It looks like riding might not just make us happier, it might also make us smarter.

Let’s thank J. Mark Davis, Professor of Exercise Science (yes, there is such a thing) at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, for that great news.

Dr. Davis’ research, published last month in The Journal of Applied Physiology, was on mice not riders, but we can extrapolate.  And we will.

Some shorthand science will help you understand what Dr. Davis was looking at and what he found.  He was looking at mitochondria (stay with me here), those tiny things that float around the nucleus of cells and help fuel cellular activity.  It’s been known for some time that muscles produce new mitochondria as a result of exercise.  But Dr. Davis discovered that exercise produces new mitochondria in the the brain as well.

Continue reading →

I have a client who was a “hunter pace queen” before she became a “dressage queen” (this is not me being derogatory in any way; she has a cap announcing the switch).   Although we’re in the middle of the season, she has kindly agreed to a brief interview on the one thing that still makes her heart beat faster, even though she’d rather sit the trot these days.  While she insists on anonymity, Ex-Hunter Pace Queen is delighted to share her insights with you.  Novice or not, there’s still time for you to go out there and gallop!

RoR:  What’s so great about hunter pacing?

EXHPQ:  Well, I think everyone would agree it’s the weather.  What rider doesn’t like to ride on a lovely autumn day?  It’s cool, no bugs, the foliage is spectacular.  But also it’s riding outside a ring; galloping long, open meadows; jumping all manner of fences; bending around trees in the woods like a barrel racer; riding new land.  It’s up and down and all around fun!

RoR:  I’ve never been to a hunter pace, what do I need to do to prepare?

EXHPQ:  It depends on what pace you are doing and which division you enter.  The smaller paces have a Western division and a Pleasure division.  If you and your horse aren’t in the best of shape, the Pleasure division would be your pick, as the Western division is almost as fast as the Hunt division, just without the jumping.

Continue reading →

I stopped off at a friend’s house on the way back home from New Jersey tonight, and caught the new CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, which premiered last week (you can catch both episodes online).

Have you seen it?  If not, you might want to.

One of the 2 Broke Girls was a billionaire before she ended up penniless.  When the other Broke Girl finds out, she asks, “Do you have a horse?”  Yes is the answer.  And she’s keeping it.  When the 2 Broke Girls move in together, guess who comes along?

Admittedly, the horse is a supporting actor, but I still fell for him.  Even if he is a bay whose name is “Chestnut.”  The ultimate backyard horse, Chestnut walks right into the girls’ apartment, or just sticks his head in, every time one of them opens the back door.

Continue reading →

I’m heading off to see Buck Brannaman in New Jersey.  After the movie, I hope I’ll get to see something as an auditor, since there is no pre-registration and Buck has even more fans this year.  I promise to fill you in when I can.

Maybe it’s that we began the last mow of the pastures today, or the T-shirt weather tonight, or that summer ends this week, but I’m feeling like the cowgirl in Leonard Cohen’s Ballad of a Runaway Horse.  Emmylou Harris sings it for you:

That’s what I need.  Just like the horse in this beautiful brush painting.  Don’t forget that every horse needs a break and so do we.