Innholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2025 i Young Rider

Hold your horses! This DIY doormat will be at the top of your summer to-do list. It is the perfect outdoor project that will brighten up any doorstep. Choose a unique horsey design and get painting to create your very own welcoming masterpiece. MATERIALS ◆ Coir doormat◆ Acrylic paint◆ Printed stencil or template◆ Tape (painters or duct)◆ Paint brushes◆ Spray rubber sealant coating◆ Craft foam (optional) STENCIL & PAINT ◆ Step 1: Choose your design and print it out. Then cut out the center so you have your very own stencil/template. You can choose one large design or a shape that you repeat all over your mat. ◆ Step 2: Tape your template to your doormat to keep it in place while you paint. ◆ Step 3: Using a paint…

Finding that perfect outfit for the show ring can be a challenge. For Mo Purdie, finding show clothes was even more difficult. She started riding at age 12, and as a teen, grew to 6 feet tall. “Finding show clothes has always been a struggle for me,” she says. Mo shows western pleasure and quickly discovered how important the right outfit was to her confidence and success. “I had an amazing outfit handed down to me, and I started doing so much better because I felt so much better in the show ring,” she explains. “No kid should lack the confidence to step into the show ring because of what they’re wearing.” STARTING NILA’S CLOSET Since kids and teens grow so fast, finding and repeatedly buying show clothes can get…

Serpentines are a fantastic, easily modified exercise that combine turns and straight lines. While riding serpentines, you are working on your horse’s suppleness, responsiveness to the aids, and straightness while at the same time improving your turning aids and overall accuracy. HOW TO SERPENTINE The most common type of serpentine is the three-loop serpentine. If you have access to ground poles, place two of them lengthwise on the centerline of your arena, equally spaced apart. Usually one-third of the way down the centerline and two-thirds of the way down the centerline works great. (See diagram below.) Your serpentine officially starts in the center of the short side of your arena. You can track right or left to begin, but for the purposes of this description, we start tracking left. Your…

nestled in the woods on a horse farm in Bloxom, Va., a herd of 28 domesticated Chincoteague Ponies, many of them Misty descendants, live at Kerkaken Acres, home of the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team. The eight-member equestrian troupe promotes the beloved pony breed made famous in Marguerite Henry’s book Misty of Chincoteague. In 2025, the team will appear in more than two dozen events, ranging from horse shows and parades to the opening ceremony of the Chincoteague Pony foal auction on July 31, 2025, during the 100th annual Pony Penning Week. Also in July, the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team will trot to the music at BreyerFest in Lexington, Ky.—the exact location where the seed of an all-Chincoteague Pony drill team idea sprouted nearly 30 years ago. HOW IT STARTED In…

GIRLS’ TAFFY SHOW BLOUSE Terrific Taffy is a versatile blouse in gorgeous fabric that both shines and stretches. Reflective two-tone taffeta fabric is crisp with an elegant sheen. Wear alone with simple or fancy jewelry or layer Taffy under your favorite vests; can be decorated with crystals and appliques. $99.98; hobbyhorseinc.com SHYANNE GIRLS’ WESTERN BOOTS Full-grain leather with 9" shaft, broad square toe, leatherlining, rubber outsole and double welt construction. Features 1 1/8" stockman heel. $59.00; sheplers.com TROXEL SIERRA The Sierra’s nylon and leather covering looks good while protecting the shell from scratches. The comfortable, self-adjusting Sure-Fit Pro system and Air-Channel headliner perform flawlessly to provide all day comfort on the trail or in the arena. Black or brown. $174.99; troxelhelmets.com SCHNEIDER’S GIRLS WESTERN STRETCH SHOW PANTS Crafted from a…

In barrel racing, practicing the pattern over and over can get boring to your horse, so it’s best to mix up your sessions with other exercises that will benefit the pattern. I like to break my training program up into sections that include foundation and advanced horsemanship training, power exercises, conditioning exercises, pattern work, and problem solving. SQUARE TURNS TO STAY SHARP One horsemanship exercise that I like to do with my barrel horses is riding squares. If a horse rides a lot of circles, he can begin to get a little lazy in the turn and lose form. This can cause him to swing his haunches to the outside of the circle, especially at speed. To circle correctly, the horse should circle with his front feet and back feet…

You’ve been working hard to confirm a great working partnership with the horse you own, lease or lesson on, and the time has finally come—you’re ready for your first show! You’re excited and you know it will be worth the effort and sacrifice it took to get to this place in your riding career. Now it’s time to get prepped and ready beforehand so you can focus on riding your best in the show ring! PREPARATION Being prepared should be your No. 1 priority when showing, and training at home is the only way to start. There’s an unspoken rule when it comes to picking your classes: always stick with what you’ve been practicing. For example; if you are jumping 2 feet at home, don’t sign up for the 2'6"…

Featured artists win a grooming product from Mane ‘n Tail! HOW TO ENTER Your parents can email a scan or photo of your artwork to editor@youngrider.com with the subject line “Art Gallery,” or mail your entry to Young Rider Art Gallery, P.O. Box 3945, Laguna Hills, CA 92654. You will need your parents’ permission to enter. Please be sure to include artist’s name, age, and mailing address, plus parental contact information (name, email and phone number). Prize varies each month. Deadline for entries is Sept. 1, 2025. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, ages 7-16. You must get permission from your parents to enter. Email entries must be received between 12:00:01 AM PT on…

Hey everyone! I thought it was definitely time for a long-overdue check-in on the horses. So much has happened, and if you’ve been following the YouTube channel, you’ll know that last year was a really tough one. We had to say goodbye to two of our sweet donkeys … and then my childhood pony, Mickey. That was the hardest goodbye of all. I know so many of you adored Mickey. He was a huge part of my life and of the channel, too. He honestly didn’t know how loved he was—not just here at home, but all over the world. So many of you have shared memories, photos, drawings … it’s been incredibly comforting. He may not have known it, but Mickey was truly a celebrity pony, and his spirit…

Does sitting arena or course-side with a camera in hand, documenting the highlights of equestrian athletes’ days in the show ring sound like your dream job? If so, pairing your creativity and knowledge of equine events may be a career path you want to learn more about. There are a couple of different business models in the realm of horse show photography, but the focus of this article will be on “official” show photographers. “OPs,” as they are commonly referred to in the business, strive to provide high-quality pictures of every exhibitor during the event. Many also provide posed win photos with a backdrop setup or in the arena. Knowing how to present each equine sport in a way that projects a positive image to the public is an important…

We’ve all seen the finished product: realistic, scaled-down versions of beautiful and unique horses. But a lot goes into the process of making Breyer models come to life! Rayvin Maddock is an artist who gets to make her passion into her profession and sculpts Breyer horses for a living. We sat down with her to learn more about her process and what makes Breyers so special. YR: What made you decide to start sculpting Breyer models? RM: I started out by customizing Breyer models. That means repainting or resculpting parts of the model, like the hair, face, or even the position of the legs, to make something totally new. I loved turning an existing model into a whole new horse and pushing the limits! Eventually, I was invited by Breyer…

HOW TO ENTER Your parents can email a photo to editor@youngrider.com (subject line “Me & My Horse”), or mail your entry to Young Rider M&MH, P.O. Box 3945, Laguna Hills, CA 92654. Please be sure to include your name and age, the horse’s name, your mailing address, and parental contact information (email & phone number). Model prizes vary each month; approximate retail value $45. Deadline for entries is Sept. 1, 2025. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, ages 7-16. You must get permission from your parents to enter. Email entries must be received between 12:00:01 AM PT on 6/6/25 and 11:59:59 PM PT on 9/1/25. Mail-in entries must be postmarked by 9/1/25 and received…