By Robert Dover

Today, I get asked two questions all the time:

• “ How can I become successful and make my riding dreams come true when I do not have the money I need for horses, training, and competing?”

• “How can I get a sponsor?”

These are both legitimate questions, especially in a time when a great horse may cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. I always consider the person who asks me these questions and that rider’s ultimate goal, whether it is the Olympics or to be a good professional trainer in a specific area of the country. I explain the hard work, dedication, focus, humility, sense of humor, honesty, and grit required of anyone seeking to be excellent in any endeavor in life. I also emphasize the need to love and embrace the road being traveled—its highs and lows, successes and failures—in order to find true happiness along the way.

Finally, I tell it like it is, explaining that there are normally two reasons someone chooses to sponsor a rider: Either the sponsor has an emotional attachment to that person and wishes to help as a parent might help a child, or the sponsor is attracted to the prior and potential achievements of the rider and wants to become a part of that success story.

Read more: Three Ways to Find Your Way - An Excerpt from "The Gates to Brilliance"

By Chris Lombard

The dirt road to the farmhouse was dark and tangled. I turned on the dome light to look at the directions she had given me. The windows were down, letting in a cool breeze and the sound of car wheels over gravel. Like a flashlight in a cave the headlights lit the road and the walls of thick Maine woods to each side, and I watched the farm appear out of the darkness. I hoped the drive would be longer, just a bit more road. I wanted time. Maybe to think about what I wanted to say.

Maybe to just delay the inevitable.

As I walked up to the front door, I felt like I was going into the job interview of a lifetime.

“Did you find the place okay?” Allison asked as I stepped inside.

“Yes,” I said. I was nervous, that twist in my stomach like when we were on our first date. Her hair was down over her shoulders. Long, dark, with that slight curl at the bottom it sometimes had. Usually in the mornings. Perfectly spread over the pillow beside me.

She was house-sitting, taking care of the farm and its animals. She asked if I would like something to drink and then silently showed me around, going through the motions as if we were mere acquaintances. Neither one of us made the move to talk, letting the thickness in the air grow. And then, like she didn’t know what else to do, she said it was time to take care of the horses…I could come with her to the barn if I wanted.

Allison fed the two horses while I sneezed and rubbed my itchy, watering eyes. Hay fever. It hit the moment I even thought about going near a barn.

“Wow. Horses are big,” I said, nose all stuffed up.

“They are but they don’t know it,” she replied as she filled their water buckets.

I stood there, eyes feeling puffy and red. The horses were beautiful in their form; I couldn’t believe this was the first time in my life I had seen one up close. I suddenly felt foolish for not ever doing this before. I liked their sounds and motions while they ate. It made me feel good. They would grab a bite of hay and then raise their heads to look at me while they chewed, then grab another bite and raise their heads again to look at me, all very content in… their world.

Read more: In Their Eyes - Book Excerpt from Land of the Horses

As a credentialed member of the press, we’re happy we covered the 2021 Equine Affaire Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA on November 11th – 14th. Equine Affaire is North America’s premiere equine exposition and equestrian gathering . . . a unique celebration of the horse offering unparalleled education, entertainment, and shopping opportunities.

Here are some of our favorites from this exciting exposition and trade show. And check out the VIDEOS on our YouTube Channel!

See the PHOTO GALLERY Equine Affaire 2021

By Andrea Kutsch

The problem with most horsemanship instruction is that the reader can interpret the written word in many ways. In addition, every person who is involved with horses interprets horse behavior in a different way, according to the person’s own experiences. It is, therefore, very important that we agree on a “common denominator” and accept something that has been scientifically examined and proven: Horses fundamentally do not mean us any harm.

The equine nervous system processes signals that affect the horse incredibly quickly, especially on an emotional level. The human nervous system tends to act more on a strategic, planning level. Horses need to act quickly to ensure their survival. One wrong decision can have fatal consequences. When confronted with an external stimulus, horses have to decide whether to leave the situation—take flight—or to stay and wait to see what happens, focus, and attack if necessary. They have the option of driving away the stimulus or the person influencing their behavior.

Emotionally relevant external stimuli that have an effect on the horse have been scientifically proven to also have a major direct influence on the release of hormones controlled by the brain. These hormones then have a lasting impact on how the horse will behave in similar situations in the future.

Read more: Horses Can’t See Ghosts - an Excerpt from "From the Horse’s Point of View"

By Bob Velin

In the early-morning hours of October 10, 2019, the life of Errol Spence Jr., one of the boxing’s brightest pay-per-view stars and undefeated boxing champion changed in a flash.

Driving his $300,000 Ferrari 488 Spider at frighteningly high speeds on the streets of downtown Dallas, Texas, where he resided – he'd been drinking and wasn't wearing his seatbelt -- Spence, then 29, lost control of his car when he hit a median and was ejected through the windshield as the Ferrari cartwheeled multiple times and was totally destroyed. The entire crash was caught on tape by a nearby security camera.

Miraculously, Spence, nicknamed “The Truth,” not only survived but suffered no broken bones and only some facial cuts and the loss of a couple teeth. Just a few weeks removed from successfully defending his welterweight titles, the boxer quickly realized he had cheated death and lived to talk about it.

“I don’t know how or why I got saved, but thank God,” he later wrote on Instagram. “The thought of leaving my (three) little girls and them growing up without me still (messes) with me, but I’m triple blessed and must be here for a reason . . . My accident slowed me down and gave me a different perspective on (things) I was taking for granted.”

Armed with a new lease on life, Spence found that new perspective in a nearly 60-acre ranch he purchased in DeSoto, Texas, just south of Dallas.

“I was just trying to find answers, you know? I needed to go somewhere new and start over and get out of that dark cloud that was downtown,” he said in a recent interview, “and be in a better element, because I’m already like an introvert; I don’t like being around people that much anyway.

Read more: Champion Boxer Finds Peace and a Second Chance with Horses