Smith Horse Company

09/03/2026

Anyone else joining us in the struggle? What are you doing for fly control?

09/01/2026

** Constructive comments only please, looking to generate some REAL and REALISTIC ideas here!

The question is- HOW DO WE ALL PROTECT OURSELVES FROM BURNOUT?

For the customers, the horse show and the barn is their outlet. Where you all go to unplug, recharge, and mentally refresh. It’s your reward after long work days or weeks, and for some of you it’s family bonding. As horse trainers, we all LOVE to provide this service.

Somewhere along the way, the days and weeks got longer. Both at the barn and the show. Weekend shows are few and far between, we spend a lot of time driving down the road, loading and unloading, and starting at 3-4 am every show day, hoping to be done by 7pm on a few of them to call it a “light” day. Then we all go home to ride what was left behind, take care of what got missed at the farm, and make up lost time with family who also needs us.

Where is the happy medium? In a world where we discuss mental health on the regular, how do we implement it?

Let’s keep our industry thriving!!!!

Now that everyone has been home for a week… let’s talk RECOVERY.

Let’s face it—any World Show or Congress is exhausting.

As trainers, we push ourselves to give our horses and customers everything we have. Long days, short nights, constant planning, preparing, coaching, riding and trying to make sure every horse and exhibitor walks into that pen as prepared as possible.

Our horses are asked to perform at their highest level.

Our exhibitors are coached to dig deep, manage the pressure, push through the nerves and give everything they have when it matters.

And some of us went straight from the Youth World to the NSBA World Show—meaning nearly a month on the road without ever really hitting the reset button.

Then suddenly… you’re home.

The adrenaline stops. The schedule slows down. And sometimes that’s when you realize just how tired you actually are.

So let’s talk about the part of showing we probably don’t talk about enough:

How do YOU recover?

Physically? Mentally? Both?

Do you give yourself a few days to do absolutely nothing? Sleep? Spend time at home? Get back into a routine? Stay away from horses for a day? Massage, chiropractor, pool, couch and Netflix?

And maybe the hardest question for horse people…

How do you give yourself permission to just CHILL without feeling like you should be doing something?

We spend so much time talking about preparing for the big shows. Maybe we should talk a little more about recovering from them, too.

So tell us—what does your post-World Show recovery look like?

08/31/2026

✍🏽 We have been home exactly ONE week, and got this Thank You card in the mail for sponsoring the 13 and Under Trail at the National Snaffle Bit Association World Show. 😊 It’s so wonderful to see the next generation expressing their gratitude and being so quick to do so!

🎉 Congratulations on a fantastic World Show, Kendall LaVelle! You are one hard working kid, and we love watching your success!

08/27/2026

🌾 Nothing says fall in the Midwest quite like rustling corn freshening the horses up! IYKYK

08/25/2026

☀️ We’re home from NSBA and it’s a whopping 57 degrees in Illinois! It officially feels like Congress weather! Which is pretty ironic, considering that entries are due today! 😉

08/23/2026

Congratulations 🎉 are in order!!!!

Carissa Means & She’s Really Hot
Fourth Place
Novice Select Amateur Horsemanship

Blue Ribbon Custom Tack
Brinks Hattery

08/19/2026

Congratulations to 🐭 Quiet Az A Mouse 🐭

9th place in the Color Green Western Pleasure at the National Snaffle Bit Association World Show!

Blue Ribbon Custom Tack
Brinks Hattery
dac® Vitamins and Minerals

08/18/2026

Hard not to be excited about a horse this cool! 🤩

08/17/2026

Showmanship day is off to a great start!

🏅Lindley Means & Goodride Clyde🏅
6th Place
Novice Youth 13 and Under

🏅Carissa Means & She’s Really Hot🏅
8th Place
Novice Select