Hidden Gem Equine

07/07/2025

: What level are you currently riding at?

Don't event? Still comment below!

01/07/2025

This past weekend we focused on dressage at MSEDA Dressage at the Park show.

🏅Congratulations to Anabelle Friend and her preliminary event horse, Tater Cz’alad, getting their 3rd level scores to become a USDF Bronze Medalist! They got all their scores on first try! I’m so proud of you for this huge accomplishment!

🏆Dory Tuohey leased my horse, Last Word for the month of June and tackling test 1-2. With an unauthorized lead change day 1 they earned a 70+% score on Sunday! Having only ridden up to novice eventing dressage, first level was a big jump up for Dory and this horse helped her nail it!

💜I was able to show Najib for the first time in a long time. Our last time off farm for a dressage show was fall of 22. Najib was amazing in 1-3 and 2-1 earning 68%, 69%, 70% (well he earned 72% but his mom with a silly mistake off test earned 70%), and 64% despite the 🪰 for a win at 2-1. I’m so grateful to be showing this horse again and he was amazing.

Thank you MSEDA for putting on another great show and to all the volunteers and sponsors.

30/06/2025

A hot weekend at Mid South PC H.T.! It was a good show to have the show jump phase in the air conditioned Alltech.

🏆Anabelle Friend’s Tater Cz’Alad was very nervous in the Alltech causing him to have several rails but a double clear and brave XC had them finish their second Prelim run in 5th.

✨Her young OTTB mare is improving in dressage and jumped well around the Alltech. This weekend xc was the green moment. In training young event horses it’s a juggling act to get all 3 phases well schooled. We tend to focus on the weaker phases between competitions. Sometimes the phase that was good then gets confusing for the pair. Back to training!

🥈Christina Kelly and Real Deal Lady rocked around their jump phases after a super dressage to finish 2 nd in Open B. Nov.

💖Hannah Jones and PS Antebellum competed in their first rated event to finish 4th out of 15 in Starter. Looking forward to this pair continuing to build their relationship and experience and have fun eventing!

A huge thank you to all the organizers, volunteers, and sponsors!

27/06/2025

: Are you a saddle pad hoarder? Bonus Question: What is your favorite brand? Comment below ↓

23/06/2025

🐴DRESSAGE SOLUTIONS!🐴 How To Know If Your Inside Leg Is Effective?

To help you determine if your inside leg is effective in sending energy to the outside rein …

Imagine that, as a result of using the inside leg, the outside of your horse’s neck seems like a balloon filling with air and the outside rein feels like a bungee cord with positive tension and an elastic connection.
— Martin Kuhn

🎨 Sandy Rabinowitz

18/06/2025

: How long have you been eventing (if you do event!)?
Comment below ↓

16/06/2025

May was a busy month with traveling 🧳 In early May we went to River Glen in TN and then to VA Horse Trials for Memorial Day weekend.

🥈Anabelle Friend and Tater CZ’Alad did their Preliminary move up at River Glen and with a couple green moments on XC finished in 2nd! At VA this pair did their first FEI 1* and also finished in 2nd! With a tense dressage (practice more in your shad on windy days with the sensitive horse) they jumped super around show jump and were amazing on XC.

✨Anabelle brought her green TB along for starter at RG and B.Nov move up at VA. This cute mare is learning tons and coming along well and figuring out dressage. She’s got hops! They finished on dressage at RG for 7th and with one rail and a clear xc came in 10th at VA.

🥃I catch coached a student’s student, Nicole Taylor at RG. She and her ride, Bourbon N’ Ice, had a confident fun trip around starter and finished in 6th.

🚀Lindsey DeAngelis and Apollo Rocket had a great dressage test and the best show jump round to date. It was not their day on xc day. They will be back at it soon enough.

We all enjoyed the beautiful venue of the Virginia Horse Center. Thank you to all the sponsors, organizers, and volunteers at both these fun events! Thanks, especially to the team that put on the FEI at VA for an incredibly well run week.

📸 .media

11/06/2025

Always clean up after yourself and then some!

Rant alert 🙃

I must preface this by saying I love my job. We have a very special facility where both kids and adults can ride, everything from fancy broke cutters to average Joe horses. I love all the people and horses I work with.

I'm feeling extra sensitive lately because I've been run a little ragged this year. We are short handed on farming help and I'm missing my main help I had for maintenance in the barn. We've taken some big financial tolls this year and dealt with some major tragedies. We will get through it like we always do, but I'm tired.

So when I walked on the barn tonight and saw a pile of p**p in my walkway it sent me over the edge.

Today I started at 6 am. I worked horses and gave lessons. I had a short hour lunch break, but ended up spending most of that running payroll and paying bills. I went back to the barn to oil bridles and drag the arenas then got an sos call from my husband that he needed a ride home from the field because the mower broke down. So then picked him up, rushed back to the barn to finish getting arenas ready and back to giving lessons.

Finally done at 8 pm, I still have to make dinner, and try to spend a few moments with my family. But then I walk in the barn and see this, then walk to my wash rack and see manure everywhere and it's not swept up, then I go in my indoor and see manure everywhere, halters on the ground, and obstacles left out. So instead of going to my house I spend another 30 minutes cleaning up.

I know everyone knows I work hard and I do get a lot of appreciation and kindness for that and it is much appreciated. However, the biggest thank you I could get would be walking in the barn to see that everyone had picked up their things and left it nice and neat for me.

I will never forget when I was a kid and my dad started dropping me off at trainers barns. He always would remind me that the barn needed to be cleaner when I left and it was when I got there's and that lesson has always stuck with me. Now that I own a barn myself, I understand why he always emphasized that to me so much.

For those of you that want to be in this business, I can tell you from firsthand experience that one thing that will get you farther than being able to ride or show or start a c**t, is doing the work no one else wants to do. I was always noticed when I was growing up for going the extra mile - cleaning out trailers, oiling bridles, sweeping, mucking stalls, brushing tails, whatever needed done. Some days I'm really disappointed not to see more of that attitude. I open my farm to everyone in hopes it's a safe and happy space for everyone, and most nights I end up paying the price.

So from a very loving but tired barn owner, clean up your mess! If you have time, ask what you can do to help. This business is a very rewarding one, but a huge sacrifice to most that chose it.