HN Year-In-Review: Top 5 ‘Oh Crap’ Mondays
Monday already is the crappiest day of the week, so it only makes sense that we make things official…
And honestly? 2025 gave us plenty to choose from.
If Horse Nation Mondays had a mission statement, it would be this: begin the week by acknowledging that something, somewhere, has already gone sideways (likely before your first cup of coffee). “Oh Crap” Monday was born from that sacred understanding, and over the past year it delivered with admirable consistency. From barn disasters and show-ring catastrophes to those uniquely equestrian situations where you briefly consider selling everything and taking up a quiet hobby like knitting, these were some of the moments that made us collectively say, “Yep. That tracks.”
So in the spirit of closure (and light emotional scarring), we’re looking back at our top five “Oh Crap” Mondays of 2025 — the stories that launched a thousand comments, sparked group chats, and reminded us all that at least it wasn’t our barn on fire this time. Buckle up. It’s been a year.
Number 5: At Least She Stayed In the Saddle…
Our fifth most-viewed “oh crap” moment is a great reminder that tightening a cinch never really is a bad thing. In fact, it can be downright helpful… especially when it comes to sliding stops.
Read the original piece here.
Number 4: Expectation vs. Reality…
This “oh crap” moment is what nightmares are made of — especially for folks who aren’t equestrians. You know the ones. They think a nice beach ride is going to be straight out of a scene from The Black Stallion. Instead, they ended up with a … less-than-desirable outcome.
Despite some neck and arm injuries and a trip to the ER, everyone seemed to be fine.
Read the original piece here.
Number 3: Belly Flop
This was a personal favorite — mainly because following the belly flop, this competitor was right back up and doing her job. Way to stick with it!
View this post on Instagram
Read the original piece here.
Number 2: Why Good Ground Matters
Our second-most viewed “oh crap” moment of the year is a great reminder why good ground matters … especially during speed events.
Read the original piece here.
Number 1: Horse vs. Chicken
And coming in at number one is this Instagram reel, where one horse decided that chickens, indeed, are not friends. In the least.
View this post on Instagram
Read the original piece here.
Go forth and tackle your Monday, Horse Nation.
Have an “Oh Crap” moment to share? Email your photo/video and a brief explanation of what is going down to [email protected]. Instagram users, tag your moments with #OhCrapMonday (your photos need to be set to public or we won’t see them!).
