Keystone Equestrian

12/31/2025

Well worth the read. In today’s horse world too many “serviceably sound” horses are being passed up by riders that will never exceed the horse’s limitations in the first place.

Ride the horse, not the vet findings.

Looking back to when I first graduated from veterinary school, prepurchase examinations were refreshingly simple. Horses fell into three clear categories: those with no apparent problems, those who were actively lame, and those who were what we called "serviceably sound." That third category has practically disappeared from modern veterinary practice, and I believe we're all worse off for it.

Serviceably sound horses weren't perfect specimens. They might have shown a little stiffness in one direction or carried themselves differently than a younger horse would. But these horses had been reliably doing their jobs for years, and there was every reason to believe they could continue for years more. Today, in our era of exhaustive radiographs, aggressive flexion tests, and what I affectionately call Scientific Wild Guesses about the future, I find myself wondering what happened to simply accepting a good, working horse for what he is.

The transformation hit me hardest about two years ago when I became the fourth veterinarian to examine a twenty-year-old warmblood mare. This horse had been subjected to every diagnostic tool modern veterinary medicine offers: MRIs, bone scans, ultrasounds, and radiographs of virtually every skeletal structure in her body. Multiple specialists from prestigious hospitals had weighed in with their professional opinions. The consensus was unanimous and dire: this mare should never be ridden again. The diagnostic reports left no room for interpretation.

When the owner called me, I honestly questioned what unique perspective I could possibly offer after such thorough evaluation by my colleagues. Still, I went through my examination process. I ran my hands along her legs and felt the subtle swelling in her stifle joints. When I flexed her legs, I noted the expected stiffness. Throughout the entire examination, this gentle, patient mare cooperated completely, never resisting or objecting to anything I asked of her. Then I requested to see her move. Her gait certainly wasn't expansive or effortless, but she moved forward willingly and, if I'm any judge of equine demeanor, happily.

I turned to the owner and asked a question that apparently none of my predecessors had considered important: "What do you want to do with her?"

The owner, who had clearly invested enough in diagnostics to fund a small developing nation, replied that she hoped the mare could give lessons to children.

My response was simple: "Why don't you give it a try?"

The owner's brow furrowed with concern. "But what about all of those reports?" she asked, gesturing to the stack of dire professional opinions.

I looked at the mare, then back at the owner. "Don't let her read them."

Three years have passed since that conversation, and that supposedly unrideable mare continues to give lessons to children regularly and happily. She doesn't move quickly or for extended periods, and she benefits from occasional pain-relieving medication. But she has a purpose, she's adored by countless young riders, and by all observable measures, she's content with her life.

Another case stays with me just as powerfully. An eighteen-year-old gelding had been through the complete diagnostic circus: MRI, nerve blocks, radiographs, medication trials, and therapeutic shoeing adjustments. All of this was in response to a hoof issue that caused a slight forelimb lameness, particularly noticeable when circling. I drove well beyond my normal practice area to evaluate this horse and review the mountain of accumulated data. After my examination, I asked the owner about the horse's current use.

"I take him out for walks on the trail two or three times a week," she explained.

My recommendation seemed almost too simple: "Why not give him a small dose of pain reliever before your trail walks and let him enjoy walking around this beautiful arena the rest of the time?"

The owner's immediate concern revealed how deeply the culture of worry had taken root. "But won't the pain reliever destroy his stomach?" she asked anxiously.

"No," I assured her.

That conversation happened four years ago. I encountered the owners at a lecture I presented about a year later, and everyone involved was thriving. As far as I know, the gelding's stomach remained intact, and the arrangement continues to work beautifully for both horse and owner.

I share these stories because the commercial side of the equine industry seems determined to convince horse owners that anything less than perfection is unacceptable. Words like "optimum," "ideal," and other carefully chosen marketing language imply that every horse harbors some hidden pathology just waiting to manifest as catastrophe. The message being sold is dangerously binary: your horse is either perfect or doomed.

This relentless pursuit of flawless equine health is, in my professional opinion, largely harmful. The constant anxiety, the hours spent researching potential problems on the internet, the fear of what might go wrong—all of this robs horse owners of the fundamental joy that should come with horse ownership. When a horse glances at his flank, it almost never means he's experiencing intestinal torsion. When a horse receives appropriate nutrition, he's not teetering on the edge of some nutritional catastrophe that only the latest miracle supplement can prevent. Excessive worry leads to unnecessary diagnostic testing, wasted money on veterinary and other services, and a futile quest for reassurance through endless interventions and products.

Understanding and monitoring your horse's health is certainly important. But there's a vast difference between reasonable concern when your horse shows signs of illness or injury and perpetual anxiety about potential future problems. Constant worrying about a healthy, normal horse creates problems primarily for the owner, not the horse.

Just recently, a seventy-year-old client brought me her nineteen-year-old gelding. She'd acquired him from a riding school and was concerned because someone had mentioned he was limping. I watched him trot and confirmed there was a slight irregularity in his gait.

"What do you do with him?" I inquired.

"I enjoy walking on the trails with him on weekends with my friends. Or maybe every other weekend," she replied.

I palpated his pastern and felt a minor enlargement. I was fairly certain he had some degree of osteoarthritis, commonly called ringbone.

Here's what I didn't recommend: radiographs, bone scans, MRIs, joint injections, joint supplements, specialty shoeing, liniments, platelet-rich plasma therapy, or stem cell treatments.

Instead, I gestured toward her seventy-five-year-old husband Fred and asked, "How's Fred doing? Is he moving around like he did when you two got married fifty years ago?"

She laughed. "No, definitely not."

"Thinking about trading him in?"

"Only sometimes," she said with a smile.

I suggested she continue enjoying those pleasant long walks and perhaps give the horse—not Fred, as I don't prescribe human medications—a pain reliever if he seemed uncomfortable. Several months have passed and everything continues to go wonderfully. I actually saw them both just the other day. The situation is ideal for everyone involved. Nobody moves with perfect soundness, Fred included. But everyone is functional, serviceable, and most importantly, happy.

So what does "serviceable" actually mean? To me, it means the horse can perform the work being asked of him without suffering. Horses typically go out and give their best effort—it's one of the qualities we treasure most about them. Our responsibility is to care for them, but that responsibility doesn't include achieving the impossible goal of perfection. A horse can be imperfect and still be wonderful.

Mark Twain captured a certain wisdom about horses when he wrote: "I preferred a safe horse to a fast one—I would like to have an excessively gentle horse—a horse with no spirit whatever—a lame one, if he had such a thing." (Roughing It, Chapter 64)

I rarely view situations in absolute terms. I believe firmly that the perfect is the enemy of the good. A horse isn't simply good or bad, serviceable or worthless. The equine world is full of wonderful horses who might have some minor flaw or imperfection but who will nevertheless be the best horse their owner could ever hope for. Don't pass by one of these treasures simply because he doesn't match someone else's arbitrary definition of perfection. He might not be flawless, but he can still be serviceable, useful, and even absolutely great.

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11/28/2025

Really good information for winter weather that many horse owners are not aware of.
Stay warm my friends!!!

Blanketing is not just about adding warmth. Horses heat themselves very differently than we do and understanding that helps us support them instead of accidentally making them colder.

Horses heat themselves from the inside out. Their digestive system ferments fibre all day which creates steady internal heat. Their winter coat traps this heat when the hair can lift and fluff, a process called piloerection. This creates a layer of warm air close to the skin and acts as the horse’s main insulation system.

A thin blanket can interrupt this system. It presses the coat flat which removes the natural insulation. If the blanket does not provide enough fill to replace what was lost the horse can become COLDER in a light layer than with no blanket at all.

Healthy horses are also built to stay dry where it matters. The outer coat can look wet while the skin stays warm and dry. That dry base is the insulation. When we put a blanket on and flatten the coat, the fill must replace that lost insulation.

Problems begin when moisture reaches the skin. Wetness at the base of the coat flattens the hair and stops the coat from trapping heat. This can happen in freezing rain, heavy wet snow, or when a horse sweats under an inappropriate blanket.

Checking the base of the coat tells you far more than looking at the surface. Slide your fingers down to the skin behind the shoulder and along the ribs. Dry and warm means the horse is coping well. Cool or damp means the horse has lost insulation and needs support.

Horses also show clear body language when they are cold. Look for tension through the neck, shorter and stiffer movement, standing tightly tucked, avoiding resting a hind leg, clustering in sheltered areas, a hunched topline, withdrawn social behaviour, and increased hay intake paired with tension. Shivering is a clear sign but it appears later in the discomfort curve.

Ears can give extra information but they are not reliable on their own. Cold ears with a relaxed body are normal, but cold ears paired with tension, stillness, or a cool or damp base of the coat can suggest the horse is losing heat. Always look at the whole picture instead of using one single check.

If you choose to blanket, pick a fill that REPLACES what you are removing. Sheets and very light layers often make horses colder in winter weather. A blanket that compresses the coat needs enough fill to replace the trapped warm air the coat would have created on its own.

Blanketing is a tool, not a default. Healthy adult horses with full winter coats often regulate extremely well on their own as long as they are dry, sheltered from strong wind, and have consistent access to forage. Horses who are clipped, older, thin, recovering, or living in harsh wind and wet conditions will likely need more support and blanketing. The individual horse always matters.

It would be easier if a single number worked for every horse. But in my own herd I have horses who stay comfortable naked in minus thirty and others who need three hundred and fifty grams (+) in that same weather. That range is normal. It is exactly why no one chart can ever work for every horse, and why watching the individual horse will always be more accurate than any temperature guide.

Thermoregulation is individual. Charts cannot tell you what your horse needs. Your horse can. Watch the body, check the skin, and blanket the individual in front of you.

11/08/2025

Either incorporate no stirrup riding into your program on a VERY regular basis or for the love of your horse PLEASE skip no stirrup November.

10/30/2025

Louder for the ones in the back!!!
1,000,000 percent THIS!!!!

"I have begun to truly wonder if I can continue what I’m doing. Should I get a second job? Should I drop the price of my nice horses and get out now? Are my clients going to be able to go to any shows? If they go, will they be able to compete?

It’s exhausting.

The biggest problem is that, in the end, no one actually cares to listen to the majority of members. The majority of members of USEF, like the majority of people in this country, are not wealthy. They don’t horse show all the time. They can’t compete for points because points actually don’t matter to someone who only goes to four shows a year. They, most likely, don’t get to ride much either because they have regular jobs.

Listen, I’m all for horses’ well-being and safety. I don’t want horses injured because people drug them or work them to exhaustion. I think we can all agree that more clever ways of drugging these horses are happening now. I hate to tell you, but it’s not coming from the majority of members. It’s coming from the trainers with the people who have the most money and are chasing those points. The majority of members recognize that they aren’t competitive compared to those horses and just want to enjoy what they’re doing. Maybe they pick up a ribbon in good company on their best days, and that’s something to be really proud of.

Why is this happening?

It’s almost always the hunters. I think we can all agree on that, but why the hunters? Well, when we’re awarding the most drone-like horse, with no expression, who jumps a ten every time, never breaks rhythm, and doesn’t look at anything. That winning horse jumps eight fences for three different classes in two divisions at the very least, not to mention schooling, warm up, lunging, riding in the morning, and god knows what else. And with that level of work, there are going to be issues. Horses need to be fitter to do this without being injured, and fit means fresher, which means more work to prepare.

What’s the solution?

I would love it if everyone could ride better so we didn’t have to exhaust these horses to make them quiet enough for their owners to show competitively. However, that feels unlikely with the current look of competition. So what do we do?

Maybe we can make it so we don’t award horses that are going with zero expression. Maybe we award horses that have some life to them. Or, maybe we change the format. Maybe we can bring back more unrelated distances. Maybe if we did that, people would have to ride better and horses couldn’t be drones.

Maybe we can bring back courses that feel more like the original, outside hunter courses. Oh, but people would complain that it was unsafe! Yes, maybe they would. Maybe they would argue that their people couldn’t show if that was the format. Well, I hate to tell you, but with the expenses being raised on everything, people are already dropping like flies. Membership is going to go down. It probably already has, which is possibly why they’ve decided to raise prices.

What about the other problems we have to fix? Simply put, the cost of literally everything is an issue.

I don’t know which of you has gone to a rated show and a local show recently, but I have. At a recent out-of-state rated show I attended, I was only able to show in one class, and the show bill was over $600. That was without a nomination fee and without including hay or shavings, which were billed separately. The single class I did cost $60, but the total cost was over $600 for one class at this show. That is insane.

To compare, I went to a local show this past weekend with a client. She competed in one 2’ division with a warmup. So three over fences classes and a hack class. Her bill for that local show was $160.

This sport is becoming completely untenable for 80% of the people who are members. I know we’re all sick of the endless rules, the moving goal post for drugs, and the 1200-page rule book we’re all supposed to keep updated with. But in my opinion, the real issue is that, eventually, no one is going to be able to afford to do this anymore."

📎 Continue reading this article by Ann De Michele at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/10/29/frustrating-doesnt-even-begin-to-cover-it-the-reality-of-showing-today/
📸 © The Plaid Horse / Lauren Mauldin

09/08/2025

This is a very thoughtful article that does impact our sport.

For generations, the hunter ring has been a defining piece of American equestrian sport. It has taught precision, polish, and the foundations of equitation that shaped many of today’s top riders. As Geoff Case pointed out on The Plaidchat, names like Laura Kraut, McLain Ward, and Kent Farrington all came through the hunter and equitation pipeline. But today, as prize lists shrink and costs skyrocket, hunters are facing an identity crisis. While lower-level divisions thrive, professional hunter classes are dwindling, and riders are leaving for the jumper ring.

At first glance, the price tag for hunters and jumpers appears similar. A top amateur-owner hunter and a high junior jumper can both command six-figure sums. But Case, USEF Large R Judge, trainer, and clinician, points out that the return on investment is vastly different.

“In Wellington, the high-performance hunter division is probably a $3,000 or $4,000 division,” he explained. “You win a class, you get $300. Spend the same money on a Grand Prix horse and you might be jumping for $150,000.”

For owners, that disparity matters. Grand Prix horses can earn back a portion of their purchase price through prize money, while hunters rarely can. Outside of selling a horse to an amateur down the line, there is no pathway to financial sustainability in the hunter ring.

Hunters have also struggled to keep owners engaged. Beyond the satisfaction of watching a horse go beautifully, there’s little incentive to bankroll a professional’s mount. “There’s not a lot of special recognition for owners,” Case noted. “There’s not much prize money.”

International Hunter Derbies once offered excitement, with big purses and one-off special events that drew crowds. “Larry and Kelly and a few other people used to run around the country chasing those $25,000 to $50,000 derbies,” Case recalled. “They just don’t exist anymore.” What remains is a watered-down circuit of national derbies that feel more like a hunter classic at the end of a long day than a marquee event worth investing in.

Without meaningful prize money or recognition, it’s hard to keep owners invested in horses for the professional divisions.

Ironically, for the average rider, the jumper ring often feels more approachable financially. Case described friends searching for a solid three-foot hunter with budgets of $250,000, and not being able to find much. Meanwhile, a competitive 1.20m jumper might be available for a fraction of that price.

And while amateur jumpers aren’t cashing five-figure checks every weekend, the perception of opportunity is stronger. A Children’s Jumper Classic might offer a $5,000 purse compared to a $1,000 Children’s Hunter Classic. Even small wins can offset costs in a way hunters rarely do.

That perception matters. “There’s at least the feeling that you have a greater chance of winning on a jumper for significantly less money than you do in the hunters,” Case said.

🔗 Continue reading the article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/09/03/the-cost-barrier-why-hunters-are-losing-riders-to-the-jumper-ring/
📸 © Lauren Mauldin / The Plaid Horse

04/28/2025

So much truth in this post.
Something to think about!!

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, none of the horses on the U.S. show jumping or eventing teams were American-bred. Not one.

Every mount representing red, white, and blue was born and brought up overseas, while our own breeding barns churn out thousands of foals a year. For a country as vast, wealthy, and horse-obsessed as the United States, that’s embarrassing.

It’s not a fluke. It’s a symptom of a broken system. We are not producing our own elite equine athletes because we’re not breeding for them.

In many U.S. breeding programs, the decision to breed a mare often isn’t based on her competition success. It’s based on injury. She bowed a tendon at four? Breed her. She fractured a sesamoid before she ever showed? Put her in foal so she “doesn’t just sit.” She was too unsound to make it through a futurity season? “She has a nice head.” This is breeding as damage control. Not selection. Not strategy.

We’re taking the horses who didn’t last, who couldn’t compete, and we’re passing those traits: genetic unsoundness, poor conformation, low resilience, on to the next generation. And we’re doing no better with the boys.

The U.S. barn landscape is simply not set up to support stallions. Most boarding facilities don’t allow them. Trainers often discourage keeping colts intact due to behavioral concerns and limited resale value. As a result, some of our most promising bloodlines are literally cut off before they even have a chance to contribute. Meanwhile, Europe is building stallion careers alongside competition careers, backing them with systems designed to assess, preserve, and promote excellence.

Across Europe, breeding is a science, not an afterthought. Registries require mares to pass performance tests. Stallions must prove themselves through the same performance tests as well as competition and through the quality of their offspring. Longevity, trainability, reproductive soundness, and rideability matter, just as much as flash. In the Netherlands, the KWPN registry ensures that horses with structural and genetic flaws are actively removed from the breeding pool. They are building better horses on purpose, while performance testing is virtually nonexistant in the USA. We’re gambling on foals from horses who quite literally could not even finish the race.

Why do we do this? Because our industry rewards early speed, early sales, and early burnout. We breed for yearling sales, futurities, and young horse classes. We reward breeders who produce a shiny prospect, not a durable horse.

We need a complete shift in breeding values. That means stopping the practice of breeding injured or completely unproven mares and instead selecting those who lasted, who stayed sound, performed consistently, and demonstrated resilience over time. It also means investing in infrastructure that allows promising colts to remain stallions, rather than gelding them for convenience or marketability. We must begin to track soundness, temperament, and fertility across generations, using that data to make informed decisions. And we need to embrace modern tools: genetic testing, performance records, and international benchmarks, instead of relying on nostalgia or sentiment. Because right now, we are selecting for the opposite of what we need. And it’s playing out in rehab barns, in short-lived careers, and yes, on the Olympic scoreboard.

This isn’t a crusade against breeders. It’s a call for accountability, ambition, and change. If we want to see American-bred horses wearing stars and stripes again, not just in name, but in origin, we need to start breeding for more than emotion and convenience. We need to breed horses that can stand the test of time, not just pass a vet check at a sale. Until we do, we’ll just keep buying our best from Europe, and wondering where our greatness went.

09/16/2024

This absolutely lovely horse is available for borrow!!!! Or borrow then keep.
Flexible terms on an affordable lease to an approved program or we would LOVE to have him stay in our program!!!
Located in Dahlonega, Georgia. 

So pleased with the development of my little hunter! Troy is an 11 year old imported Holsteiner gelding standing at 16.2 hands. He has an impressive record in the hunter ring, but is now telling us he is ready for a change in pace! He is only beginning his dressage career but has 3 correct and comfortable gaits, a soft mouth, and perfect flying change. Schooling all 2nd and 3rd level movements. He is an overall kind and easy going guy who loves having a person.

Troy is available for lease and would be perfect for someone wanting a quality horse to learn on and enjoy but that is not quite ready to buy! He'd also be perfect for an ambitious JR/YR looking for a step up. We'd love to keep him with us but offsite is also an option to an approved program. Very reasonable lease price. 6 month or year lease or Lease to purchase options available. For more information or additional photos/videos, please contact via pm!

Video from last week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYiSD_GtFgk

07/20/2024

SPOT ON!!!
Pick one!!!
Buy it trained.
Pay someone else to train it.
Or, train it yourself.
BUT you still have to become a decent horseman…..
Think on it.

07/12/2024

Hustle culture doesn’t have to apply to our horses.

It’s okay to do things for the sake of pure enjoyment, or exploration, or any reason that pushes you to try new things with your horse in the name of joy.

It’s okay to not be the best, most winning, or most accomplished at everything you do with your horse. It doesn’t make your journey less valid if it takes you longer to reach your destination than someone else.

It’s okay to have a life outside of horses. Hobbies can have as big or as small of a role in your life as you want. If you’re not at shows every weekend, it doesn’t mean you’re irrelevant. It doesn’t mean you aren’t good, either.

It’s okay if your goals don’t include top rankings, HOY status, highly rated shows or end of year championships.

It’s okay to rest. Horses don’t have a concept of our constant need to push forward, achieve, to do, to win.

Comparison is the thief of joy, and everyone is drawn to the horse world for different reasons. Let people find meaning, fulfillment, and happiness for themselves. Do your best, treat your horse well above ALL else, and remember that this is a hobby. At the end of the day, it ain’t that serious.

(And yes, I am writing this because *I* need to hear it, too.)

07/09/2024

Dallas

******** VIDEO LINK IS BELOW!! *******

Current video-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyVVsuCm04g

06/28/2024

Dallas

*********** SOLD *******************