Horse Nation Gives Thanks

A heartfelt look at the gratitude, grit, growth, and grace that shape the Horse Nation herd.

Here at Horse Nation, we spend most of the year laughing our way through the chaos of equestrian life—but Thanksgiving invites us to pause and reflect on the deeper things that shape our community. This year, we’re grateful for the space to grieve beloved horses we’ve lost, the privilege of still having horses in our lives even when goals shift or go unmet, the grit that lets us run training barns and work our butts off doing what we love, and the friends who stand by us exactly as we are—mud-splattered, exhausted, authentic, and horse-obsessed. So pull up a hay bale and join us as the Horse Nation staff shares what we’re truly thankful for this season.

Amanda Uechi Ronan

In February 2024, I lost the love of my life, my heart horse Aggie. After that, I stopped riding completely. I did not have the energy or interest to interact with my other two horses. It sounds awful to say, but they are older polo mares who don’t ask for much. Feed them, check on them, and offer a scratch only when absolutely necessary. And somehow, they seemed to know I needed space.

Photo courtesy of Amanda Ronan

When Aggie passed, they were both there. The three of us stayed by his side from the moment he collapsed until the moment he was finally freed from a body that could no longer carry him. Maybe they needed space too. He was the patriarch of our little herd, and they must have felt his absence as deeply as I did.

So for months, they grazed and I watched them graze. That was all I could manage.

Then, almost a year later, something shifted. One day in the pasture, my mares walked up to me. Seana rested her head against me. Lumpy stood on my other side. I started scratching them, one with each hand, and they began mutually grooming me and each other. A new ritual formed. Now they seek me out every day, asking for that small moment of connection.

Photo courtesy of Amanda Ronan

I still don’t ride much, but for the first time since losing Aggie, I’m starting to want to.

So I am grateful for time. Time to grieve, time to breathe, time to find my way back. I am grateful for mares who simply know. And I am profoundly grateful for the 29 years I had with my heart horse. He was, and always will be, my once in a lifetime.

Aubrey Graham

Every year there is so much to be thankful for: the horses, being healthy and able, my family, my partner, the community and my team. That never wanes. This year is a little extra exciting, though: This year is the first year in ages that I am able to actually GO HOME for Thanksgiving. I’m grateful for the amazing barn help, the healthy horses, and the whole team who makes me dipping out for two days possible.

Photo courtesy of Aubrey Graham

Additionally, I am grateful for the opportunity to be working my as* off for the dream that still really is that. Running a Thoroughbred training facility means waking up to hard work, unavoidable learning opportunities and adventure every day. I’m not sugar coating, I actually love this and I am so so so grateful to be able to build this life from scratch. Outside of the amazing horses, I’m grateful to have one more Thanksgiving with my ride or die, Walker (my 13 year old german shepherd mutt) and his sidekick, Littles (pitt mix). Also, I cannot understate my gratitude for Taylor, my partner who supports/tolerates my insane passion for these horses and who accepts that I’m likely to fall asleep on the couch as soon as I sit down.

Happy Thanksgiving, folks! Enjoy the ride.

Gwyneth McPherson

I am grateful for my good fortune to be able to have a life with horses.

• I was born in a place and time that women are “allowed” to ride horses.
• I had parents that were willing to let me develop as a rider and a competitor.

Photo courtesy of Gwyneth McPherson

• We had land and a farm that I could keep my horses at home and develop a small teaching and training business in my teens and twenties.
• I had excellent teachers and horses to learn from.

Photo courtesy of Gwyneth McPherson

• I have been able to continue riding, training, teaching and competing throughout my life.

Photo courtesy of Gwyneth McPherson

• I have friends and family around me that are supportive of my life with horses, and help me on a daily basis to continue doing what I love to do.

Photo courtesy of Gwyneth McPherson

Katelin Parsons

This was a rough year. At the start, I was very hopeful that my horse Monkey was going to be able to return to competition. Unfortunately, he plateaued in his training. When I took him in for what I thought would be routine diagnostics and injections, we found that he had fractured his pelvis in two places. My hopes of getting him back in the barrel pen were shattered.

Photo by Katelin Parsons

Then this summer, I realized that I could not afford to care for two high-maintenance, semi-sound horses, so made the decision to rehome my three-year-old colt with subchondral bone defects in his stifles. I gave him to a gal who promised to give him a lower impact lifestyle.

So now I’m down to just one horse with pelvis fractures that healed crooked, but that’s okay. I am honored to provide a forever home for this remarkably tough little horse. Despite his injuries, he can still go for trail rides and we are lucky enough to be at a barn with access to miles of trails.

Photo by Katelin Parsons

I’m thankful for every moment I get to spend on his back. I’m also thankful for my husband and friends who have supported me through all my tears. You guys keep me hopeful that I’ll make it back to the show pen… one day.

Morgane Schmidt

When asked what I’m thankful for, often the first things that come to mind are the standard answers — friends, family, critters, health, career, and so forth. And while these are hugely important, if I take a moment to reflect on it, I think two of the overarching threads that run through them all, and of which I am absolutely thankful for, are the people I can be authentically myself around and the opportunities for growth and self-reflection that afford me the chance to “always be arriving.”

Obviously surrounding yourself with people who actually see you and appreciate who you are — the good, the bad, and the ugly — is vital for authenticity. We all need to feel seen and heard to grow into the best version of ourselves, and carry forward the sort of confidence that allows us to uphold that sense of self and continually develop. These people are a gift.

Wilson, the world’s most perfect horse (just as him). Photo by Morgane Schmidt.

Similarly, the opportunities for personal growth — while not always (or even often) comfortable — present us with a unique chance to self-reflect and explore what drives and defines us. I have been fortunate enough to have quite a few of these moments (one might even say a never ending string of them… ), and even though I didn’t enjoy them all during the process, I do believe I keep coming out a better human being for it all at the end.

While both finding your people and sucking it up and learning from the things that challenge or change you ripple across multiple layers of riding and training (hopefully improving both), they certainly extend beyond that in that they support your evolution of self. I think it is so vital to keep a growth mindset, shore up your curiosity, and keep exploring even when — especially when — it’s hard or uncomfortable because that’s really what this whole thing is about.

Bowie is always up for an adventure (and snacks). Photo by Morgane Schmidt.

“Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”  – David Bowie

All of that being said, I am also always thankful when The Red Dragon decides not to choose violence and refrains from yeeting me into the stratosphere. That’s always a nice bonus.

The Red Dragon, *not* choosing violence. Photo courtesy of Morgane Schmidt.

Marcella Gruchalak

This year, I’m reminded how much there is to be thankful for in this crazy life. I’m grateful for the incredible vets who continue to care for Payco and Buns as they heal from their injuries.

I’m thankful for gaining a new teammate in Hot Sauce. We came together this year and progressed in ways that gave me confidence with a higher level of horse. Every challenge we worked through made me a better rider and I’m proud of how far we’ve come.

Photo by Roam Photos

I’m thankful for my trainer, Ezra Yoder of No Reins Performance Horses, for believing in me long before I believed in myself. His encouragement, guidance, and faith in my abilities have shaped my growth.

Photo by Marcella Gruchalak

I’m deeply thankful for the opportunities Horse Nation has given me. Being able to travel, share equine experiences, and my with a wider community has been rewarding.

DeAnn Long Sloan

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for the unbelievable, unexpected path that brought me into the horse world in a way I never could’ve imagined. Fifteen years ago, fresh out of teaching and buried somewhere in the trenches of academia, I was lucky to grab the occasional lesson. The idea of owning even one horse to trail ride or occasionally take to a play-day felt like a pie-in-the-sky notion. Now here I am: four-and-a-half horses (don’t ask — it’s complicated), a boarding barn, traveling to competitions all spring and summer, and a career in equestrian media. None of this was on my “This Is Your Life” BINGO card, and somehow it’s all become my everyday life. I’m grateful for the work, the hustle, and the wild opportunities I never saw coming.

I am deeply thankful for the horses who fill my barn and my heart — gritty, talented beasts who challenge me, teach me, and unapologetically raise my standards as a rider and horsewoman. They’ve stretched me in ways I didn’t expect, and even though I didn’t hit every goal I planned this year, I’m grateful for every single ride and the chance to keep striving.

Photo by Mountain Ember Photography

Photo by Roam Photos

I’m also thankful for the good horses (and one questionably good pony) helping shape my children into confident, capable competitors and horsewomen in their own right; watching them grow in partnership with their mounts has been incredibly rewarding.

Photo by Genevieve Burnett Photography

Photo by Mountain Ember Photography

And then there’s the community—the incredible, hilarious, supportive crew of horse people who surround me. They keep me laughing, keep me grounded, push me, and lift me up when I need it most. I’d still be out there competing because I love it, but it wouldn’t be half as fun without their antics, encouragement, and camaraderie.

Finally, I’m grateful for my husband, who may not understand this obsession with four-legged creatures intent on inventing new ways to injure themselves, but who still supports me wholeheartedly and makes so much of my equestrian life possible. For all of this — and more — I’m thankful.

One of the few pictures of the two of us.

My non-horsey son, who provides some balance for his horse-crazy sisters.