♣Ambitious♣

If there's anything that my generation gets mocked for, it's our relationship with social media. We use it too much, we're addicted, it's unhealthy, we can't operate without it, and so on. Yet, many of the major complaints don't recognize the wealth of knowledge and interpersonal relationships that come with an online presence. Let's face it: social media and its subsidiaries are a double edged sword. This topic has plagued me for a while, but when Jill Treece posted a comeback video to her YouTube channel, it felt like an appropriate time to start a conversation. why i left youtube by Jill Treece You may know Jill Treece from running over Boyd Martin that one time . . . or you may be following her recent foray into clicker training her Thoroughbred mare Zoë. Jill and I are about the same age and began our online platforms at around the same time. She started an Instagram account for her old horse to document their adventures in Eventing. From there...

Last summer, I came across a short press release about the Gay Polo League, an organization that uses the sport of polo as a means to promote inclusion and support for those in the LGBT+ community. The League’s established team of polo players leverage their visibility in the name of acceptance. I was instantly intrigued, and when the stars aligned, I reached out to GPL's founder, Chip McKenney, for an interview. It actually took another two articles before I decided to jump on this topic. In September, The Plaid Horse published Making the Horse World a Safe Space for LGBTQ Equestrians where Jess Clawson elaborates on their experience being queer in the sport. Not too soon after, I had the pleasure of reading L Williams' article Dear USEF: You Have a Representation Problem . I've griped about representation previously, but this was my first time seeing the topic discussed on such a popular platform. Both articles gave me a sense of pride, but, more importantly, th...

If anyone ever tells you that Instagram isn’t useful, please allow me to smack them silly. It was through the social site that I came to know of Katie and her lovely Lusitano gelding, Babaloo. It was nice to come across someone else who was as fond of classical Dressage as I am, and it was through her that I learned about positive reinforcement. She's been a huge inspiration for me, and it was exciting to talk to her about her experience. Katie started riding in the 5th grade at a lower end, backyard barn with a hunter/jumper trainer. She then moved to a saddleseat barn where she competed at small tournaments, but she wasn’t super interested in competition. When she finally started looking for a horse, things remained complicated. She said that she had high expectations for her price range, but the reality was disappointing, even with Babaloo, who she affectionately calls Bubs. She says he was as good as it would get. The struggle didn’t end there, either. Bubs came with ...

When I went to WIHS with the Eq Team back in whatever month, I saw Callan Solem for the first time in the President's Cup. Immediately, I was impressed by her style. She pulled two clear rounds, and was sooo close to the win, but the Smolder got it at the last minute. It goes without saying that she is one of my favorites, and I may or may not have cried (hint: I cried) when she agreed to do an interview. Callan began riding after doing one of those horseback riding things on the beach while on vacation. Her mother rode as a kid and while in college. At some point, the group split into two: one for riders who would be able to canter and one for the less experienced. When her mother went with the more experienced group, young Callan was "grossly offended", as any child would have been. She began taking lessons soon after, and she hasn't stopped riding since. Callan said that she wanted to be a professional rider as long as she can remember. As soon as she unders...