The Legal Equestrian

Horse Radio Network: Free podcasts for the horse lover in you

Written by Nicole Lootsma.

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Summer means horse shows, tan lines, bonfires, and road trips!

I am very lucky to live in a town right along Lake Huron’s beautiful shorelines where I can enjoy the beach all summer, but I still find myself spending a lot of time in my car whether it be travelling to work, the barn, the cottage, or horse shows. My car came with a free trial of SiriusXM radio when I bought it which I’ve ended up keeping due to all my travel time, but I quickly realized that they have a tendency to pick the top 10 hits of the week and play the same songs over, and over, and over…

As much as I love to roll down the windows and shamelessly sing along to the Backstreet Boys as I drive along, sometimes I find myself craving more of a “conversation,” especially when I’m driving long distances alone. That’s when I discovered talk radio and podcasts – most notably, podcasts by the Horse Radio Network. The Horse Radio Network is “home to the most entertaining equine radio shows (podcasts) on the Internet. If it is horse news, interviews, and a whole lot of fun you are after, you’re in the right place.” Best of all – these podcats are free!

Image Courtesy of HorseRadioNetwork.com

HRN caters to all equestrians and has a show for nearly every discipline; Horses in the Morning, The Eventing Radio Show, Stable Scoop, The Dressage Radio Show, Horse Tip Daily, Jumping Radio Show, Western Radio Show, and even the Driving Radio Show!

My favourite show on the HRN is The Dressage Radio Show, hosted by top riders Reese Koffler Stanfield and Philip Parkes. Philip is an accomplished dressage trainer in nearby Fergus, Ontario, and I have had the privilege of training with him on several occasions over the past years which makes listening to the show even more relatable and enjoyable.

Each week, the hosts chat about the latest in dressage news and share training tips, have guest interviews, and even give advice to listeners. Each podcast is about an hour long and can be easily streamed or downloaded to your phone or mobile device using their handy App (this link is for iOS compatible devices; see below for other ways to listen) which makes it perfect for listening on the go.

My favourite segment of the show is when Reese and Phil are joined by Hilary Moore Hebert who is the Senior Editor of Dressage Today Magazine. Thanks to this wonderful world of technology – I’m able to subscribe to Dressage Today Magazine on my iPad and listening to Hilary’s segment each month truly helps to bring the articles to life and gives some really great and practical context to practicing some of these great exercises in the saddle. I have learned a lot of really helpful exercises from listening to the show which I’ve been able to add to my regular schooling sessions. The Dressage Radio Show has been an invaluable resource, and I love that I am able to spend what would normally be idle time in the car learning more about my favourite sport.

Whether you’re looking to learn some new training tips, hear about the latest in tack trends or equestrian gadgets, or just to enjoy a laugh or two, I would highly encourage you visit the HRN website or download the free iOS or Android App, and check out the variety of entertaining podcasts offered by this wonderful network – you won’t be disappointed!

For other ways to listen to HRN, please click here. You can also follow them on Twitter!

Lesson Recap: July 25 – 26, 2015

I decided to start doing lesson recaps as a way of keeping track of my progress & also because many of my Twitter followers expressed an interest. I will try to incorporate pictures and videos to the best of my ability to supplement my words regarding my lessons. Because my schedule is so limited, I am usually only able to ride on Saturdays and Sundays. If I am lucky, I also get to ride one day during the week – though that is very rare. Also, for this particular post, a special thank you to my boyfriend who videoed almost my entire lesson for me and also for some of the funny commentary that can be heard throughout. He and my trainer know each other from college coincidentally, so they are old friends and get joy out of making fun of me.

Here is my very first lesson recap:

Saturday, July 25, 2015: This was a flat day where we worked on straightness, transitions, no stirrups, and one-handed riding. My trainer is really emphasizing my posture, which has gotten tons better since I have begun riding with her. I have a tendency to hunch over and scrunch up especially during upwards and downwards transitions. First we just did simple riding on the flat that included walking, trotting, and cantering. We did circles, changes of directions, and lengthening and shortening of strides.

We also did some serpentines and worked on straightness on the straightaways as well as getting good corners. Monte is green, so he is not always the best at being straight, and he needs a lot of help from the rider’s leg (ie. pulling on the reins does NOT help here – not that it ever should, but you get what I mean).

Then we moved onto canter work. Right now I am really focusing on not scrunching up during the upward and downward transitions. I’m also working on staying centered in the saddle as I have a tendency to lean, especially on circles. When going around, my trainer tells me to put more weight into my outside heel (whichever one that happens to be) so that I stay centered in the saddle. I’m also working on not having what my trainer refers to as an “electric ass.” I tend to light my horses up with my seat which causes them to get excited and rushy (the exact opposite of what I want, especially in the hunter and equitation classes I will be/am doing at shows).

Another thing I am proud of about my position at the canter is that I don’t have terrible rocking horse arms. If you look at old videos of me, which are available on my Instagram, my arms were terrible at the canter and moved entirely too much. Though they still move a bit too much for my liking, I have gotten a lot quieter, and I keep improving with that.

Like I said, we are doing a lot of work on my posture. My trainer really emphasizes having “presence” in the show ring, especially during the hack classes. As a result, she makes me ride with one hand in both directions during one of my lessons. I make a fist and press it against the small of my back. This forces me to open my chest, sit tall, and keep my shoulders back. I am training my body and posture to be proper. I only do this for a short period at the trot and canter, but it has made a world of difference so far with my posture. Additionally, it really teaches me to ride with my legs which is something we all need to learn to do. I know we all had that panic when we were asked to ride one-handed and to make a circle. And then, we realized it was actually possible! My trainer often asks me to circle while I am riding one-handed, and I am able to do it, even though sometimes I wonder if I will be able to do so. It really shows me that I am riding from my legs, not my hands, which is extremely important and a valuable aid to have.

Finally, we always do no stirrup work to help improve my seat and my leg position. It’s painful. It sucks. I feel the burn. But it’s absolutely necessary, and to be honest, even though I act like I hate it, I secretly love it. I know that I am doing a great service to my riding, and I need to actively make more of an effort to ride without stirrups so I can continue to strengthen my legs, seat, and core. I’m also working on learning to sit trot without my stirrups. This helps me use my core by flexing my abs and being “loose” in the tack. This doesn’t mean flopping all over. Rather, it means allowing myself to go “with” the motion. I don’t need to put a huge effort into sitting the trot. I can just allow it to happen. In this video, you can hear my trainer talking about having presence in the show ring.

Sunday, July 26, 2015: I had a great lesson on Saturday, but Sunday is the day I am most proud of. Unfortunately, my boyfriend had a soccer game at the same time as my lesson, so he could not come video, but we did some jumping work. After warming up on the flat doing the same exercises, circles, serpentines, lengthening and shortening, we began with some no stirrup work at the canter. It helped me lengthen my leg, stay centered in the saddle, and remain “loose” and “fluid” in the tack. Monte was a rockstar for this, and it was our first time cantering together while I had no stirrups.

Finally, we got to jumping. Now just for reader information, I am not jumping very high because I am just getting back to it (who am I kidding? The most I was jumping before Luther’s multiple injuries was 2’6″ occasionally). We are mostly doing work over small cavaletti – maybe about 2′ – but I don’t care – as long as I am making progress and learning. Plus, it is not about jump height no matter how much people make it out to be. I would rather see someone do a 2′ or 2’6″ course perfectly than screw up a 3’6″ course or look like they really don’t belong in the 3’6″ ring. Plus, the lower the jump, the more room for mistakes.

We started with just one cavaletti. Since I tend to get nervous and rushy in my head, my trainer reminds me to count the striding as I approach the jump. The great thing about Monte is that he stays completely steady to the jump. He will take off from any distance and is a completely honest horse for only being 6. After I took the first jump, we added a second element, which I got perfect right off the bat. Finally, we added a third element – a rollback. This one was a bit more difficult for me, and I had a few screw-ups the first couple of times. The first time, I turned a bit too early, so I wasn’t straight to the jump. I also leaned up Monte’s neck when we took off, so we got a bad chippy distance because my leaning prevented him from being able to take off properly. The second time, I did the same thing, except less bad. Because I improved at the third element, my trainer added a fourth cavaletti, which I also screwed up the first time. Now mind you, this was my first time jumping a mini-course in a year, so I was a bit rusty. However, we took the mini-course again. This time, the first and second elements were perfect, as was the fourth element, but I still needed to work on that rollback turn. My trainer asked me to do the second element to the rollback by itself. That time, I committed to a distance to the rollback element, and even though it was extremely gappy, Monte took it, and my trainer was happy that I made a decision, stuck with it, and didn’t lean on his neck during the take-off.

Overall, I was very proud of myself for putting a mini-course together; doing it without anxiety; and getting most of my distances. I am starting to develop an eye, and even better, I am starting to get more comfortable with asking for what I am seeing, and Monte is happy to oblige. The great thing about him is that even if I make a mistake, he doesn’t hold it against me. He will go back around to the jump again and act as if it’s completely brand new and something we haven’t done before which is fantastic for me. I can’t believe I own a 6 year old horse that is such a good jumping teacher.

I’m not going to lie. When the jumping part of the lesson comes up, I still get a little bit nervous, but I am starting to get more comfortable with the idea. I think this is because I am becoming more confident in my jumping skills as well as my eye for distances. Plus, counting strides down to a jump really helps. It takes my mind off of the jump and puts it on something else – having a good, rhythmic canter – something that is essential for a good jump. My trainer always says if you have a good canter and get your horse to the middle of the jump, you will always jump well.

I am hoping to be able to do some small jumping divisions at horse shows by the end of the summer or early fall with Monte. I think we are making great progress, and I promise to get a jumping video of us very soon!

Creating a successful equestrian-themed blog

I won’t pretend to know all the answers to this, but I do get asked this question quite often. I’ve attempted to put together some tips (mainly, stuff that’s worked for me) that can help you get your own blog up and running. Running a blog is time-consuming, and you will have to devote resources to it if you want to it gain some notoriety, but I guarantee the feeling you get when one of your posts is shared by a “big-namer” in this business is totally worth it.

Be original. There are so many blogs out there doing the same thing. Try finding a topic about which no one has written. There’s obviously a ton of equestrian fashion blogs, blogs about training and riding tips, etc. I’ve seen a few good ideas lately being thrown around on Twitter that I think should absolutely be explored (I’m not naming them because I don’t want to blow up anyone’s spot). Being original and having original content is a great and guaranteed way to pull readers into your blog. No one wants to read the same thing over and over again!

Don’t do it for the money. Monetizing a blog takes a ton of work, and it doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re blogging because you think it’s a get rich quick scheme, you are in the wrong business. Blog because you are passionate about writing and sharing a message. If you are doing what you love, money will eventually follow!

Make connections. I honestly have to say that some of the biggest reasons my blog has taken off are because I’ve been able to connect with well-known equestrian companies and well-known equestrians. It definitely did not hurt when Ogilvy shared my review(s) of their half pad (See a how-to on washing your pad here) or when I as able to do an interview with Hunter Holloway right after she placed second in one of the Big Eq Finals, and it was shared by USEF and Anne Kursinski. Although this also will not happen overnight, doing product reviews and making the company aware you’ve done them can be immensely helpful to your blog. Additionally, it is best to build up a reputation and a following before approaching a big name rider. By having that following, professionalism, and reputation, a big name rider will take you seriously and be more likely to say ‘yes’ to that coveted interview.

Be positive. If you are writing a post yet thinking “no one is going to read this,” let me break it to you: it’s likely no one will. Put the intention out there that you want the blog to be successful, and that you love what you are doing, and the Universe will follow suit. Ever hear of the law of attraction? If not, look it up! I think it is highly relevant to creating a successful anything, and I try to follow it myself every day.

Be professional. It’s hard not to get sucked into the online drama that is Eq Anon Island, and I have to confess that I’ve been sucked into it time and again. I’m also very opinionated and combative (I’m a lawyer – what do you expect?), but that isn’t always the best idea, especially if you are trying to create a successful blog and professional reputation. I’m not saying stand by when someone is being bullied or someone is being really out of line – but you don’t have to engage in every single argument about whether draw reins should be used on a horse or whether Tailored Sportsman copied Le Fash when they made their two-tone breeches. Some of the best advice I’ve ever received is to tone it down, especially when expressing my opinion (you guys know who you are!)

Be authentic. I think this one is the hardest. In an effort to be liked, we sometimes tend to go with the crowd and be someone we aren’t. I’m here to say don’t do that. Be you, but also remember that you are being watched and that companies don’t want to work with a jerk. I have had to learn the fine line between being authentic and being overly defensive/combative/opinionated. Readers want to know that you are being yourself, but at the same time, you don’t want to alienate them. When you are yourself, you’re bringing a fresh perspective to the equestrian blogging world – one that most likely hasn’t been broadcast before. That is immensely valuable, and something that only you can bring. Be proud of who you are, and don’t be tempted to be someone you’re not. People will respect you more for being real than for pretending you can always afford the latest fashions or that you only go to A rated shows.

Be able to take constructive criticism. This is another huge part of having a successful blog. Not everyone is going to like what you have to say. I’ve been criticized about some of my opinions and some of my posts. Just recently I was told my post about law school and the legal profession was harsh and doing the profession a great disservice. Instead of getting angry, I followed up with a comment to the person letting them know that I was merely stating my own experience, as well as that of the many other law graduates I know that haven’t been able to find jobs, and that I would be doing a post about the positives of law school very soon. It can be hard to hear someone say they don’t like what you’re doing, and sometimes people are overly harsh about it. However, there are those out there who really just want to provide tips on how you can improve your blog, and it’s important that you listen. What you do with that constructive criticism then is entirely up to you. This was a hard pill to swallow, especially for someone like me who thinks they are always right, but being told what can make your blog better is actually a positive. Don’t react in a negative way. Thank the person for their feedback, and see how it resonates with you. If you want to give their suggestion a try – go for it! If you don’t like it, you can always go back to how you used to do things. And, my favorite part of this, if you weren’t doing something right, you wouldn’t be getting hate. So, take comfort in the fact that your blog is popular enough to be getting criticism from others, especially if that criticism is anonymous.

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