Horse Creek

08/11/2026

08/10/2026

Have FUN! You have nothing to prove !

Maybe we’ve spent enough time letting the horse world tell us what a “real” equestrian looks like.

That she’s thin.
That she has the expensive breeches and the matchy outfit.
That she’s always moving up a level.
That the jumps keep getting higher.
That success comes with a ribbon attached to it.

But what if none of that is actually the point?

What if it’s about riding the horse you love. Wearing what makes you feel good.
Going at your own pace.
Taking up space in the ring - exactly as you are.

You don’t have to look a certain way or accomplish a certain thing to belong here.

Hey horse girl, enough. You have nothing to prove. 🖤

08/10/2026

Big thanks to our 4H advisors who generously gave of their time, knowledge, and encouragement to work with our girls.

08/10/2026

Arri and Baby Duke went to the Gallia County Fair! These 2 are quite a team! No one knows what Baby Duke endured before he ended up in a kill pen starved and lame, but whatever it was he doesn’t trust people easily. Arri has patiently worked to build a bond with this guy, demonstrating so much kindness and tenacity. She also worked diligently with Shadow, the big Walker in my barn. His size alone is enough to intimidate many adults, but Arri bravely led and rode him, showing him so much love. Some sort of rules we didn’t understand had us spend the last few days switching Baby Duke to a different bit, working on neck reigning, and being entered in the show events on Tuesday and deciding not to take Shadow because Arri wouldn’t be eligible for division awards if she rode him for the show events. Then on Monday night we were told Baby Duke could do the speed events after all so we had a quick practice in his ring snaffle to remind him of what they were previously working on, and Arri and Duke got to do barrels, poles, and the other speed events. And guess what? They had so much fun! Arri displayed true skill in how she handled and supported Baby Duke through the events which were all new to them except barrels and poles. I am so proud of both of them! I am proud of Arri for making the most of a situation we did not understand that put her at a disadvantage due to the time we spent working with Shadow that could have been concentrated on practicing more with Duke had we known earlier that Shadow wasn’t going. Arri tried new things and excelled! Winning is great, but getting a scared little horse to trust you enough to try all those new things too is absolutely amazing!

08/10/2026

Ivy and Natty went to the Gallia County Fair ! They did a rail class (she calls it the game) and a trail class as well as showmanship. I am so proud of Ivy for not losing control of Natty at all during a rail class even when others did. Ivy was the only rider to open and close the gate in her trail class. Nog only had she never attempted the gate before, she had never even seen it done! If you saw her big smile after winning 4th in trail, you would have thought she had won a million dollars! My cranky old mare, Natty, prefers to have everything her way but learned she was no match for this tiny novice rider and her “large and in charge” attitude!