Empowered Equestrian

11/08/2026

We traded the hunter/jumper world and hit the trails for our first hunter pace with Bedford Hunt Club. What an incredible way to see the peak foliage and celebrate Ainsley Hanson’s birthday later this month. All of our horses took everything in stride and we had an amazing day out.

11/01/2026

🎃🐴 Halloween Fun at Empowered Equestrian! 👻

We had an AWESOME time at our Halloween Horse Show yesterday! From fun games and great rides to some seriously creative costumes, it was a day full of smiles, laughter, and Halloween spirit! 🧡

Now we need YOUR help! 🏆

Our riders and horses went all out for our costume contest, and we need your votes to help crown our Best Costume Winner!

🗳️ Cast your vote by commenting below with your favorite costume by 9:00 tonight (11/1)!

We can’t wait to see who takes home the title! 🎃🏆

10/30/2026

What a week at the SWVHJA Annual Show! 🏆🐴

We took a small but mighty group to the show last weekend, and while the week started with some challenges and trying moments with a green horse, it was incredibly rewarding to see how far everyone came. By the end of the week, we were riding confidently, putting in some great trips, and bringing home ribbons!

🌟 Pam and “Wildly Inappropriate” made their debut together, earning 4th place in two very large and competitive classes!

🌟 Margaux and “Stilettos and Pearls” put in one of their best trips yet during the Team Equitation Challenge!

🌟 Maria and “Country Gentleman” worked through some adversity early in the week and came back stronger, earning 2nd and 3rd in the Pre-Short Stirrup division!

🌟 Katie and “Stilettos and Pearls” finished the week on a high note with a big win in the Low Jumper Classic and Reserve Champion honors!

One of the things I love most about this sport is how it teaches resilience. Things don’t always go according to plan, and progress isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes the biggest accomplishments aren’t the ribbons we bring home, but the moments when we choose to keep trying, make adjustments, and come back with more confidence than we started with. That’s what makes me especially proud of this group!

We can’t wait to return next year with an even bigger EE crew!

A huge thank you to Ashley Holsinger and the entire SWVHJA team for putting on such a well-run, professional show. We appreciate all the hard work that goes into making an event like this possible! ❤️

10/20/2026

10/20/2026

We haven’t had much time to post lately because we’ve been busy showing nearly every weekend! 🐴💙 It’s been a busy few weeks filled with lots of riding, hard work, and great memories!

We also just had our first AEL show of the season, and we’re so excited to share that Empowered Equestrian came away as the HIGH POINT TEAM! 🏆🎉 We couldn’t be prouder of our riders!

And the fun doesn’t stop there! This week, we’re heading to the SWVHJA Annual Show, with some exciting things ahead!

🌟 Margaux & Stella will be competing in the Hollins Medal and SWVHJA Adult Equitation Finals!

⚡ Katie & Stella will be taking on the jumper ring!

💕 Maria & Bubba will be teaming up in the Pre-Short Stirrup division!

🩵 Pam & her new partner Eliza will be showing in the Adult Pleasure division!

We’re so proud of all the hard work our riders have put in and can’t wait to see everyone in action this week!

Now we need YOU to help us cheer them on! 📣💙 Drop some good luck wishes for our riders and horses in the comments, and follow along for behind-the-scenes moments, show ring highlights, and all the excitement from SWVHJA! 🐴🏆✨

09/29/2026

Welcome to the scene and a huge congratulations to Pamela Kosko Haskins on the purchase of “Wildly Inappropriate” aka Eliza. We are so excited to watch this pair in the future.

09/20/2026

Such a fun weekend with our EE barn family! 💕🐴

Our Junior Riders enjoyed a movie night under the stars at the barn, and our adults had a great evening out together!

We love that the community at Empowered Equestrian reaches far beyond riding lessons and time in the saddle. The friendships, support, laughter, and memories made along the way are such a special part of what makes EE, EE. ❤️

So thankful for this community and for weekends like this! ✨

09/17/2026

When your trainer tells you “just go canter that little cavaletti” and Bravo decides to do this….Hold on JR 😝. Just more adult fun on a Wednesday night.

09/14/2026

Wow, wow, WOW! 🤩 What an incredible few weeks it’s been at Empowered Equestrian! 🐴🏆

We’ve had so much fun competing at the last couple of House Mountain Horse Shows at the Virginia Horse Center, and we are incredibly proud of our horses and riders!

✨ Stella & Margaux Bellinger placed 2nd in the Hollins Medal and earned some great ribbons in the Special Adults!

✨ Bravo & Rachel competed in their first jumper classes, putting in some beautiful rounds, and then went on to place 3rd in the Junior Pleasure classes in great company!

We returned to Lexington this weekend for another House Mountain show, where:

✨ JR & Bravo earned 3rd in the Adult Pleasure classes!

✨ Maria & Bubba had a fantastic first outing at a bigger venue, placing 3rd in the Pre-Short/Long Stirrup Equitation! We were so proud to see Maria step into a new environment and put in such a great performance with Bubba.

✨ Allison & Nolan competed in their first .65m jumper classes and got better with every round! We were so proud of their progress and determination throughout the show.

🏆 Stella & Katie were CHAMPION in the .85m Jumpers and won the $150 SWVEP Mid Jumper Classic!

And we weren’t finished yet! Yesterday we came home and hosted another Empowered Equestrian In-House Show, and all of our horses and riders were wonderful. ❤️

We love hosting these shows because they give our students an opportunity to showcase everything they’ve been learning, gain valuable show-ring experience, cheer one another on, and—most importantly—spend time together as a barn family.

Congratulations to ALL of our students on a successful day, and a huge thank you to our judge, Bailey Collins, for providing such thoughtful and encouraging feedback to help our riders continue to improve.

There’s still more to come! We’re gearing up for a few more shows to wrap up the SWVHJA season and getting ready to host our first AEL show of the season! 🎉

We couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead.

Here are a few highlights from an amazing few weeks at Empowered Equestrian! 🐴💙🏆

08/16/2026

We are so excited to head to Green Hill Park tomorrow for the Star City Show! 🐴✨

Wish these horse-and-rider pairs lots of luck as they head into the show ring, many of them competing in their very first show together! 🥇🏆

We can’t wait to cheer on our Empowered Equestrian riders, celebrate some firsts, and make lots of great memories along the way. 💕🐴

Good luck, Team EE! Let’s go have some fun! 🏆✨