Relaxation and horse riding might not seem like obvious bedfellows, as any good rider knows it’s super important to stay alert and on guard whenever you’re around a horse. But, when it comes to being in the saddle remaining calm and composed is the aim of the game. A confident and relaxed rider is much more likely to get through sticky situations than one who is tense and nervous.

We’ve all been there, perhaps you’ve recently had a fall or you’re a first-time rider. There are plenty of things that can be super nerve-wracking about riding a horse, the trick is to learn some relaxation techniques that come in very handy for those days when the nerves get the better of you.

Be mindful

Learning mindfulness will not only help you to feel calm around horses, it will also impact on the rest of your life. From grooming your horse with awareness to practicing the art of relaxing your body before you ride, mindfulness is a great tool when dealing with the nerves associated with riding. Pay attention to your actions as you groom, making sure to feel the horse’s pulse and how the hair feels as you move the brush over the horse’s body. Focus on your breathing and monitor the horse’s responses to your touch. This will help you to harmonize with the horse and feel calmer in its presence.

Read more: How to Relax When Riding

by Allison Peters

This summer on Experiencing Northern Michigan I’ve shared Mackinac Island, adventures from my first-ever visit there at the start of the season. From watching the Grand Parade at the 70th Annual Mackinac Island Lilac Festival and staying at the Lilac House Bed & Breakfast to touring historic Fort Mackinac, visiting the Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory, and flying kites and biking all around the lush Island, my own Mackinac Island weekend escape was jam-packed with incredible memories, brand new experiences, and refreshing adventures that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Read more: Experiencing Northern Michigan: Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour on Mackinac Island

The Kentucky Horse Park is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with events for horse lovers from around the nation and the world as well as local residents. Festivities began in the spring and will continue into the fall.

Built in 1978, the Kentucky Horse Park was designed as the world’s first park dedicated to man’s relationship with the horse. The park sits on property that has been used to raise Thoroughbreds since the early 1800s.

The facilities now located on the park’s 1,224 acres are unrivaled in the United States and include 1,482 permanent stables in multiple barns, three competition/multiuse venues, a climate-controlled 5,500-seat indoor arena, a covered arena and a 7,338-seat outdoor stadium. There are 12 competition rings and 13 warmup rings.

The Horse Park hosts 200 equine events a year in addition to 60 non-equine events such as concerts, weddings and corporate events. The park has attracted visitors from all 50 U.S. states and 23 foreign countries. More than 40,000 overnight visitors stay at the park’s on-site campground each year.

In addition, the park is home to 30 national equine associations at its National Horse Center, including US Equestrian, the governing body of equestrian sport. Its International Museum of the Horse is a Smithsonian affiliate with 7,982 artifacts, 8,139 photographs and negatives, 4,878 archive collections and 4,201 volumes in its library.

Read more: Kentucky Horse Park Celebrates 40 Years

by Patricia Grimshaw

Traveling down the B3098 near Westbury, in Wiltshire, England, a curious sight greets drivers and passengers alike as they round a corner. Up on a hillside, in clear view, is a large, white horse. Not an actual horse and not a statue, but a carving, in the earth, of a horse.

This is the Westbury White Horse, and it is interestingly not a unique figure in the United Kingdom.

The horse, in profile, has been carved into the white chalky escarpment of Salisbury Plain, about 1.5 miles east of the town of Westbury. It is one of the oldest of several white horses in Wiltshire and lies near an Iron Age hill fort.

At 180 feet tall by 170 feet wide, it is uncertain who carved the figure or what it represents, however it is often thought to commemorate the victory of King Alfred at the Battle of Ethandun, which took place nearby in 878 A.D.; that being said, there is no evidence of this claim until the 18th century.

The white horse has been considered a symbol of the Saxons of the early Middle Ages, including the fabled figures of Hengest and Horsa, who are said to have led the first Anglo-Saxon invasion of England.

Read more: The Ancient and Mysterious Chalk White Horses

Story and photos by Gabriela Hasbun

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo celebrates the black men and women keeping the cowboy tradition alive.

I started getting interested in cowboys after my neighbor in Oakland invited me to join her at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo in 2007 — my first ever. I was raised in cities (San Salvador and Miami) and had never experienced much of country life. Being out on a ranch and around horses was a new experience. Witnessing the connection the cowboys had with the horses and the glamour of riding was quite captivating. I was immediately hooked by the example of Americana and black history.

Initially, I was fascinated by the young cowboys and cowgirls who were fluent in both technology and tradition, something I was not expecting to witness. Later, I started meeting older cowboys who have been keeping black cowboy history alive in the West.

My fascination with the riders’ beauty and confidence led me to photograph this series on medium-format film. The process is slower, and I’m able to focus more on my subjects. Therefore, my images feel quieter than the typical rodeo pictures we see in the media. I’m also less interested in what happens inside the arena. Instead, my work focuses on the people who attend the rodeo and the participants who put their lives at risk each time they compete. I’m aiming to document the beauty of the tradition and culture of the black cowboys and their community.

As I returned to document these riders, I quickly realized how few people even knew of their existence, much less their cultural and historical significance. More than 8,000 black cowboys rode in the great Western cattle drives of the late 1860s. Black cowboys were renowned for their ability to ride the nastiest horses that white cowboys wouldn’t ride. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is named after the man credited with inventing bulldogging, the precursor to the modern rodeo event of steer wrestling. The Bill Pickett rodeo, founded by Lu Vason in 1984, is the only touring black rodeo in the country and this year visits Memphis, Tennessee; Oakland and Los Angeles, California; Atlanta; and Washington, D.C.

Read more: Capturing the Vibrant Culture of Black Cowboys

by Laura Schreffler

When Ariana Rockefeller was asked to design a handbag for the inaugural Longines Masters of New York show jumping competition this past April, she (literally) jumped at the chance. The equestrian-handbag designer simply couldn’t pass up an opportunity to combine her two greatest passions and created a saddle-inspired leather bag beloved by the socialite set. Though she has only been riding professionally for the past five years, show jumping is a hugely important part of her life—it just happened to temporarily take a back seat to her design career. Nowadays, the 35-year-old heiress is focused on her equestrian career, dividing her time between England, Manhattan and Wellington, the opulent Palm Beach area of West Florida beloved by the world’s top equestrians during the winter months. We sat down with Rockefeller shortly before three major events in her life—The Masters, The Met Gala and the Christie’s auction of grandparents David and Peggy Rockefeller’s 2,000-piece, $500 million art collection, which has been called the most significant charitable art auction in history—to chat about her equestrian career, her love of art and the greatest lessons she learned from her philanthropic family role models.

HL: Have you always been into show jumping?

AR: I grew up riding on my family’s farm, and I’ve always had a passion for horses and equestrian sports. For the past five years, I’ve been pretty much full-time training and competing. I rode through high school, took a break in college and then got back into the training and show jumping. I love the behind-the-scenes of the sport, being an advocate for show jumping and really bringing it to more of a mainstream audience—especially in the United States, where the sport isn’t as understood as it might be in European countries.

Read more: How Ariana Rockefeller Indulges In Her Two Grand Passions: Show Jumping And Fashion

As The Queen became the first monarch to reach her Sapphire Coronation Jubilee on Saturday 2nd June, the “world’s first” gold quarter sovereign was released. Collectibles firm The Bradford Exchange released a brand new gold quarter sovereign to commemorate the Queen’s Sapphire Coronation Jubilee, marking Her Majesty’s incredible milestone when she became the first British monarch to reach the 65th anniversary of their coronation on Saturday 2nd June.

The 2018 Gold Quarter Sovereign features a portrait of The Queen on horseback, recalling a similar image which was used on the first commemorative coin of her reign, the 1953 Coronation Crown, and then on subsequent coins celebrating her Majesty’s Jubilees over the decades.

However, this is the first time the equestrian portrait has been used on a gold quarter sovereign, making it a world first to mark this historic occasion.

Read more: Gold Sovereign Coin Released for Queens Sapphire Coronation Jubilee

by Coconuts Bangkok

Every year, dozens of Thai Buddhists travel up the mountainous terrain in Chiang Rai province to watch Phra Kru Ba, the respected abbot and founder of Archa Thong Forest Monastery, bless the ponies in a ceremony called Bai Si Sukwan.

The Archa Thong Forest Monastery is known for the sight of Buddhist monks mounted on horses and the Dharma teaching of Phra Kru Ba.

The senior monk is a former Muay Thai fighter who has fought against the opium trade in the notorious Golden Triangle for the past 20 years by introducing Buddhism to the locals, bonding with the people via the practice of Muay Thai and his equestrian skills.

On the morning of the latest Bai Si Sukwan ceremony, locals dressed in white lined up with dry food in their hands as the famed Phra Kru Ba rode his horse down from the hilltop to accept alms from his worshippers.

“Who wants to get lucky? Raise your hands. Who wants to be wealthy? Raise your hands. Who wants to be safe? Now who wants to listen to Dharma?” Phra Kru Ba said to the cheering worshippers in a ceremony held on September 21.

Read more: Horseback Hero: How one Thai Monk Saves Animals from the Slaughterhouse with Buddhism

by Roger and Rhonda Adams

Our Journey began on a date that, we agree, neither one of us really liked the other person. In spite of that rocky beginning, on March 2, 2019 we will celebrate 40 years of marriage that has been full of life, laughter, adventures, sickness and truly learning the art of communication. Communication is the key to a Journey will lived.

Like so many other couples from different worlds, I was part of the corporate world, and Roger life was already in construction.

We were told early on in our marriage that—for reasons no one could determine at that time—we could never have children. We worked through our feelings, and thus began the life of riding horse and mules. Still, we knew that something was lacking: we wanted more for ourselves. Roger and I both had been reared in church, but had gone through a season of playing church. Our shared realization, that we were missing something, led us back to our roots, and to renewing our commitments to Christ.

Read more: A Team, Riding Out Life's Storms: 2RMules and Wyoming Saddlery