Staff notes

Ihope everyone’s planning to have fun in the saddle this summer. Once school’s out, there’s plenty of time to ride and hang out at the barn with the horses and your barn pals. If you’re going to riding camp or planning to get out and show, you’ll have the awesome opportunity to meet a whole bunch of new barn besties.

Being with horses is your happy place, and we want to keep it that way. If you’ve ever encountered drama at the barn, you know it can be tough. For some advice about what to do, check out “Drama Free Zone” on page 30 for tips from equestrian and professional educator Amy Hempe. As a teacher, she’s worked with tons of kids and can show you how to deal. Don’t ride the drama llama this summer—just ride horses!

If you’ll be hitting the trails—one of my favorite things—don’t miss the advice for riding up and down hills in this issue as well. What are your favorite horse-related activities? If you love reading horse books as much as you love riding, turn the page to see what titles the YR Advisory Board recommends.

Happy reading & riding,