Chasing Dreams Equestrian LLC.

01/13/2026

Happy Gotcha Day to CDE’s own, Barry (Deo Volente, OTTB Indian Show)! Our sassy, sweet, zipper zipping, pick pocketing, boy for 5 years now 🥰❤️

01/13/2026

01/12/2026

01/12/2026

01/12/2026

This post will be very controversial, but here goes.
I… don’t like cats. Like, at all. They just don’t do it for me. The whole litter box thing, the butt on the dining table, the insouciance. My husband feels the same way.
About a year ago, this cat showed up on our farm, and we were like, eh, ok, she’s pretty cute. She can live outside.
Cut to now, where this creature lives on my face. She’s the cuddliest, sweetest animal I’ve ever encountered. My husband carries her around like a baby, and talks to her in a funny voice.
WHO ARE WE?? What sorcery is this?? I must know how this has happened.
Edited to add: Her name is Pork Chop 🙂

01/11/2026

BEAR DOWN!! 🏈 🏈 🏈

01/05/2026

Riders often put enormous pressure on themselves to feel confident, calm, or “ready” before they walk into the ring. But in Plaidcast Episode 458, Tonya Johnston, Mental Skills Coach explains that riders don’t need perfect emotions to ride well. What they need is a mindset that keeps them focused on behavior rather than feelings—something she calls neutral thinking.

Neutral thinking helps riders stay action-oriented and present, especially when warm-ups are messy, courses change, or nerves start to surface. It’s a practical strategy riders can use in any moment where emotion begins to take over.

Tonya describes neutral thinking using a clear shift inspired by Trevor Moawad’s work: Stop asking How do I feel? Start asking What do I do now?

She explains that neutral thinking is “very behavior-focused” and “pragmatic,” and it doesn’t require riders to control or improve their emotions before taking effective action. Instead, neutral thinking directs attention back to the next useful step—something concrete the rider can do. This shift moves the mind away from judgment and toward purposeful behavior.

Riders often get stuck when they try to evaluate their emotions in the moment. Tonya points out that asking “Why do I feel this way?” or “Should I feel better?” pulls riders away from the present. Neutral thinking avoids this trap by removing judgment from the situation.

When something goes wrong in the warm-up ring or during the course walk, riders don’t need to feel calm or confident to ride well. They just need to focus on the next thing they can do. Neutral thinking offers a clear way to make that shift.

Tonya explains the power of neutral thinking through a story from her college volleyball days. At a pivotal moment late in a match, the score was tight and the pressure high. The opposing team prepared to serve, and it felt as if “everything got very quiet.” Tonya’s focus narrowed. Instead of worrying about the outcome or what might happen if she made a mistake, she found herself becoming curious.

If the ball comes to me, what do I do? If it goes somewhere else, what happens next?

That curiosity kept her attention anchored to the present moment. She wasn’t thinking ahead, replaying past errors, or trying to force a certain emotion. She was simply observing what was happening and preparing for her next action.

This experience shows how curiosity can steady the mind. It keeps riders from getting ahead of themselves and brings their focus back to the task directly in front of them.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/01/02/how-to-use-neutral-thinking-in-the-your-riding/
📸 © Heather N. Photography

01/05/2026

These days, everybody seems to have grooms, but “R” judge and trainer Geoff Case thinks many riders are missing the quiet time spent simply doing for their horses. “Horsemanship doesn’t just happen in the saddle,” he said. “It’s everything you do around the horse that teaches you who they are.”

Case believes that the best riders, the ones who seem effortlessly in sync with their mounts, aren’t just great athletes. They’re great caretakers.

Case came up in a generation where riders did everything—groomed, bathed, wrapped, and tacked up their own horses. He still believes those habits are the foundation of success. “When you groom your horse, you start noticing things,” he said. “You feel the muscle tone. You feel if something’s tight. You learn their reactions.”

That kind of attention builds awareness and empathy, two things that can’t be taught in a lesson. “If you only ever show up to get on, you’re missing half the education,” he said. “It’s in the details. How they stand, how they breathe, how they look at you when you walk up with the halter.”

He encourages his students to spend as much time on the ground as they do in the saddle. “The more you do yourself, the more connected you are,” he said. “You start riding differently because you understand who’s under you.”

Case recalled working with Peter Wylde, who won the World Championship and an Olympic gold medal, but still did all his own care. “Peter was the perfect example,” Case said. “He could have had ten grooms if he wanted, but he still groomed, tacked, cooled out—everything. He knew every bump on those horses.”

That level of attention was about pride and partnership. “Peter didn’t separate the care from the riding,” Case said. “He knew they were part of the same thing.”

For Case, that mindset is what defines real horsemanship. “When you spend time doing the basics yourself, you stop thinking of the horse as a piece of equipment,” he said. “You start thinking of them as your teammate.”

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/11/03/why-doing-the-basics-yourself-builds-better-riders/
📸 © The Plaid Horse

01/05/2026

Listening to Matt Mathews while doing barn chores. Best part is the song “Jokes on Me”.. playing as I spilled a brand new bottle of leather conditioner 🫠🥴😫