway SC 843-222-0187

01/09/2026

01/05/2026

When I’m preparing to ride a pattern—and I mean any pattern… reining, cow horse, horsemanship, ranch riding, it doesn’t matter—I want to talk about something that separates the good patters from the great patterns.
I hear people say all the time, “Yeah, I know the pattern.”
And then they’ll start reciting it to me like they’re reading off a shopping list:
“Left circle, right circle, run down, stop, spin, back…”
Now look, I’m not saying you don’t need to know where you’re going. You do. If you don’t know the pattern, you’re already in trouble.
But knowing what the pattern is and knowing how you’re going to show it are two completely different things.
Because “knowing the pattern” is memory.
“Showing the pattern” is preparation.
When I go over a pattern in my head, I’m not just memorizing maneuvers. I’m mentally riding the entire thing, step by step, like I’m already in the show pen. I’m practicing it in my mind the same way I ride it on my horse.
And here’s what most people don’t do—but they should:
As I run through that pattern in my head, I’m rehearsing every single piece:
What am I going to be looking at when I enter the pen?
Where is my true middle?
Where are my run down lines?
What should I be looking at to get straight?
Where is the dirt I want to avoid?
Where do I want to place my stops?
What marker am I riding to on the circle so my shape stays consistent?
What am I looking at through the center so my lead change stays straight?
Where exactly am I going to start asking for that transition?
Where do I want my small slow to peak?
Where do I want to start building speed on the run down?
Where do I want to stop—what dirt am I aiming for?
Where do I want to hesitate so my horse’s mind comes back down before the next maneuver?
I’m not just thinking, “Circle here.” I’m thinking, “I’m riding to that banner. My eyes are up. I’m keeping my horse straight. I’m starting my transition right there so it’s finished right here.”
Because the truth is, the riders that consistently place aren’t “winging it” in the pen. They’ve already ridden the pattern—sometimes ten times—before their horse ever takes a step in the gate.
And that mental practice matters more than people want to admit, because shows don’t just test your horse.
They test your organization.
They test whether you can keep your eyes up, stay ahead of the pattern, ride the arena, and make decisions before your horse forces you into them.
This is exactly what I make my students do at a show. I don’t just ask them, “Tell me the pattern.”
I ask them, “Tell me how you’re going to show it.”
And if they can’t tell me what they’ll be looking at, where they’ll start each transition, what their plan is for their horse’s strengths, and where they’re going to set up each maneuver… then they don’t really know the pattern yet. They only know the words.
Because the show pen doesn’t reward good intentions.
It rewards preparation that looks calm, confident, and deliberate.
So the next time you’re getting ready to show, don’t just memorize the pattern.
Ride it in your mind. Practice every step. Practice what you’ll look at. Practice where you’ll ask. Practice where you’ll finish.
Then walk in that pen and ride it like you’ve been there a hundred times.

01/05/2026

🚨 Creek Plantation Training Center is Hiring!!🚨

The 2023 AQHA Best Remuda award winner is looking to add an experienced well rounded horseman to the team!

Location: Martin, South Carolina

The duties include but are not limited to:

* Starting and caring for 2 year olds as well as training, tune up, and advancing potential on other riding horses for ranch work or the show pen.

This years string of 2 year olds (10-12) are sired by stallions such as:

Cattalou
Boon Too Suen
The Boon
Circle Bar Play Gun
Splash Of Gin
Wagon Stake
Black Widow Legacy

The facility has training tools available including the RealCow Training Systems ,The Cattle Saver, and a Smarty Supply Co. roping dummy.

The potential applicant meet the following requirements:

* Must have proficient horsemanship skills.
* Must be able to handle young green horses including weanlings and yearlings.
* Feeding, caring and inspecting livestock
* Operate and repair farm equipment.
* Follow all ranch safety rules and procedures.
* Willing to work in a team environment.

Additional Requirements:

- High school diploma or GED; Valid driver’s license
EOE
- A pre-employment drug screen and background check will be required.
- Housing and a vehicle are provided and pay is based on experience.

Please pm us or call ranch manager Jeff Caswell - 2072155305 or William Morris V - 7066998888

Resumes can be sent to [email protected] and [email protected]

www.creekplantation.com

01/05/2026

this season feels like punishment

But scripture shows us it is often preparation

while you wait...

God is doing something in them you cannot do by force.

But, He is also doing something in you.

Something quieter.

Something deeper.

Something eternal

He is teaching you how to love without control

To trust without guarantees

To pray without timelines

This is the hardest kind of faith

The kind that believes God is good even when the story is unfinished

The father in the prodigal story did not chase

He did not shame

He did not close the door

He stayed watchful, available, rooted and ready

Your job is not to fix the wilderness

Your job is to keep the porch light on

Some children return quickly

Some take years

Some return in ways we never expected

But God wastes nothing

Not the prayers

Not the tears

Not the waiting

You are not failing

You are faithfully standing in a holy in-between

And God sees every step you take

"let us not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 69)