Equestrian lifestyle influencers focus more on followers, fashion, self promotion, and branded partnerships than horse welfare. — Irecently saw a video of a horse trainer strap a saddle and a mannequin to a frightened two-year-old horse and send it galloping and bucking around a small pen. “She’s a much better rider than I’ll ever be,” joked the influencer. The fact the terrified animal couldn’t free itself from…

My lifelong passion for horses and natural curiosity for science became the perfect combination — and changed my path in life. — The horse world is all about tradition, not innovation. Training horses is still, in many ways, medieval. The equipment we use — leather, steel bits, iron shoes — dates back thousands of years, even if it looks a little different today. …

I thought losing my uterus at 24 was hard. Letting go of the pet that helped me through it is worse. — I had my surgery on a Monday. By the time the weekend rolled around, I was already itching to visit the barn. “I just want to see her and say hi,” I told my husband, referring to the little filly waiting for me at the stables. “I won’t do any…

The feminist movement to prevent assault and trauma applies to our animals as well. — I learned the lesson most people assigned female at birth learn at a young age: your body is not your own. People tell you how you should dress, what weight and shape is ideal, how long your hair should be and how to style it. …

What I hope we can learn from Annika Schleu and Saint Boy. — Hopes of a gold medal for German pentathlete Annika Schleu crumbled when her assigned horse was unable to perform during the showjumping portion of the Tokyo Olympics event. Riders are randomly assigned a horse to compete with, and riding a new horse is part of the challenge — and a…

How one small act of kindness changed everything for an animal in need — I didn’t know what to expect when I saw my new horse for the first time. I had paid for her sight unseen, and arranged for her to be shipped to Oregon from Washington. …

Evolution, Eve’s apple, and a religious agenda aimed at oppressing women. — Do you know the story of Adam and Eve? It’s a Biblical creation story about the dawn of humankind, a perfect garden, and a fall from grace. In sum, the first woman is tempted by the devil to eat forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and gets herself and…

Fulfill your wildest income fantasies with these foolproof hacks from some random person on Medium. — I never thought I could make this much f*cking money. But now I do, probably, and I want you to believe that you can too. …

Their Mother’s Day tweet tells us all we need to know about their thoughts on those who lost their lives to violence. — The National Rifle Association could have thought twice about the tweet they sent out today in celebration of Mother’s Day, but they did not. No, they knew who would be nodding along in agreement: people who think victims are just sensitive snowflakes. After all, “victim” is a status for liberals…