Hi Reader,

When The Plaid Horse shared my article about why the horse world feels so confusing for new families, one response kept coming up:

🤦🏻‍♀️ Thanks, Suzy, for the tip.

If we knew what questions to ask, we'd be asking them.

Reading through hundreds of Facebook comments from horse moms, trainers, and lifelong equestrians made me realize something: we don't necessarily need more information, we need better starting points.

That's exactly what this week's podcast episode is about.

Instead of trying to teach you everything there is to know about horses (trust me, that would be an ill-fated undertaking), I'm sharing 10 conversation starters that can help you better understand the horse world one barn chat at a time.

And, so we don't all bombard our trainers with these questions, I also chat about who, besides your trainer, you can ask these questions to.

If it's helpful to copy and past these questions somewhere you can reference them, here they are, in all their glory:

1. What’s okay to buy used and what should always be new?
2. Where is the nearest tack shop and consignment store that you love?
3. What supplies will we need for the upcoming season?
4. What should my kiddo be practicing between lessons?
5. How do I know if my kiddo is progressing?
6. What’s the best way for me to support my kiddo without getting in the way?
7. What’s one sign that my kid is ready to do the next thing (another lesson, lease, buy, a different horse) – whatever is the NEXT thing at your barn (aka the big ring).
8. Is there someone at the barn who’s a good person to ask beginner questions?
9. What’s one website, book, or podcast every horse mom should bookmark?
10. Can we plan to be at the barn during a farrier and/or vet visit?

If you've ever felt like everyone else somehow received the 'Horse World Handbook' except you, I think this episode will give you some actionable next steps.

10 Questions Every Horse Mom Should Ask (Especially If You're New to Sport)

🎧 Listen on Apple
​🎧 Listen on Spotify​
🎧 Listen on the Broke Horse Moms site​

👀 BTS: Pony Finals Countdown

One month from today, we'll be wrapping up our last ride in Kentucky. We're officially in the home stretch.

Every lesson right now has a purpose and none of them are easy. Someone told Chloe a few months ago:

Sooo, their trainer is helping them take everything they've built over the last four months and layering speed on top of it.

No, I'm fine, really. 😳

During those fleeting moments of peace that come in between waves of anxiety watching them jump higher and move faster, I've been thinking about how different this season feels from where we started.

Five years ago, I was Googling 'What's a lead change?' and wondering if I'd ever understand this sport.

Now we're preparing for Pony Finals - something I didn't even know existed a year and a half ago - and I've become the unofficial logistics manager, coordinating everything from stalls and golf carts to schedules and pony health certificates. It's funny how much you learn when you're learning because you have to.

And that's what I want you to know. There's no rush. No timeline. No start and finish date from which you'll declare, 'I am now BROKE at this horse mom stuff.'

So, spend your time soaking up every lesson, every horse show, and every moment together. Chloe got her driver's license a few weeks ago, and even that has shifted things more than I expected. Little by little, she needs me less, or at least in different ways, and I know seasons like this don't last forever. ❤️

​*Support Chloe and this Broke Horse Mom on our journey to Pony Finals (with updated video)​

🐎 Resources

• My Plaid Horse article: The Biggest Barrier for Non-Horse Families Entering the Sport is Understanding ​
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• GREAT, although sombering article on Back in the Saddle's Substack: Horses Are Having a Moment. Horse People Are Not. ​
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• Huge thanks to Big Dee's Tack and Vet Supply for their support of the podcast. If you're stocking up on summer supplies, gear, or just stuffing your pony full of German Horse Muffins, be sure to use code BHM10 to get 10% off your ENTIRE order!

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

What's one question you wish someone had told you to ask during your first year as a horse mom?

Inside leg, outside rein 🤷🏻‍♀️?
Angie

P.S. Love what we're doing here at Broke Horse Moms? Pop on over to https://buymeacoffee.com/brokehorsemoms and contribute as little as $1 to support us.

P.P.S. Missed a newsletter? See previous posts here.​