We were so glad we attended the recent EQUINE AFFAIRE at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA, this past weekend.

Connecting with old friends, meeting new ones and finding all kinds of exciting new products and services kept us busy! As you can see from the photo gallery below, we were everywhere. It was beyond entertaining to be with so many like minded people who love horses and mingle with many of the foremost trainers, coaches, competitors, judges, and experts in the horse industry. There was real excitement in the air!

Do you like shopping? Whoa! It was a great experience, with a wealth of equine and equestrian products available in the largest horse-related trade shows in the nation.

Not only can you buy great equine products, but you can also actually buy a horse! Or, find the ideal stallion for your mare. Maybe you want recommendations about a good boarding or training facility. The Equine Affaire makes it all come together.

Read more: EIE at Equine Affaire 2022!

by HEIDI HATCH | KUTV

FIELDING, Utah (KUTV) — A horse has returned home after eight years of being lost and running with wild mustangs.

Shane Adams lost his horse, Mongo, while camping in Utah’s West Desert. Just this week, the two were reunited. Early on a spring morning, when there was still snow on the ground, Mongo made a run for it. The horse was tied up outside Adams' tent, but not tight enough. A herd of wild mustangs ran past the camp and Mongo took off with his newfound friends. Adams scrambled out of his tent in a state of half undress and tried to stop the horse, but he was too late.

Impossible or not, Adams was not about to give up on Mongo and traveled from his home in northern Utah to the West Desert every weekend for three years in search of his trusty friend. He bought everything he could think of to scope out and safely get Mongo back home.

Read more: Lost horse returns home after running with wild mustangs for 8 years in northern Utah

The death of Queen Elizabeth II, September 8, 2022, encouraged me to collectivize my thoughts on my life. Born in 1935, I was the son of a father who believed violence was the answer to raising a child. The CAT Scan and the MRI in 1981 revealed a massive number of fractures which were identified as happening prior to the age of puberty.

While there was much violence in my life, I was fortunate to grow up in the presence of horses. There was no question in my mind that I was to be a competition rider of these wonderful animals and I was further fortunate enough to win 11 world championships from their backs.

A grammar schoolteacher knew my father and encouraged me to stop blaming him and to simply go forward with the goals of my life in a non-violent fashion. Sister Agnes Patricia, a Notre Dame nun, encouraged me to get the best education possible. She suggested that my major should be ‘behavioral sciences’ for which I now have two doctorates.

At the age of four, I won my first competition and was contracted to become a stunt child because at that time three out of five movies included a horse and a child. I grew to love my horses and I struck a horse for the last time in 1949. It was at the insistence of my father but never to be a training method after that incident.

As a teenager my work included time with American Mustangs, and it was those fragile flight animals that I discovered they could communicate with me, and I could communicate with them. The horses, along with wild deer, trained me to use this language and refrain from any violence in the training process. These concepts established my goals for life.

In 1965 a wealthy individual who came to California from New York decided that I should move my equine work to the world of Thoroughbred racing. I had completed my first university work in PTSD for returning Korean veterans. My racehorses took up these principles and earned dozens of championships in that discipline.

My wife, Patricia (Pat) helped immensely to raise our family, accept foster children, and assisted me with the design and operation of the Thoroughbred farm for more than 50 years. It was on that farm that an open house caused two articles to be published in US magazines. These articles explored my work of training racehorses in the absence of violence.

It was divine intervention that caused these articles to end up on the desk of Queen Elizabeth II, whom, along with me, believed that horses could be trained in the absence of violence. I had already made inroads in South America and in 2005, my daughter and I visited Shelbyville, Tennessee which was the home of Tennessee Walking horse.

Marty Irby was the manager of a massive Tennessee Walking horse operation there. He saw my work and brought an end of his acceptance of violence in the world of the Tennessee Walking horse. Marty moved to Washington, D.C. to influence legislation removing the violence from these wonderful horses and broadened his spectrum to include all disciplines.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II read the two articles and dispatched horse manager, Sir John Miller, to travel to California and view the non-violent work, I was responsible for. Sir John came to us and saw my training with untrained Thoroughbreds to report back to Her Majesty. A date was set, and Pat and I were to travel.

When we arrived at Windsor Castle there were 23 untrained horses waiting for us in the fields immediately in front of the Queen’s windows. I was admonished not to go near the horses and, Pat and I were to go with Sir John Miller to his home near Oxford. All of this was on Saturday afternoon and training was to start on Monday morning.

Read more: Tribute To Queen Elizabeth II by Monty Roberts

We present this article as we remember the history of Queen Elizabeth II and her love of horses. This article was originally published on MontyRoberts.com and is published here with permission.

August 31, 2020: For only the second occasion in history that the British Crown has awarded certificates for influential equine protection work, this recognition follows the acknowledgment of eight horsemen and women the Queen recognized in 2012. The Royal Family had planned to recognize this additional group in-person at Buckingham Palace, but the gathering and in-person presentation were postponed to a later date due to world events surrounding COVID-19.

Monty Roberts, founder of Join-Up® International and world renowned horse trainer, enlisted his Legacy Strategist, daughter Debbie Roberts Loucks to assist him with naming a stellar group of individuals who have worked tirelessly to learn and carry on the gentle and effective concepts that Queen Elizabeth witnessed in 1989 when Roberts demonstrated Join-Up and the introduction of the first saddle and rider to a young filly owned by the Queen’s mother.

Recognizing the value of Join-Up, Queen Elizabeth encouraged Roberts to demonstrate and train more horsepersons in these methods, setting him on a life’s mission that continues today, ‘to leave the world a better place for horses and for people, too’.

The recipients are:

Andreas Jacobs

for his extraordinary efforts to reduce violence in the training of horses by adopting Monty Roberts’ concepts and initiatives

Ann Marie Marek

for her extraordinary efforts to assist veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress through Monty Roberts’ concepts and initiatives

Read more: Queen Elizabeth II Honors 17 Trainers and Animal Advocates for Their Efforts to Reduce Violence in...

Data from recent years indicates that more people than ever are playing video games these days. According to USA Today, about 227 million Americans were playing video games as of the middle of 2021. That’s about two-thirds of people in the U.S., with many seeking out games specifically for stress relief and escapism amidst the pandemic.

With that many people now involved in gaming, we’re betting that a lot of people from the equestrian world have made the leap as well –– and that many are likely seeking out games that tap into their horse-related interests. So, to support this fun little hobby, we thought we’d take a look at some of the best and most convenient horse-related video games you can play right at your computer.

My Riding Stables: Life With Horses

If you’re passionate about horse care in a broad sense, and you want a game through which you can simulate it, My Riding Stables: Life With Horses is the title for you. Available on major consoles now for a few years, the game can also be accessed via Steam online and played right in your browser window. And once you’re in, you’ll be tasked with running a stud farm –– raising horses, training them to ride, and setting up a sort of stables-slash-school. Plus, as a review at Go Nintendo points out, there are some extras enjoy –– like horse races and mini games (such as hoof cleaning and massage).

Read more: The Best Horse-Related Games To Play On Your Computer