Sweetbriar Equestrian Stables

12/16/2025

A new Equitation test has been added: riders may now be asked to demonstrate a two-point or half-seat at the walk or trot.

🔗 Learn more about new rule changes at ushja.org/knowbeforeyoushow.

12/14/2025

Us during the cold snap🫣🥴🥶

10.4K likes, 281 comments. “Anyone else freezing?”

12/07/2025

Tom wanted to help move some hay around before all the rain this weekend

12/06/2025

“They’re just children!”

No. They aren’t.

👉They are the future generation of adults.

👉They are the future generation of our sport.

They are the future caregivers of our beloved horses.

👉They are the future teachers of the following generation.

‼️Stop spoon feeding them.
🧡Make them figure it out on their own.
‼️Stop making excuses for them.
🧡Hold them accountable.
🧡Ask them to analyze their own mistakes and how to fix it the next time.
🧡Ask them why something happened instead of giving them the answer.
👉Make them carry their own saddle.
👉Make them pick up a pitch fork.
👉Make them work a weekly feed shift at the barn.
👉Make them pack their own show clothes.
👉Make them clean their own tack.
👉Make them prep their own horse.
👉Make them handle a colic, and then Go over what contributes to colic.
👉Make them rehab a horse, and teach them how that horse got injured, and how to prevent it.
👉Make them work with an auction horse.

✅Let them fail, so they learn humility, and how to regroup.

✅Teach them to have grit.

✅Teach them actions have consequences.

✅Teach them to own their mistakes. 

✅Teach them to overcome challenges instead of passing the buck.

✅Teach them how to respect the horse, and everyone that contributes to that horse’s welfare.

✅Teach them to do right by the horse.

✅Teach them how to make things last instead of throwing it away and buying new.

I know it sounds harsh, but if we do not start preparing the next generation of adults properly, we will not have a generation of adults; We will have a generation of spoiled, overgrown children who have to ask ChatGPT how to do everything instead of thinking for themselves.

It takes longer to have those conversations and takes more effort to be that kind of mentor, but I promise you, it’s worth it 🧡

12/05/2025

It’s all about the journey!

Winter has a way of sneaking up on a rider’s confidence. The daylight shrinks, the indoor suddenly feels so much smaller and horses get fresh. Goals that felt easy in July suddenly feel out of reach. It’s a season that can make even the most dedicated riders question where their progress has gone.

Mental skills coach Tonya Johnston believes winter isn’t a setback at all. In fact, she says winter can be one of the most productive periods of a rider’s year if they understand how to work with the season rather than fighting against it.

The first step, Tonya explains, is accepting that winter riding is fundamentally different from riding in the summer. “You have to acknowledge the season you’re in,” she says. “The expectations you had in July don’t apply in November.”

Cold temperatures tighten muscles. Indoor rings restrict pace and lines. Weather disrupts schedules. Horses may get less turnout and more enthusiasm. None of these factors reflect your ability or your horse’s willingness. They’re simply the conditions winter brings.

Tonya stresses that riders often lose confidence not because they’re performing poorly, but because they’re comparing winter rides to their best days outdoors. That comparison isn’t just unhelpful, it’s distorting.

“You’re usually doing better than you think you are,” she says. Winter magnifies riders’ negativity bias, making small imperfections feel like big problems.

Once riders accept winter for what it is, they can begin to shift their goals in a way that keeps confidence steady. “That same number of jumps, the same amount of space, the same intensity—it’s not going to happen right now,” Tonya says. “So don’t hold yourself to expectations that belong to another season.”

She encourages riders to set winter-appropriate goals like strengthening flatwork, improving transitions, refining rideability, or practicing straightness in smaller spaces. These goals still matter. They’re still meaningful. They just don’t rely on summer conditions.

Tonya also reminds riders that winter goals should feel achievable inside their current circumstances, not outside them. “It’s about meeting yourself where you are and where your horse is,” she says.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/12/04/how-to-build-confidence-through-winter-a-riders-guide-to-staying-steady-in-the-off-season/

11/12/2025

🤣🤣🤣

1269 likes, 20 comments. “How many days until spring? 😂”

11/07/2025

With temperatures preparing to plummet, now is the time to prepare to prevent colic. Make sure your horse is getting adequate hydration. Start giving electrolytes to your horse now to encourage them to drink as the temperature drops. Soaking feed and giving replenimash are also great ways to increase hydration. Horses will naturally decrease water consumption in cold weather which increases their risk of colic.
Getting an adequate amount of hay is also imperative. Hay consumption is essential for horses to stay warm. Hay fuels their heater! Horses should receive between 15-20 lbs of hay a day. Do not wait for your horse(s) to run out or clean up old hay before providing fresh round bales or flakes. Horses gorging themselves on good hay after they were previously out of hay increases their risk of colic significantly.

11/06/2025

Rule Change Reminder for December 1, 2025: Soundness: Trotting a circle at the end of a round to demonstrate soundness is now required for Equitation, Adult Amateur, Low Adult Amateur, Children’s Hunter, Low Children's Hunter, Low Children’s Hunter Pony, and USHJA Hunter Sections.

Judges may ask you to return to the ring to trot a circle if you forget or if they don't see enough of your trot!

11/04/2025

❤️

“Winning and losing are both temporary.” “It’s hard to get to the top and harder to stay there.” Being on a winning streak is the greatest high, and it makes the fall that much further. Find confidence in your successes and remind yourself that the slumps will pass. Consistency is about showing up every day not getting it perfect every day. The learning days pave the way for the big successes.

11/01/2025

10/30/2025

Let’s have some spooky fun!!!