The Chronicle of the Horse

At this point in the summer, we thought everyone could probably use a laugh, and so we've put together a collection of embarrassing and amusing stories from the equine world. We have funny stories from stars like Anky van Grunsven, Adrienne Sternlicht, Will Faudree, Lynn Symansky and Sandy Ferrell, as well as great tales from Chronicle fans.

With three World Equestrian Games and two Olympics under his belt, not to mention three gold medals from two Pan American Games, Boyd Martin hardly needs an introduction. This 40-year-old event rider from Cochranville, Pennsylvania, just scored back-to-back wins at the Virginia Horse Trials and the Horse Park of New Jersey Horse Trials II. 

When citizens of Oakland, California, witnessed Brianna Noble and her 7-year-old Appaloosa gelding Dapper Dan walking through the Black Lives Matter protest for George Floyd on May 29, they stopped in their tracks to take pictures and raise fists in solidarity. This wasn't Noble's first protest, but it was the first time the lifelong equestrian attended one on horseback. When photos from the event went viral on the internet, the 25-year-old got conformation of the impact she was hoping to achieve, one that sparked the opportunity for dialogue and change. Noble became a public sensation overnight and is using her newfound platform to fight for equality in equestrian sport and beyond. Tori Repole guest hosts this interview with Noble where she discusses race in the horse world and Noble's non-profit, Humble. 

The horse world has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic and things are beginning to get back to normal, depending on the state and local governments. We thought we'd look at how one horse-centric state is handling re-entry after months of regulations. Ross Peddicord is the head of the Maryland Horse Industry Board, part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. He's also part of a task force set up to advise on when and how sports, including non-racing horse sports, should reopen in his state. Maryland has been hit fairly hard by the COVID-19 Pandemic, they're 10th in the nation by number of cases, and as of today they've had over 44,000 cases and over 2,200 deaths. The Maryland Horse Industry Board, which licenses over 700 stables across the state, has been proactive about communicating what's allowed when it comes to horses.

Dr. Karley Koch is an avid amateur equestrian and a second-year medical resident in the family medicine residency program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, which means she's working in Oklahoma's largest hospital on a regular basis. She was also featured in the Chronicle's “Amateur Showcase” online. She joined us to discuss what it's like on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Safety in eventing is always at the forefront of the minds of governing bodies and participants, but the discussion has been reignited in the wake of the death of Katharine Morel and her horse Kerry On at the Rocking Horse Winter 3 Horse Trials in Florida on Feb. 29. Improving safety in eventing is a multi-faceted challenge, which includes finding ways to make cross-country jumps safer with frangible technology, examining cross-country course design, looking at horse and rider qualifications and discussing rider responsibility. Katharine's accident occurred at a table on the cross-country course at Rocking Horse, and in the aftermath, five-star rider Jonathan Holling decided to start a fundraiser with other stakeholders in the sport for frangible MIM tables.  Amateur rider Maggie Deatrick was moved to write a blog for EventingNation.com, which went viral, asking for transparency from officials after accidents that result in the death of a horse or rider.

We talked to Kevin Babington about his recovery following a life-changing fall last summer. For more conversations about hot topics in the equestrian world visit coth.com where you'll find articles, blogs, a community bulletin board and much more. The Chronicle of the Horse, founded in 1937, is the leader in sport horse news through our two magazines, website and podcast. We're also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @chronofhorse.  This episode is brought to you by Samshield and Fabbri  

We talk to Matt Brown about how he's managed his mental health while running a business and competing as a serious upper level eventer.  For more conversations about hot topics in the equestrian world visit coth.com where you'll find articles, blogs, a community bulletin board and much more. The Chronicle of the Horse, founded in 1937, is the leader in sport horse news through our two magazines, website and podcast. We're also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @chronofhorse. This episode is brought to you by Kentucky Equine Research and Darby Bonomi Ph.D.

We talk to Stacia Klein Madden about all things equitation, from the role of equitation in learning to ride to how she mentors young riders and helps them navigate the pressure of competing at the top level.  For more conversations about hot topics in the equestrian world visit coth.com where you'll find articles, blogs, a community bulletin board and much more. The Chronicle of the Horse, founded in 1937, is the leader in sport horse news through our two magazines, website and podcast. We're also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @chronofhorse.

How exactly does SafeSport fail to give due process to the accused? How do you explain the vitriol we're seeing online against victims of assault? We talk with attorney and horseman Packy McGaughan and sports psychologist Dr. Jenny Susser about these questions and many more surrounding SafeSport and its fallout. For show notes and related information click here. For more conversations about hot topics in the equestrian world visit coth.com, where you'll find articles, blogs, a community bulletin board and much more. The Chronicle of the Horse, founded in 1937, is the leader in sport horse news through our two magazines, website and podcast. We're also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @chronofhorse.

Mollie Bailey is a Senior Reporter at The Chronicle of the Horse, and will be hosting the brand new Chronicle of the Horse Podcast. It will be officially launching next year but to give you a taste of what's to come we'll have two episodes this year in July and November. Then starting in January 2020 our monthly show will feature a variety of guests sharing news from around the horse world. As some of you know The Chronicle of the Horse has been the leading US Sporthorse magazine  since 1937 and with the launch of our own podcast we will be able to share even more stories with a wider audience. The Chronicle of The Horse podcast will be free to  download wherever you listen to podcasts such as iTunes or  Stitcher.  You can learn more about The Chronicle of the Horse at www.coth.com, or follow us on social media—we're on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @chronofhorse.  We look forward to bringing you our first episode later this month so stay tuned.