Classic Eventing Nation

FEI Tribunal Update: 20-Month Ban Given to Andrew McConnon in Viral Horse Abuse Case

By on Nov 26, 2025 11:50 am -

Andrew McConnon and Wakita 54. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

After a protracted tribunal, North Carolina-based eventer Andrew McConnon has been given a 20-month suspension by the FEI for horse abuse. The suspension is backdated to the start of the provisional suspension McConnon received on January 8, 2025, and will as such finish on September 8, 2026.

The suspension means that McConnon is “banned from taking part in any competition or event, or in any related activity under the jurisdiction of the FEI or any National Federation [and] also prohibited from training any FEI/NF registered athletes and/or FEI/NF registered horses,” per a statement released by the FEI this morning.

He has also been fined 2,500 Swiss francs (approximately $3093).

The tribunal reached its decision on Monday, November 24, and found McConnon “to have engaged in abuse of horse as well as in a conduct that has brought the FEI and equestrian sport into disrepute thereby violating Article 142.1 (Abuse of Horse) in conjunction with Article 164.11 (Offences) of the FEI General Regulations. McConnon was further found to have breached the FEI Code of Conduct on the Welfare of the Horse by those same actions.”

The FEI’s full reasoned decision will be published soon; in the meantime, McConnon has 21 days to lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, if he chooses. We’ll bring you further updates as soon as we have them. You can catch up on all the information and reporting about the opening of the case and the timeline of events here.

Wednesday News & Notes

By on Nov 26, 2025 9:15 am -

In need of some bargain bits and pieces for your tack room? Want to own a piece of eventing history? Then the Fox-Pitt Eventing tack sale might just be your shopping trip of a lifetime, if you can make your way to Dorset on the 7th of December. We can’t promise what they’ll have up for grabs but we reckon very, very long stirrup leathers might be in abundance, if that’s the sort of thing you need.

U.S. Events This Weekend

Pine Top Thanksgiving H.T. (GA): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

News & Reading

Equine herpesvirus isn’t something to mess around with. With recent outbreaks in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma dominating the equine news cycle, it’s a salient reminder that we all owe it to our horses and our equestrian community to know how to best prevent it and how to spot symptoms so we can mobilise quickly. Take five and read this primer, and you’ll be in the know and ready to go. 

Speaking of equestrian communities, is there any family better – okay, or weirder – than your barn family? We’re all familiar with the idea of blood family and chosen family, but barn families are a different, third thing – we choose the place, and often a couple of the people, like the trainers we work with, but for the most part, it’s luck of the draw who you share the space with. Which, of course, can lead to a huge variety of personalities and opinions and no shortage of interpersonal chaos. But even if you keep your horses at home, you’ve got a village around you – and this piece from Sarah K. Susa is a celebration of all the people we keep in our orbit who help us through the self-inflicted madness of having horses.

Last week in the UK, the annual World Horse Welfare conference covered some serious, and much needed, ground. One of the speakers on the day was none other than Pippa Funnell, whose philosophy has always been, at its heart, to be friends with her horses. She spoke at length about many of her early horses and the lessons she learned from them that she still brings to her horses today. Check out the highlights here if you, like us, are forever fangirls of Queen P.

Video Break:

Get to grips with some winter training with the internet’s favourite eventer, Simon Grieve:

Champions Return to Pattaya: Anticipation Builds for the FEI Eventing Asian Championship

By on Nov 25, 2025 2:07 pm -

Korntawat Samran of Thailand and B.Grimm Billy Elmy during the FEI Eventing Nations Cup in Montelibretti. Photo by Massimo Argenziano for the FEI.

Excitement is mounting as Asia’s top eventing athletes prepare to return to Thailand for the FEI Eventing Asian Championship 2025, which takes place from 30 November – 3 December. With three national teams – Hong Kong, India and Thailand – and 17 individual athletes confirmed across a total of five nations, this year’s Championship promises world-class sport, a vibrant spectator atmosphere, and a showcase of the sport’s rapid development across the continent.

The Thai Polo Club – an expansive 250-hectare equestrian haven on the outskirts of Pattaya – once again provides the stage. Designed by polo visionaries Harald Link and Mrs. Nunthinee Tanner, the venue features state-of-the-art arenas, permanent cross-country and endurance courses, and horse-centric facilities unique to the region.

“This venue has always been special,” says Hong Kong athlete Annie Ho, who will compete in both eventing and dressage in Pattaya. “I actually won the inaugural Asian Eventing Championships in 2013 here. The facilities were impressive then, but they’ve raised the bar even further.”

This hybrid-format competition begins on 30 November with the first horse inspection followed by arena familiarisation. Monday 1 December will see athletes perform the CCI3*-B Dressage test, showcasing the precision and harmony expected at the level. The action continues on 2 December with the CCI2*-L cross-country test across the venue’s permanently maintained course, before the event concludes on Wednesday 3 December with the second horse inspection, the CCI3* jumping test, and the team and individual medal ceremonies.

Among this year’s top contenders is China’s Alex Hua Tian, who will be competing in Pattaya with his 4* horse, Manjushri. Hua Tian, who qualified for the Beijing Olympics at just 18 years old, has made a notable impact on the eventing world ever since.

“Alex is definitely one to beat,” says Ho. “A couple of the Thai riders have also had excellent seasons in Europe, so it’s shaping up to be a very competitive championship.”

For Ho herself, expectations are high as she partners with Evita AP, owned by British Olympian Sarah Bullimore. Based in Hampshire, UK, where she trains with Team GB athlete Piggy March, Ho reflects on what makes representing Hong Kong so meaningful. “It’s always a privilege to represent your country at a championship. Even though ours aren’t on the same scale as the Europeans, the team atmosphere is absolutely incredible. It’s one of the reasons I keep going. It motivates me to ride at these amazing venues and be part of something bigger.”

The host country has named five athletes for the eventing competition. Three of them, Weerapat Pitakanonda, Korntawat Samran and Preecha Khunjan, were part of the gold medal winning team at the FEI Asian Championship in 2019, where Korntawat Samran also won individual bronze.

There are a number of rising stars competing, including 20-year-old Shashank Kanumuri from India who took over the ride on Wellfields Casino Royale from John Tilley this season. This combination has an excellent cross-country record to date so should be ones to watch.

Hong Kong’s Owen Wong is just 21 years old but has already made his mark on the Eventing world. He will compete Harthill Phantom, previously campaigned by Dutchman Andrew Heffernan to 5* level, so a good performance is expected. Meanwhile Qatar, an emerging eventing nation, will send two individual athletes this year: Mohammed Jabor H R Al Naimi and Mohammed Salem M L Al Marri, who both started their careers in the sport of jumping.

Eventing’s growth across Asia is unmistakable, Ho explains. “Japan has traditionally dominated, but we’re seeing real depth emerging from Thailand, China, and even us in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s youth programme has been hugely successful in bringing through the next generation. And at the China National Games last week, there were seven teams competing – that’s a big sign of progress.”

As always, horse welfare is central to championship operations. The event will host 15 FEI-accredited veterinarians from a range of nations, with the Veterinary Commission led by Dr. Emily Sandler-Burtness (USA), an experienced official at multiple FEI Championships and Games. The Thai Polo Club’s permanent veterinary facilities – overseen by a leading Argentinian equine specialist and supported by international and local farriers, trainers, and stable staff – ensure exceptional care throughout the competition.

With nearly 40 million tourists visiting Thailand each year and more than 24 million travelling specifically to Pattaya in 2024, the Championships – which showcase multiple equestrian disciples – are poised to attract a lively international audience. During the 2019 edition at the same venue, spectators from around the world filled the stands, creating an electric atmosphere that is expected to return in full force.

Fans unable to attend will have access to complete live and on-demand coverage via FEI TV/ClipMyHorse.

As anticipation builds, teams, athletes, and supporters alike look forward to a thrilling celebration of courage, precision, and partnership between horse and athlete. The FEI Eventing Asian Championship 2025 is set to deliver a compelling showcase of sport, national pride, and the future of eventing across Asia.

Tuesday News & Notes from Kentucky Performance Products

By on Nov 25, 2025 10:16 am -

 

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A post shared by Laura Collett MBE (@laura_collett)

It feels like this has been an autumn full of poignant goodbyes to some of the former greats of the sport, and today, we’re sad to share the news that Laura Collett’s Rayef has been laid to rest at the age of 26. Before there was Laura the European Champion, Olympic gold medallist, and multi-five-star winner, there was Laura the Junior rider: after a successful Pony career aboard Noble Springbok, she was able to sell her pony for enough to create a career-starting nest egg, and one of the first purchases she made was that of the young and inexperienced Rayef, who she found in the pages of a horse sales magazine. She produced him from BE100 (US Training level) through to her Badminton debut in 2011, where they finished 11th, and along the way, they won double gold at both the Junior Europeans and the Young Rider Europeans. The pair were selected for the 2011 European Championships and were alternates for the London Olympics, when Laura had barely aged out of Young Riders, and so to say that Rayef has been a fundamental building block in the story of one of our generation’s greatest riders is no exaggeration. Fly high, Rayef – may we all get the chance to have a horse so transformative enter our lives.

U.S Events Opening Entries Today:

Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks

News & Reading:

Is improving your horse’s topline one of your off-season projects? It’s not a bad one to have: this is a slow, but rewarding, process that has to be done properly, and the yawning months of the winter are a great time to get back to basics and work on those foundations with the help of nutritional changes and groundwork exercises. This primer, from the UK’s Your Horse magazine, covers all the essentials and provides you with some handy starting points for that in-hand work you’ll be mastering. Goodbye, noodle neck!

We all know that volunteers are the lifeblood of our weird, expensive, impractical sport – but that goes so much deeper than the odd day of fence-judging for some of these warriors. Like, for example, Crystal Santos, who is Area I’s Volunteer Coordinator, and makes sure that her troops are ready for action and placed in roles that allow them to flourish. Oh, and she’s often squeezing in her own competitive rounds around all this, too! Meet the northeast’s resident Wonder Woman in this piece.

It’s hardly glamorous, but knowing how to keep your horse’s turnout blankets waterproof is a seriously good trick to have in your arsenal, and could save you a whole bunch of money. Here’s how it’s done, how to check your horse’s current wardrobe, and how to ensure you maintain those garms for as long as possible, without hefty bills from the rug-wash lady.

Sponsor Corner: Kentucky Performance Products

25-ENHN SM_11

Switching from pasture to hay too quickly can lead to disruptions in the microbiome, which can result in GAS COLIC. Slowly making the transition from pasture to hay allows the microbiome to adapt without disrupting the delicate balance.

View and download a handy infographic from Kentucky Performance Products on how to reduce your horse’s seasonal stress by slowly switching from pasture grass to hay here.

Video Break:

Oh, go on then, let’s have a little winter warmer in the form of Jonathan Bailey telling us about his favourite co-star, Jack. A little treat, because we like you.

Oliver Barrett Takes Sydney CCI4*-L Victory on Homebred Hero

By on Nov 24, 2025 5:05 pm -

Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar. Photo courtesy of the Sydney 3DE.

The final day of the Limitless Lodge Sydney International Three-Day Event in Australia saw Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture, the two-phase leaders, surrender their spot at the top of the leaderboard after a shock three rails, opening the door for 21-year-old Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar to move up from runner-up position into first place — the talented young rider’s first victory at this level.

Oliver and his nine-year-old homebred delivered one of just three clear rounds in this influential final phase, and even the 1.2 time penalties they picked up along the way kept them a healthy margin ahead of Sophia Hill and Tulara Baltango, who also jumped clear to step up from third to second place. Sam Jeffree and Wimborne Conjuror delivered the only other clear of the day to take fourth place, ahead of Oliver and his other ride, Sandhills Gem, the best-placed mare of the competition.

Oliver’s successes didn’t just come in the feature CCI4*-L class: he also finished second in the 4CYTE CCI3*-L with Tempranado, truly marking him as a Southern Hemisphere star on the rise.

“I couldn’t be prouder of all three horses this weekend. Briar was super in all three phases, he’s such a cool horse to ride and a real thrill to be able to win,” says Oliver. “Gem was also super and it’s an honour to be awarded with the Holstein Park Leilani Trophy [for the best mare of the competition]. Thank you to Jean and Jade Findlay for their continued support of eventing and this award.”

Tempranado showed her potential for the future this weekend as well finishing on her dressage score. Bred by Alan Skinner, she has the pedigree to be a great horse with her Dam Tempranillo competing at 5 Star with Chris Burton and her Sire Diarado being one of the world’s leading eventing stallions. She hopefully is one to watch in the future.”

Just eight of the thirteen starters in the CCI4*-L completed the class, while over in the CCI3*-L, the Thoroughbred reigned supreme. The final top ten featured seven full Thoroughbreds, led by Hannah Deegan and HK Hawthorn, who held the lead from pillar to post and added just one rail to their first-phase score.

Ophelie van Prinseveld and Lamosa Velisha took the win in the Bates Saddles-sponsored CCI2*-L, while Olympian Megan Jones had a long drive from South Australia, but made it well worthwhile with a second place finish aboard Cadello MPH.

The CCI4*-S, sponsored by Agnes Banks Equine Clinic, went the way of Sam Woods and SS Eight Count, who added just 4.8 time penalties across the country to their first-phase score, and the CCI3*-S, sponsored by Rose-Hip Vital, was scooped by Emma Mason and Warrego Marco Polo, who were the only pair to finish on their dressage score.

The week’s trophy winners are as follows:

Robert Slade Memorial Trophy – Presented to the Winner of CCI4*-L Event

Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar

Holstein Park Leilani Trophy– Presented to Highest placed mare in CCI4*L

Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Gem

Rod Winchester Trophy – For Best and Fairest Young Rider

Charlie Richardson

Rachel Watts Award for Excellence

Geoff Spears

Best Dressed at Agnes Banks Equine Centre Trot-Up

Sam Jeffree

Maddie Cooper

Kohnke’s Own 2025 Young Event Horse Championship

95cm – VH Royale ridden by Blair Richardson

1* -5/6yo Bellhaven Chatterbox ridden by Kadi Eycamp

2*- 6/7yo Cracker Night ridden by Zachery Thorne

3*-7/8yo Oaks Quasimoto ridden by Judy Clarke

Best Performed Thoroughbred in the CCI4*-L

Bold Venture ridden by Shenae Lowings

Best Performed Thoroughbred in the CIC3*-L

HK Hawthorn ridden by Hannah Deegan

Equestrian NSW GRASSROOTS CHAMPION 65CM

Amelie Scott and Leonardo Ricciardo

Equestrian NSW GRASSROOTS CHAMPION 80CM

Shive Weidemann and Sandhills Shiver

Equestrian NSW GRASSROOTS CHAMPION 95CM

Sharna Dolbey and Hillwood Park Thorlindah Hyacinth

Equestrian NSW GRASSROOTS CHAMPION 1 STAR

Keira McNally and Yoicks Vegas

Equestrian NSW GRASSROOTS TEAM CHAMPIONS 2024

“Young and Eventful”

Tanisha Donnelly -Dom Perignon MVH

Annabelle Hwang – Squidward

Dane Schwartz – Chuppa Chup

Ruby Huggett – Fairfield Double Delight

Grooms Award presented by Horseland

Holly Brimblecombe (groom of Bloomfield Findon)

The full results can be viewed here,.

FEI World Championships Eventing Officials Designated

By on Nov 24, 2025 9:00 am -

Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley compete at Aachen, the site of the 2026 FEI World Championships. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We have our Ground Jury for this year’s FEI Eventing World Championship, set to be held at Aachen August 13-16 during the first few days of the two-week competition. We already knew our course designer would be Italy’s Giuseppe della Chiesa, who designed Aachen’s 4*-S course in 2025 and also designed the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni del Vivaro.

The following FEI officials have been designated to work these World Championships:

Ground Jury President: Anne-Mette Binder (DEN)
Ground Jury Member: Peter Gray (CAN)
Ground Jury Member: Joanne Jarden (IRL)

Technical Delegate: Phillip Surl (GER)

Chief Steward: Caroline Farwick (GER)

You’ll be able to view more information on the World Championships here as we get closer to the event. Qualifications opened on January 1, 2025 and will go through the close of nominated entries in July of 2026. Stay tuned for much more coming your way as the year begins and we look ahead in earnest to our next major Championship!

Monday News & Notes

By on Nov 24, 2025 12:01 am -

Which 5* winner do we have kicking off our Monday news today? You won’t have to look too far to take a guess — it’s none other than Maryland 5 Star champion Austin O’Connor! Did you guess right? Click here for the latest edition and test your recognition skills.

U.S. Event Results

SAzEA Fall H.T. (AZ): [Website] [Scores]

Major International Events

Sydney International Three-Day Event CCI4*-L (Australia): [Website] [Scores] [Live Replays]

News & Reading

The FEI Eventing Nations Cup will have a refreshed format in 2026 as the FEI aims to encourage more nations to compete and to vie for the title at the season ending finale held at Military Boekelo in October. The Nations Cup will once more be hosted in the UK and Europe next year, and the teams will start from a clean slate with double points at the Final. In previous years, the Nations Cup champion was often decided in advance of the final due to points accumulation, and while points will still accrue from each leg, the Final now becomes anyone’s game. Additionally and as always, the top nation not already qualified for the next Olympics via another route (i.e. the FEI World Championships, where the top seven nations less the host nation — in this case, the U.S. for the LA28 Olympics — will earn a berth to the Games) will earn its team spot for the Olympics. You can read more on the changes to the Nations Cup format here.

TerraNova closed out the year in a big way for the start of the 2026 US Equestrian Open of Eventing series. The CCI4*-S served as a qualifier for the 2026 Final, and it was the final chance to earn some points toward that $50,000 leaderboard bonus (split among the eventual top three points earners at the end of the season). Read a full recap on that final qualifier here.

Are you participating in No Stirrup November? This concept, originating from a desire to get stronger in the saddle, has gone through several iterations over the years, and it’s important to remember that your horse’s back should not pay the price for your no stirrup practice. If you want some tips for getting stronger this month, here’s a place to start.

Video Break

Will Coleman’s Off the Record enjoying his holiday time:

Sunday Links

By on Nov 23, 2025 12:01 am -

It’s safari season once more for many a horse person, and European Champion Laura Collett is one rider who loves to take a proper holiday to Africa for some wildlife immersion on horseback. We’re living vicariously (and still waiting for an EN invite on one of these amazing adventures)!

U.S. Events This Weekend

SAzEA Fall H.T. (AZ): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

Sydney International Three-Day Event CCI4*-L (Australia): [Website] [Start Lists & Schedule] [Scores] [Live Stream & Replays]

Links & Reading

Get Ready for the 2026 ECP Symposium at Malvern House Farm on January 13-15

‘Particularly Aggressive’ EHV-1 Outbreak Ripples Through Horse World

Chelsea Canedy’s Devotion to Horses Evolved into a Journey of Resilience and Self-Discovery

British Eventing’s 2025 Grassroots league winners announced

Video Break

Another weekend throwback, this time from Gatcombe International in 1988 and the cross country run of one Sir Mark Todd and the great Charisma:

Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands

By on Nov 22, 2025 12:01 am -

Take a walk down memory lane with some famous faces who have graced the grounds of Kentucky Horse Park for the Kentucky Three-Day Event! Which horse and rider combinations do you recognize? Were you there for any of these rounds?

If you want to be there for the next round of memories, tickets are on sale now at Early Bird discount pricing through December 11! After that, prices will increase periodically. You’ll definitely want to buy any reserved seats or VIP/hospitality experiences early, as those are the first to reach capacity. Click here for more information. The 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event will take place April 23-26.

U.S. Events This Weekend

SAzEA Fall H.T. (AZ): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]

Major International Events

Sydney International Three-Day Event CCI4*-L (Australia): [Website] [Start Lists & Schedule] [Scores] [Live Stream & Replays]

Links & Reading

Season 1 of The Go Eventing Podcast is in the books, and we’d love your help shaping Season 2! Click here to take a quick listener survey. We’d appreciate it!

Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture Won Dressage in CCI4*-L at Sydney

The 2025 USEA Classic Series Wraps Up at a Wet and Wild Ram Tap

Karin Donckers: The Passion Behind Three Decades at the Top

Sponsor Corner: World Equestrian Brands

Have you joined the World Equestrian Brands VIP list yet? If you haven’t, you’ll want to as signing up will give you first access to Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals starting today! It’s 100% free to join the list, and you can do so here.

Video Break

A fun throwback: show jumping from the Team Final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0cMkgFXn9E

Introducing Finding Purpose: A Memoir by Chelsea Canedy

By on Nov 21, 2025 9:00 am -

Photo courtesy of Chelsea Canedy.

What does it really mean to build a life around horses? Not just a career, not just a hobby, but a life—one that’s messy, beautiful, and at times, unraveling under the weight of its own intensity.

In Finding Purpose: A Life Managing the Passion, Compulsion, and Borderline Addiction Called “Horses”, debut author, clinician, and trainer Chelsea Canedy shares a deeply personal story of the journey that brought her to horses—and kept her there. With unflinching honesty and hard-won clarity, she invites readers into the quiet, often uncomfortable process of self-discovery that underpins a high-level equestrian career. Through detours in social work, battles with burnout, and the pressure of performance, Chelsea returns—again and again—to the grounding force of the horse.

More than a memoir, Finding Purpose is a meditation on how we learn, evolve, and show up for the things that matter most. Drawing from her background in psychology, her years of mindfulness practice, and her extensive work in equine behavior and training, Chelsea bridges the personal with the universal. This is a book for equestrians, yes—but also for anyone navigating the balance between passion and peace.

As Caroline Culbertson puts it, “Finding Purpose is an unflinchingly honest look back at the making of a spectacular horsewoman… Through Chelsea’s story, the reader will be gifted with the lessons and perspective of a hard-won mindset of growth, embracing discomfort, and finding peace in the journey of purpose and identity.”

We’re honored to share the following exclusive excerpt from Finding Purpose, available now from Trafalgar Square Books!

By that point I had a long-running internal story that told me I was always being held back because I could never afford a nice enough horse to be truly competitive. And from time to time, in moments like the one with the O’Connors’ trainer, this narrative reared its ugly head. I was sure that if I had only been given the same opportunities other young riders who had moved up the ranks had, I would have
“made it” already. Now, I began telling myself, I was simply too old to be singled out in such a way. For me, I was sure, the opportunity was gone. The whole situation with this clinician choosing a younger Pony Club member over me served to solidify my belief that I was on the “outside”—I was never going to make it and never going to be good enough.

In the grips of that story, I could not find a way to be happy for anyone who received the opportunities that I so deeply wanted. I was in a vicious cycle of jealousy, isolation, and false bravado, leading nowhere useful. I could only feel sorry for myself. The chip on my shoulder grew along with my neediness, and I’m sure it was palpable from the outside. Today, I can definitely sense it in others within whom I recognize my old tendencies. It is not an attractive quality. And it does not make you want to go out of your way to help or befriend that person.

I look back now, and I can see so many missed opportunities, like the opportunity to learn from and connect with other human beings in a genuine way, and the opportunity to truly appreciate what horses do for people and how our love for them connects us. I was so desperate to be part of some imagined elite club whose approval I was sure would mean I was “good enough” and that I would “make it” that I wasn’t open to other possibilities or directions. I thought that riding at the Olympic level was the only end game that meant anything because it would prove that I was better than all the other
riders who never reached that level. But instead of honing the skills I had and feeling grateful for the horses I could ride, I spent all my time thinking about the things I didn’t have. I lived in a state of lack. A scarcity mindset. I thought that working harder and pushing through would improve the situation I perceived to be so poor, but all it did was lead to burnout. I was exhausted and frustrated and couldn’t see the gift that was the horses who were right in front of me. I could not see the opportunity these “imperfect” beings afforded me to learn and understand others in different ways. As a rider, and as a human, I wasn’t ready for that lesson yet. I had to sink lower, hit my rock bottom, before I could figure out a new way to be with myself, with other people, and perhaps most importantly, with horses.

I was in my early twenties when my life and my negative mindset started to feel unsustainable as it was. There was no joy. All I did was drive relentlessly toward a seemingly unattainable goal—one that I
had voiced out loud to so many people in my life that turning back from it felt like it would be just another failure, like my recent divorce. I didn’t know what to do or which way to turn. All I knew was that I was unhappy in my life with horses, and for so long, horses had been my saving grace and place of peace.

Sometimes, when the path you are on feels like a one-way ride, you can’t even imagine that other paths might exist. So you soldier on, with blinders in place, and you wonder what the point of each day’s struggle toward a goal is when you’re never going to be good enough to reach it.

Looking back, it’s tempting to see that chunk of my twenties as a waste of time and energy, and to kick myself for all the missed opportunities and for what I can see was a lot of wallowing in self-pity. But that period was part of my path. We all have hills and valleys we need to walk over and through. It’s cliche, I know, but they are what shape us. They apply the necessary pressure to create change. Without discomfort from a struggle up or a fall down, there’s no real impetus to step in a different direction.

I think there are four quadrants that people and horses fit into when it comes to relating to pressure and change: The first people and horses have a high tolerance for discomfort and resist change, even though another choice or path might make them happier. They might be called “stubborn” or “close-minded.” I fell into this quadrant.

The next people and horses have almost no tolerance for discomfort, and yet they still resist change. They, however, do so out of fear of what might happen when they try something new. They get stuck easily, but they don’t seek another path, so anxiety and frustration grow as they circle the same endless drain.

Then there are those people and horses with a low tolerance for discomfort and a high desire for change. They look for the path of least resistance. They may end up taking a path that’s easier because it feels safe and non-threatening, but they may never realize their full potential because they are too afraid to fail.

Lastly, there are those with a high tolerance for discomfort and a high desire for change. They don’t mind a bit of pressure. They know that all good things come with some discomfort,
but they don’t fight growth. They seek it. They want to understand things in different ways, even when it feels like a harder path than the other options in front of them. They know what lies at the other end might just be worth it.